Language Therapy with Dr. K From Komitas to Capital Cities: Sebu Simonian Between Languages
Sep 5, 2025
Sebu Simonian, an Armenian-American singer and half of the duo Capital Cities, discusses the vibrant interplay of language and culture in his music. He shares his experiences as a heritage speaker navigating between Western and Eastern Armenian, and the essence of code-switching as a form of artistry. The conversation highlights his creative process in reviving Komitas' music in a bilingual format and the significance of preserving cultural identity through musical expression. Sebu also reflects on the communal support among Armenian artists, emphasizing the importance of collaboration.
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Early Multilingual Upbringing
- Sebu grew up as a Western Armenian speaker, lived in Saudi Arabia, then moved to the U.S. and kept Armenian through Armenian day schools and his mother's teaching.
- He later lost French and Arabic but retained subconscious fluency and strong Western Armenian roots.
Home Language Dynamics
- At home Sebu reports a lot of English with his children, though his eldest retains more Armenian.
- He is relaxed about language loss and believes there is still time to keep heritage language alive with his kids.
Bilingual Songs As Experiments
- Sebu sees bilingual songs as experiments that blend Eastern and Western Armenian to reflect diaspora-homeland dynamics.
- He used hybrid lyric choices in Vuyaman to sound authentic for both singers and audiences.