Meet Satellite Citi, the husband-and-wife rock duo based in Los Angeles that produces incredibly artistic, concept-driven albums and performances with hints of sci-fi and fantasy peppered throughout their work. Frontwoman Anna Gevorkian lays the rhythm as the band’s drummer and lead vocalist, while Shaunt Sulahian serves hefty riffs as the guitarist and backing vocalist.

Together, the band has accomplished huge feats, and shows no signs of slowing down any time soon. In light of the recent war that broke out between Azerbaijan and Armenia, and the ensuing human rights violations and atrocities that were committed against the indigenous Armenian population of Artsakh, the duo released a new single and accompanying video, entitled “Antibody.” Moonrise Magazine had the chance to speak with Shaunt and Anna about their musical journey thus far, as well as the new single. Read on to get all the deets on this incredible musical project!

Hi Anna and Shaunt! Can you tell us a little bit about both of your respective backgrounds and how you came to create and perform music together?

Shaunt: Hey there! I’ve been playing in and out of bands for the past decade or so now. I met Anna seven years ago while she was interning at a recording studio. After realizing that we both have a pretty strong chemistry, we started writing songs together.

Anna: Pretty much what Shaunt said. I had played drums in some bands when I was younger, but nothing serious. Prior to Satellite Citi, I decided to pursue singing and songwriting and I released a solo EP. Once I met Shaunt and we started writing together, we realized I could try drumming and singing in our band. I was a little hesitant at first, but Shaunt pushed me to try it and the rest is history.

Your sound is so unique! The overall song structures fall in line with alternative and rock, but the specific guitar rhythms are very reminiscent of certain metal subgenres. Which sounds, artists, or genres inspired the sound of Satellite Citi we hear today?

Shaunt: Thanks so much! I’ve grown up listening to metal and continue to expand my knowledge on all its various subgenres. With Satellite Citi, I try to tone down the metal, because oftentimes I see/hear myself getting carried away with how heavy the riffs turn out, and we’re not really a metal band. Although I’m really drawn to progressive metal and bands like Tool, Periphery, Opeth, I also listen to a ton of other genres that are pretty left field that might influence some of our guitar melodies, such as London Grammar and Illenium.

Out of curiosity — how often do people draw comparisons to The White Stripes?

Shaunt: People are super visual, so even though our sound can be nothing further than The White Stripes, we still definitely get that comparison!

You just released an incredibly poignant song and accompanying music video, “Antibody,” featuring Brandon Yearly of Crobot. It’s inspired by the war between Artsakh and Azerbaijan that devastated the Armenian population worldwide, and especially in the autonomous enclave, since the end of September. Can you speak a little bit about how your heritage and identity as Armenian-Americans, coupled with the current situation, culminated in this song?

Anna: We were in the middle of making the “Antibody” music video when the war started. We really didn’t feel comfortable releasing a music video that was about anything other than what was happening in Artsakh. As Armenian-Americans, it was so close to our hearts, that we felt it was our duty to raise awareness and use our music as a way of spreading that message.

The music video for “Antibody” is insanely beautiful and eerily aweing. The color schemes, montages, and reimagined landmarks, such as “We Are Our Mountains,” Tsitsernakaberd, Cascade, as well as motifs like the bleeding pomegranates and the Soviet Lada, are incredible. How did this amazing video come to fruition so quickly?

Anna: Rosie Geozalian, our good friend and director of multiple videos we’ve done in the past, was working on the visuals for our video when the news about the war hit. We immediately called her and asked her if it was possible to shift gears and make the focus of the video Armenia and our Armenian heritage. Since she is also Armenian-American, she felt very strongly about the events unfolding around our global community and she went right to work on the new concept. With the help of editor/vfx artist, Ryan Valdez, they created these beautiful scenes that capture our motherland in Rosie’s signature style, with tons of symbolism thrown in.

I’ve seen you perform several times, whether it was an acoustic set at UCLA ASA’s Coachellian or a full-on sonic experience at The Factory in DTLA last November. There’s a certain theatricality to seeing you play live, especially with the anonymous Spacewalkers that accompany your sets. Can you speak more about that theatricality and how you conceive of designing your live performances?

Anna: We try our best to make the shows entertaining, whether it’s choreographing some parts with the Spacewalkers or just interacting with the audience in a special way. It’s important to us to make the show an actual show and not just a performance.

Shaunt: Since we formed the band, we always talked about giving people a different experience. We’ve both been in and out of traditionally-styled bands and we’ve grown to come weary of it. I think having our Spacewalkers in addition to Anna as our frontwoman and drummer sets us apart a bit and has the audience focusing on multiple aspects of the show, which is essentially our goal when we play live. People’s attention spans aren’t fantastic in America, and I think we’ve come to understand that pretty early on.

Beyond the incredible video for “Antibody,” your catalogue of music videos as a whole has a very unique and cohesive feel to it while also offering new and vivid stories with each song. I know you frequently work with (my cousin!) Rosie Geozalian in creating these videos. What’s that process like, from ideation to creation?

Anna: We definitely try to keep our aesthetic in mind when creating new videos, and having talented creatives by our side, like Rosie, makes it easy to keep the spirit of the band alive in all the videos. It really depends on the song and video, but we usually give the directors freedom to mess around with their own ideas. Since I’m an editor, I’ve edited the majority of our videos. It helps being so close to the music and knowing the vibe we’re going for, but we also love collaborating with like-minded individuals and letting them do their thing.

Shaunt: Rosie is one of the most talented directors I’ve met. Her creativity is vast, and it’s somehow always magically in line with what we’ve been thinking of for a single that we want to turn into a video. We’ll usually send her a song, and she’ll brainstorm some other-worldly insane ideas, and we immediately fall in love with her vision and let her take control of the video process.

So awesome! Your music video for “Undead,” which follows the story of an LGBTQ teen as they gain empowerment after overcoming obstacles, garnered much attention, including from outlets like HuffPost and Out Magazine. How do you feel about the role of music as commenting and engaging with important social issues?

Shaunt: I think it's the responsibility of artists and musicians to bring social issues to light. I don’t believe every song or album should be constantly politically charged, but adding those subtle nuances speak volumes. We’ve both been huge advocates on speaking about mental health. I feel like musicians can help so many individuals who are suffering on a day to day basis just by speaking about their own experiences and any injustices that they may have faced in their lifetime. People will feel less isolated, knowing someone they admire or look up to has gone through similar experiences as themselves, and have overcome those obstacles.

Very true. This year has been so challenging for so many reasons – but particularly for artists who can’t perform live in venues. How has your time in quarantine affected your artistic process, if at all?

Anna: Not gonna lie, it really did take a toll on me mentally, as I’m sure it did to many artists. It felt like our lives were shifted upside down, but we’ve found a way to use this time at home to our benefit and create as much as we can, work on the music, work on new content, and just think outside of the box.

Shaunt: It’s tremendously hard not playing live. This year/situation absolutely shattered the lives of so many artists. Honestly, we’ve tried to spend our time wisely. We’re almost done recording our debut album, and just finished shooting a new music video (directed by Rosie Geozalian). We continue to write music non-stop, and are already working on a new record. I think staying busy/productive is key because essentially that’s the only thing that’s gonna keep anyone motivated and feel hopeful for any sort of normalcy in 2021.

What are your favorite venues to perform in in Los Angeles?

Shaunt: I absolutely loved playing the Factory in DTLA in November of 2019. It might have been one of my favorite shows thus far. It absolutely rivaled some of the best known venues we’ve played in L.A. The Troubadour is also a venue that feels like home base to us, since we’ve played it so many times. I’m also really gonna miss the Satellite in Silverlake. We’re both really upset that they had to shut that one down recently.

Anna: Yeah, I’ll have to mirror Shaunt’s answer. It’s a shame The Satellite and so many other awesome L.A. venues had to close down because of this pandemic. The Troubadour will probably always be my favorite venue, not only to perform in, but I’ve also been to so many shows there that inspired me when I was younger. It feels surreal that we’ve headlined the venue that I used to line up outside of to see some of my favorite bands perform at.

I have that strong nostalgic connection to The Troubadour, too! Thus far, what has been your biggest accomplishment as a band?

Anna: Having our music featured in the upcoming rock documentary, Long Live Rock & Celebrate the Chaos, which is directed by Jonathan McHugh and produced by Gary Spivack. It’s an honor to be a part of it and have our music alongside artists we admire like Metallica, Halestorm, Rob Zombie and more. The documentary dives into the culture of heavy metal festivals and why they’re still so prevalent. It’ll be released in the first half of 2021.

That’s so exciting! Congrats on that! What have been your biggest challenges on your musical journey?

Anna: For me, it was just figuring out what the best way was to approach singing and drumming on stage, getting the best sound, and not sacrificing the performance. It’s something I still work on and tweak as I learn about other mics or positions that could help improve the sound. It’s always a challenge, and every venue usually comes with its own obstacles, but we’re fortunate to work with some amazing sound engineers who help make our lives easier.

Shaunt: Like many bands that are just starting out, marketing. Creating content that you’re proud of is one thing, but having people checking that out is a whole different beast.

Any exciting new things coming up that we should keep an eye out for?

Shaunt: In addition to the documentary coming up, we’re currently working with former DC Comics editor, Jim Higgins, on an original sci-fi graphic novel that will be released with a new EP sometime next year. Aside from that, we’re going to continue releasing singles from our debut album that’s produced by Brad Wood. We also have a collaboration on the record that will be announced soon!

Thank you to Shaunt and Anna for taking part in this fascinating interview. Be sure to follow them on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube, and stream their songs on Spotify!