At the heart of Dan Krikorian's music is the intrinsic need to connect with the world around him. In less than a year, Dan went from a guy writing songs in his garage, to a live performer and published singer and songwriter. Growing up in Costa Mesa, Calif., Dan kept busy at Costa Mesa High playing basketball, football, volleyball and track. As a business and psychology major at Chapman University in Orange, Calif., Dan continued to focus heavily on basketball, playing 4 years in college, but music was always brewing in the back of his mind. It was that need to connect with others and his ever-present passion for songwriting that led Dan to play in public for the first time while studying abroad in London on a small corner of Oxford Street in the City of Westminster. Once Dan returned to Orange County, he continued to pen unique and honest lyrics in the comfort of his garage studio, and he quickly advanced to playing weekly at local coffee shops' open-mike nights. In October 2007, Dan, at just 22 years old, played to his first audience at The Ugly Mug, a small coffee shop near his college alma mater. He later put on headlining concerts, where his infectious blend of catchy tunes and spot-on comedic entertainment drew hundreds of fans. Dan decided he wasn't done there, and began recording in L.A. with former Dwight Yoakim and current I See Hawks in L.A. drummer Shawn Nourse with plans to release his first CD. Less than a year after his debut, Dan had written, recorded and released 11 original songs. "At some point I'm sure I might be complacent to stop, but right now there is so much to say," Dan says. "How can you not be excited about music? When I'm not, that's when I know to stop." From his upbeat, catchy tunes like "Kick Away the Blues" and "In My World," to the vulnerable and passionate "Burn" and "Forgiven," every song on Dan's "Oxford Street" is well-crafted, relatable and heartfelt. He's been called one of O.C.'s best up-and-coming songwriters by open-mike organizers and fellow musicians alike, and continues to do nothing less than impress fans with his new material. Most recently, "In My World" was featured as a top-three finalist on RockBandSites.com song contest.

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