Nancy Ajram
Nancy Ajram (Arabic: نانسي عجرم) is a Lebanese singer increasingly popular in much of the Middle East. Her first album was released in 1999; her career has been enhanced by a string of hit songs and popular videos drawn from her 2003 album, Ya Salam.
Biography
Nancy was born in Achrafieh, Beirut in Lebanon on May 16, 1983.
Nancy made her debut at the age of 15 on Noujoum al-Moustakbal, a program of the Lebanese Broadcasting Corporation presenting new stars in music, on Future TV. She sang a song by the legendary Egyptian singer Umm Kulthum and subsequently won the contest.
In 2000, Ajram launched her first album, Mihtagalak (translated 'I Need You'), followed by Sheel Oyoonak Anni (translated 'Take Your Eyes Away From Me') in 2001. In 2003, she came out with her third album, Ya Salaam (translated 'How Fantastic'). This album contained the song Akhasmak Ah (translated 'We Might Quarrel'), which became an enormous hit thanks to a provocative music video, reminiscent of older Arabic films, in which the singer portrayed a cafe manager whose singing and dancing would drive her male clientele into a frenzy. The album contained two other songs whose videos were nearly as popular, the title track (the video for which used a backstage setting featuring several men in near drag, extremely daring for Arab markets) and Yay Saher Ayounoh (translated 'Oh the Magic of his Eyes'), in which the bouncing pop song was set to a mini-drama that features Ajram discovering romance as a demure Beirut hairdresser (whose colleague is likely the most clearly "out" gay man to ever appear an Arabic music video).
In 2004, the album Ah W Noss (Wow and a Half), whose title track also became a hit, and in the video for which Nancy portrayed an Egyptian farm girl, again drawing on themes from old Egyptian films. The video was directed in some farms located in Saida which is south of Beirut.
The savvy displayed by Ajram and her team, including video director Nadine Labaki have helped propel the young singer to the top of her profession.
She was chosen in 2003 and 2004 as the best Arab singer by the magazine Zahrat el Khalij.
In October 2003, a riot broke out outside one of her concerts in Bahrain when radical Islamists from the main opposition party, Al Wefaq attacked concert goers. Al Wefaq's leaders defended the action, claiming that their supporters were opposing 'immorality'.
In 2005, she was signed to star in Coca-Cola's Arabic commercials.
In early 2006, she released a single, Ana Misry (I'm Egyptian), timed to coincide with Egypt's hosting of the African Cup of Nations football tournament. Its accompanying video is unusual in that the singer does not appear; instead, a variety of Egyptians lip-sync the patriotic words.
She was named by the Arabic version of Newsweek as one of the most influential personalities of the Arab world in 2005. She rivals in popularity singers like Amr Diab and Nawal Al Zoghbi.
Discography
- 2000 - Mihtagalak
- 2001 - Sheel Oyoonak Anni
- 2003 - Ya Salam
- 2004 - Ah W Noss
- 2006 - Nancy 2006 or Atabtab
Singles
Ya Salam
- 1. Akhasmak Ah: No.1 in Egypt and No.1 in Lebanon - Diamond Certified
- 2. Ya Salam: No.1 in Egypt and No.1 in Lebanon - Platinum Certified
- 3. Yay Sehr Ouyonoou: No.1 in Egypt and No.1 in Lebanon - Platinum Certified
- 4. Enta: No.3 in Egypt and No.2 in Lebanon - Gold Certified
Ah W Noss
- 1.Ah W Noss: No.1 in Egypt and No.1 in Lebanon - Platinum Certified
- 2.Loun Oyounak: No.2 in Egypt and No.1 in Lebabon - Gold Certified
- 3.Oul Tany Keda: No.5 in Egypt and No.3 in Lebanon - Gold Certified
- 4.Enta Eih: No.2 in Egypt and No.1 in Lebanon - Platinum Certified
