Coptic Soldier
| Coptic Soldier | |
|---|---|
Oxford Art Factory, Sydney
|
|
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Luke George Girgis |
| Also known as | Shmirgis |
| Born |
20 August 1987 Melbourne, Victoria, Australia |
| Origin | Sydney, New South Wales, Australia |
| Genres | Hip hop |
| Occupation(s) | Rapper, manager, producer, record executive |
| Instruments | Voice |
| Years active | 2005–present |
| Labels | Nurcha |
| Website | copticsoldier |
Luke George Girgis (born 20 August 1987), better known by his stage name, Coptic Soldier, is an Australian hip-hop artist, music manager and record label executive. He often performed with stage partner, Phatchance (aka Chance Waters) and later became his manager. Girgis co-founded a record label, I Forgot Sorry! in 2010 and then a management company, Be Like Children, in 2013.
Luke George Girgis was born on 20 August 1987 in Melbourne, his parents were second generation Egyptian migrants who raised him in Sydney's Sutherland Shire as a member of the Australian Coptic Orthodox church. As Coptic Soldier, he later recalled his first live band "A Year 12 rock band in the school hall when I was in Year 5. – Can’t remember their name...", from that performance he learnt "That no matter how bad your music is, you can always make a crowd laugh. Haha." He attended St Patrick's College; he obtained a degree in Rehabilitation Counselling at the University of Sydney before completing a degree in Theology at Charles Sturt University.
Coptic Soldier was signed to Nurcha Records in 2005 before its closure in 2009. He remembered, in 2008, that he was "first introduced to hip hop by the likes of US bigwigs Eminem and Tupac, but has since drawn inspiration from artists closer to home." His performance name acknowledges his heritage in the Coptic Christian faith and his "fighting for what you believe in." He released his debut mix tape, False Start, on that label in 2006. InTheMix's Xpose described his work: "While this release isn't in the upper echelon of those currently coming out in this country, it definitely impressed me. Potential wise Coptic Soldier has a lot to offer, he is an emcee you want to hear more from as he speaks what is on many of our minds." As from 2007 he ran an artist management company, The Girgis Circus, which catered for his fellow artists, including Phatchance aka Chance Waters.
In 2010 Coptic Soldier teamed up with Sydney soul vocalist Miriam Waks and independently released an extended play, The Sound of Wings, which was produced by K21, an Adelaide-based hip hop artist. As a solo artist he independently distributed a release, The Past Three Years. He described it as "a street release that really reflects my life in the last three years... I write basically whatever is on my mind. Most recently I have been in huge reflection about my growth and fortune, so all the music I seem to be writing at the moment shows just that."
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