Keo Nozari is an American pop singer-songwriter, music producer, well-established New York City DJ, screen actor, and writer.
2005-2013: Music & Billboard Chart success
Years of live performances in the early 2000s—including solo shows in New York City at former CBGBs and the Virgin Megastore—culminated in Nozari releasing his debut album Late Nite VIP on October 18, 2005. The album of his original material received both critical acclaim and commercial success. Billboard Magazine (in a review for the December 10, 2005 issue, pages 49–50) compared Nozari's singing style to "a young George Michael", and cited Late Nite VIP'''s "electro-funk-fueled pop sound" as being on par with the work of writer-producer Stuart Price (Madonna's Confessions on a Dancefloor) and Janet Jackson's longtime collaborators, Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis from his hometown of Minneapolis. Keo co-produced the album with Ellis Miah, whose production credits include Miley Cyrus with some of the original tracks mixed by Jody den Broeder.
The first single off Late Nite VIP, "Close Enough" was licensed to Armin Van Buuren's Armada Music / Coldharbour Recordings.
Second single "Question of Monogamy" featured a racy video—which included the openly gay Nozari in a steamy shower with two other men—causing a controversy at MTV's LOGO channel. But it went on to be a Number One video on the channel and named the network's "Ultimate Sexiest Video."
The third single was a big commercial and chart success for Nozari. "Rewind" landed on the Billboard Dance Club Play Chart, hitting the Top 20 in October 2008, peaking at Number 18 (Billboard Magazine issue Vol. 120, Issue 40 on October 4, 2008). The song featured remixes by Jody den Broeder, The Wideboys and Nozari himself.
As a DJ, Nozari became well-established in New York City. Known for his upbeat pop-dance style, his many residencies included Fire Island Pines, Splash, Club 57 and Rockit and he's DJ'd many private parties for celebrities like Vanessa Williams.
In 2010, Nozari announced work on the final stages of a brand new album Love Boutique which he documented on his namesake YouTube channel. The album was released on March 15, 2011 and received positive reviews.
In 2012, Nozari released the holiday single “Christmas Came Early” accompanied by a campy music video where he sang naked in a bathtub filled with Christmas bulbs. The song was covered in 2016 by Broadway star Daniel Reichard (who originated the role of songwriter Bob Gaudio in Jersey Boys on Broadway) in his holiday show at New York City jazz club Birdland.
Nozari also composed for television. In 2013, he wrote and produced an ABC Nightline Primetime Theme song with then music partner Ellis Miah.