By Maria Hovsepyan

In an interview with Armenian News-NEWS.am Armenian-American rock musician, keyboardist Derek Sherinian tells about his reconnection with his Armenian relatives, his music career and Armenian rock bands.

Which visit is this to Armenia?

I think it’s the fifth or sixth one.

You started visiting Armenia once you found and reconnected with your family here due to the famous 100-year-old photo of your grand-grandmother Elizabeth Yazidjianshowing two young women from a band of fighters during the Turkish massacres in 1915. Is that right?

No. That’s actually wrong. I played here a few times with concerts and then three years ago when I was here during the 100th commemoration of the Genocide. I always posted the famous photo of my great grandmother with the gun and I posted it on Facebook and the following day I got a message on Facebook from a woman saying that she believed that she is my cousin and that that woman on the photo was her grandmother and so we talked a little bit and I realized that she really was a relative and she told me that my great grandmother was buried in a cemetery here in Yerevan and so we met the next morning and she took me up there. I was leaving back to America that day and it was magical that I connected with my family and I was able to go see the cemetery. I saw them again last year when I came for Aurora and this year I saw them again. It was very nice.

What has this reconnection changed in your life?

It’s just nice to know I have a family half way across the world and even though I’ve never met these people there is love and connection and it’s great to be able to come here and spend time with them whenever I come back to Hayastan.

What stirred inside you a desire to find out your deep roots?

The picture speaks loudly for anyone if you are Armenian and you see that image to see a woman have to fight is a pretty heavy duty. That photo has been with my family for years and it had a lot of meaning to me. WE always wondered what happened to her and never knew. So to be able to go to her grave is very special.

Are you happy about your Armenian identity? What does it mean to you?

Absolutely yes. I’m just very proud of my heritage and being Armenian and I love coming here. The country is always very warm, people are always very warm to me. It’s what I am.

Has it somehow influenced your music?

I think the Armenians are strong people and we are resilient. We don’t give up. That was very powerful to me trying to make it in music, and I would always thin about the struggle my great grandmother had to go through and to be strong and it gives me strength. I think we are strong people and that always helps in life.

You were tapped by “Keyboard” Magazine as a “Keyboard Hero for A New Generation.” You worked with Alice Cooper, Billy Idol, YngwieMalmsteen, played keyboard instruments for five years at Dream Theatre and performed in Black Country Communion supergroup. You were very successful in your career as a rock keyboard player. What would you define as success? What played a key role in your success?

I think the determination and the love for what I do and the fact that I consistently stayed at it and never gave up. And I would say that to anyone who wants to go to music or any field that if you really love what you do and you work really hard at it, if you stay with it long enough in time something good will happen. Might be faster for some people and might take long time but you’ll eventually get there.

What are your priorities for life and yourself? Are you a demanding person? Is that also part of your success?

I’m demanding to myself. I have high expectations of my performance and I’m demanding to people that I work with. I expect them to work as hard as I do and I think that’s important.

What would be your message to young keyboard players and musicians in general?

As I said, stay with it. If you really love what you do and believe in yourself stay with it and make sure you play the style, the music that you love. That’s the most important.

What is a keyboard for you? Why have you chosen that instrument?

It’s just me. I started with a piano from my parents’ house and grew into keyboard.

What are your political preferences? What do you think America will gain or lose with Trump’s presidency?

Honestly I think they are all horrible. None of them impress me. I’ve seen a lot of presidents come and go and whether it’s a Democrat or a Republican, it really doesn’t make a difference on how much money I make. If I work hard, I will do well and the President doesn’t really make a difference. It’s really tough our country is really divided now because of Trump. There are people who hate the guy and there are people who love him. It’s tough but I’ve learned to not really discuss politics because my attitude is if there are 100 fans I want all of them and once I take a position I lose half of them.

You collaborated with the Dream Theatre. How does your collaboration with them look like now? Do you still have any connections with the Dream Theatre?

I was in the band may be 20 years ago but I’ve recently reunited the ex-drummer Mike Portnoy, the ex-founder of the band and we have a new project or a new band that’s going to be launched in August. I can’t really talk many details but we are very excited about it and it’s going to a progressive metal music in the style of the Dream Theatre but more attitude and we are very excited to put this record on in August. This is the latest project I’m doing and I’m very excited about it. We are ready to announce it.

Are you familiar with the local Armenian rock bands?

I sure am. I had the pleasure in 2008 to work with the Dorians, a great Armenian band. Gor is fantastic, a great talent and I’d like to see him become a great success even beyond here in Armenia because I think that he has the rare gift of beautiful voice and I’ve seen how he is with crowds and people love him and he needs to be heard.

I’ve also had the pleasure of collaborating with the great DjivanGasparianwho has played on one of my records and he invited me for his 80^th birthday party and I was able to perform and that was awesome.

Do you have any plans of collaborating with them in the future?

No plans but I’m always open to hearing and working with new talent whether Armenian or not doesn’t matter. I’m always attracted to working with a talent.