Armik was born in Iran of Armenian descent. When he was just seven years old, he pawned his watch for a classical guitar, which he hid and practiced in his basement. At 12, he was a professional recording artist. While his early career focused mostly on jazz, Armik discovered the beauty and passion of flamenco while visiting Spain during the 1970s, where he saw Paco de Lucia perform. Launching his solo career in 1994, Armik drew upon his jazz and flamenco influences to create a twist on the emerging Nuevo Flamenco sound. He is one of the most adulated guitar virtuosos of the Nuevo Flamenco genre. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.