A-Lee
Ali Pirzad-Amoli | |
|---|---|
| Born | Ali Pirzad-Amoli May 17, 1988 Gjøvik, Norway |
| Other names | A-Lee, A-LEE |
| Occupation(s) | Pop singer, rapper, songwriter, executive producer, record executive |
| Years active | 2005–present |
| Known for | Norwegian pop singer and rapper; CEO and co-founder of EE Records |
| Notable work | Albums: Missing (2010), Forever Lost (2012) |
Ali Pirzad-Amoli (; born 17 May 1988), professionally recognized as A-Lee (occasionally written as A-LEE), is a Norwegian artist known for his work as a pop singer, rapper, songwriter, and executive producer. He serves as the co-founder and CEO of the record label EE Records and holds a songwriting contract with BMG Chrysalis.
A-Lee has achieved multi-gold and platinum certifications throughout his career. His first album, Missing, was released in 2010, followed by his sophomore album Forever Lost in 2012, which included multiple singles that performed well on the charts. Notably, his songs "The One" and "World So Cold" peaked at #7 and #12 on Norway’s official VG-Lista charts, respectively. In 2011, he was recognized as the most frequently played Norwegian artist on radio stations nationwide, with "The One" standing out as the most broadcasted track across Norway.
In 2012, A-Lee showcased his popular single "Feelgood" at the prestigious VG-Lista Rådhusplassen concert held in Oslo, marking his third consecutive year performing at this event since 2010. His television appearances span major Norwegian broadcasters such as MTV Norway, NRK, TV2, and The Voice TV. Additionally, he has enjoyed significant radio airplay on stations including NRJ Radio, The Voice, NRK P3, and P4. Over the course of his career, A-Lee has performed in excess of 300 live shows and has opened for internationally renowned artists like Tinie Tempah, 50 Cent, Snoop Dogg, Nas, Busta Rhymes, and The Game.
Early life
Born in Gjøvik, Norway to parents of Iranian origin, A-Lee experienced his parents’ divorce at the age of three. Following this, he relocated with his mother to Oslo. At thirteen years old, he spent nearly a year living in Los Angeles before returning to Oslo to reside with his father in Årvoll, Bjerke. His early musical influences include prominent figures such as Michael Jackson, Eminem, Jay-Z, Nas, and Kanye West, shaping the foundation of his artistic style.
2005–2008: Early beginnings
A-Lee initially emerged as part of the hip-hop duo Cam'N A-Lee alongside rapper Cam'leon. In 2005, the pair earned the Audience Award at by:Larm and received a nomination for Årets Urørt from NRK P3 with their track "What Do You Mean," which featured Chicosepoy from Karpe Diem. After releasing the EP Schmokin' Skills, Cam'N A-Lee disbanded toward the end of 2006.
In January 2007, A-Lee signed with Norwegian hip hop producer Tommy Tee’s label, Tee Productions. He contributed to several projects under this label before they parted ways on good terms in 2008.
2008–2009: Transition from demo to label ownership
During the summer of 2008, after completing a demo recording, A-Lee traveled to New York City where he networked with representatives from major labels including Jay-Z’s Roc Nation, Eminem’s Shady Records, and Ryan Leslie’s NextSelection Lifestyle Group. Motivated by favorable responses from these industry professionals, he continued developing his music across Norway and Switzerland.
By autumn 2009, A-Lee co-established EE Records alongside his manager Shahrouz Ghafourian. That year marked the release of his debut single "Bump Off." He also collaborated with the multi-platinum Norwegian duo Madcon on the track "Keep Talking." In December 2009, A-Lee secured a distribution agreement with Bonnier Amigo Music Group (now operating as Cosmos Music Group), Scandinavia’s leading independent music distributor, to launch his debut album Missing.
2010–2011: Breakthrough and The One
In May 2010, A-Lee unveiled his hit single "World So Cold", which earned Platinum certification in Norway and climbed to #12 on the Norwegian Official Charts. It was the most frequently broadcast track on radio station NRK mP3 throughout 2010 and secured the 6th position among all Norwegian radio airplay that year.
January 2011 saw the release of "The One", which achieved 2× Platinum sales in Norway and reached a peak position of #7 on VG-Lista. That year, A-Lee was the Norwegian artist with the highest radio play, with "The One" being the most aired song nationwide and placing #2 on NRJ Radio Norway’s top songs of 2011. Additionally, the track received a nomination for Best Norwegian Hit at the 2012 NRJ Music Awards. Other singles from 2011 included "Hear The Crowd" and "Before My Eyes", both attaining Gold certification in Norway.
This wave of commercial acclaim drew the attention of British music executive Craig Logan, former CEO of RCA Label Group (UK), who facilitated A-Lee’s introduction to RCA/Sony Music UK. In August 2011, Sony extended a global record contract offer to A-Lee; however, due to corporate restructuring at Sony later that year, the agreement was not completed.
2012: Release of Forever Lost
At the start of 2012, A-Lee and EE Records entered into a licensing agreement with Sony Music and commenced production on his sophomore album Forever Lost. He earned two nominations at the NRJ Music Awards 2012 for Best Norwegian Act and Best Norwegian Hit.
In May 2012, he dropped the summer anthem "Feelgood," which reached an impressive 4× Platinum certification in Norway. A-Lee showcased this track during the VG-Lista Tour 2012, including a performance at Oslo’s annual VG-Lista Rådhusplassen event, marking his third consecutive appearance. "Feelgood" also became the most-viewed music video on The Voice TV Norway and ranked third on The Voice radio Norway’s charts for 2012.
September 2012 brought forth the single "Over You" (certified Platinum in Norway), produced by Martin K from StarRoc, Jay-Z’s label. The accompanying video featured Dutch model Sylvia Geersen, known as the runner-up of Holland's Next Top Model. "Over You" was among the top six most played videos on The Voice TV Norway during that year.
October 2012 marked the release of the full-length album Forever Lost, containing tracks produced by renowned industry figures such as Martin K (Jessie J, Lionel Richie), Bernt Rune Stray (Rihanna, Ne-Yo), BPM (Sarah from X-Factor Denmark), Thomas Eriksen (Aaliyah, Franz Ferdinand), Slipmats (Jennifer Hudson), and Ground Rules.
After launching the album, A-Lee secured a global publishing contract with BMG Chrysalis. He also appeared on Norway’s TV2 program Cover Me in October 2012, performing "People Get Moving," a song specifically composed for the show.
2013–present: Releases of Flashy, New Day, and Rainbow
In January 2013, A-Lee was nominated twice at the NRJ Music Awards for Best Norwegian Act and Best Norwegian Hit with his single "Feelgood". That year, he also took part in Midem held in Cannes, France.
August 2013 saw the release of "Flashy," featuring Swedish pop singer Eric Saade, who included this track on his album Forgive Me, which topped the Swedish Official Charts Sverigetopplistan at number one.
In May 2014, A-Lee introduced the single "New Day" alongside its music video. Subsequently, in May 2015, he released both the single "Rainbow" and its accompanying video.
Studio albums
| Album Title | Release Information | Highest Chart Rankings | Certifications |
|---|---|---|---|
| NOR | |||
| Missing |
|
— |
|
| Forever Lost |
|
— |
|
Singles
| Single Title | Release Year | Highest Chart Position | Certifications | Associated Album |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NOR | ||||
| "World So Cold" (feat. Marcus Only) |
2010 | 12 |
|
Forever Lost |
| "The One" | 2011 | 7 |
|
Forever Lost |
| "Hear The Crowd" |
|
Forever Lost | ||
| "Before My Eyes" |
|
Forever Lost | ||
| "Feelgood" (feat. Elisabeth Carew) |
2012 |
|
Forever Lost | |
| "Over You" |
|
Forever Lost | ||
| "People Get Moving" |
|
Non-album single | ||
| "Like You" | 2013 |
|
Forever Lost | |
| "Flashy" (feat. Eric Saade) |
|
'‘Forgive Me’' (Eric Saade's album) | ||
| "New Day" | 2014 |
|
Non-album single | |
| "Rainbow" | 2015 |
|
Non-album single |
Music videos
| Video Title | Release Year | Director(s) |
|---|---|---|
| "Before My Eyes" | 2012 | — |
| "Feelgood" (feat. Elisabeth Carew) | 2012 | Pål Erik Helgerud |
| "Over You" | 2012 | Joon Brandt |
| "New Day" | 2014 | Frederic Esnault |
| "Rainbow" | 2015 | — |
Awards and nominations
| Year | Event | Category | Work nominated | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | by:Larm | Audience Award | Template:Won | |
| 2005 | NRK P3 Urørt | Årets Urørt | "What Do You Mean" (featuring Chicosepoy) | Template:Nom |
| 2012 | NRJ Music Awards 2012 | Best Norwegian Act | Template:Nom | |
| 2012 | NRJ Music Awards 2012 | Best Norwegian Hit | "The One" | Template:Nom |
| 2013 | NRJ Music Awards 2013 | Best Norwegian Act | Template:Nom | |
| 2013 | NRJ Music Awards 2013 | Best Norwegian Hit | "Feelgood" (featuring Elisabeth Carew) | Template:Nom |
References
- Pages with script errors
- Articles with short description
- Articles with hCards
- No local image but image on Wikidata
- Musicians from Gjøvik Municipality
- Norwegian male songwriters
- English-language singers from Norway
- Living people
- 1988 births
- Norwegian expatriates in the United States
- Norwegian people of Iranian descent
- 21st-century Norwegian songwriters
- 21st-century Norwegian male singers