The music of Lebanon has a long history. Beirut, the capital city of Lebanon, has long been known, especially in a period immediately following World War II, for its art and intellectualism. Several singers emerged in this period, among the most famous Fairuz, Sabah, Zaki Nassif Wadih El Safi, Nasri Shamseddine, Melhem Barakat, Majida El Roumi, Ahmad Kaabour, Marcel Khalife, and Ziad Rahbani, who—in addition to being an engaged singer-songwriter and music composer—was also a popular playwright.
SuperStar was an Arabic television show based on the popular British show Pop Idol created by Simon Fuller's 19 Entertainment & developed by Fremantle Media. The show unites the Arab community by democratically choosing the next singing sensation. The show is broadcast worldwide on Future TV, a Lebanese television station. It is also the first Idol franchise to feature contestants from multiple countries.
Nouhad Wadie Haddad, known as Fairuz, is a Lebanese singer. She is widely considered an iconic vocalist and one of the most celebrated singers in the history of the Arab world. She is popularly known as "The Bird of the East", "The Cedar of Lebanon", "The Moon's Neighbor", and "The Voice of Lebanon", among others.
Ziad Rahbani is a Lebanese composer, pianist, playwright, and political commentator. He is the son of Fairouz, one of Lebanon and the Arab world's most famous singers, and Assi Rahbani, one of the founders of modern Arabic music. Many of his musicals satirize Lebanese politics both during and after the Lebanese Civil War, and are often critical of the traditional political establishment.
Hany Shaker is an Egyptian Singer, actor and composer. His first public appearance was when he sang with Abd El Halim Hafez Choral Group in "Sora", then he played the young Sayed Darwish in the movie Sayed Darwish.
Baligh Hamdi was an Egyptian composer who created and composed many hit songs for several singers in the Arab world, especially during the 1960s and 1970s. He composed Warda's most famous songs, and the two got married for a long period.
Hiba Michel Tawaji is a Lebanese singer, actress, and director. Since 2008, she has established herself in the Lebanese and Arab music scene with her 4-octave vocal range.
Arab Idol is an Arabic television show, based on the popular British show Pop Idol created by Simon Fuller's 19 Entertainment and developed by Fremantle Media and recorded in Beirut, Lebanon. The first season premiered on 9 December 2011. The show was broadcast worldwide on MBC 1 and simultaneously aired on LBC. The second season debuted on 8 March 2013, the third season on 5 September 2014, and the fourth season on 4 November 2016 on MBC.
Celebrity Duets is the Arabic version of the American program Celebrity Duets, where Arab’s most prominent professional singers team up with 13 non-singing celebrities from different backgrounds, in front of a live studio audience, a panel of judges, and viewers who get to vote them off, in a weekly elimination competition.
Dounia Batma is a Moroccan singer and actress who rose to popularity around the world as the runner-up of the first season of Arab Idol on MBC. She lost the title against Egyptian contestant Carmen Suleiman. She married Mohamed Al Turk, the father of Bahraini singer Hala Al Turk.
Carmen Essam Soliman, better known by her stage name Carmen Suleiman, is an Egyptian singer.
The first season of Arab Idol was launched on MBC 1 on 9 December 2011. MBC decided to launch a more stylish version of Pop Idol after the 5 seasons of Super Star, the previous Arabic license of the show. The season was presented by Lebanese model Annabella Hilal and Kuwaiti actor Abdallah Tulehi. The judging panel consisted of Lebanese singer Ragheb Alama, Emirati diva Ahlam and Egyptian music producer, record producer and musician Hassan El Shafei. On finale night, 24 March 2012, Carmen Suleiman from Egypt was crowned the winner of the first season of Arab Idol in a tough competition against Dounia Batma from Morocco. The high ranking of this first season encouraged MBC to launch a second season in 2013.
Mohammad Jaber Abdul Rahman Assaf is a Palestinian pop singer well known for being the winner of the second season of Arab Idol, broadcast by the MBC network. His victory received worldwide coverage from the media and was welcomed with joy by Palestinians and the rest of the Arab world. In 2013, Assaf was named a goodwill ambassador for peace by The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA). He was also named ambassador of culture and arts by the Palestinian government and was offered a position with "diplomatic standing" by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. Assaf's story is the basis of the 2015 film The Idol, directed by Hany Abu-Assad. After Arab Idol, Assaf has gone on to enjoy huge popularity in the Arab World and the Arab diaspora and has released two albums and a great number of singles and collaborations. Most of his music is sung in the Iraqi and Gulf dialects, his most famous song is "damy falastiny" which means my blood is Palestinian a cover of a traditional Palestinian song
The fifth season of SuperStar was launched on Future TV on 24 February 2008. This year, many changes occurred, such as the fact that the Results shows would happen on Thursdays instead of Mondays, so it will allow the audience to have five days to vote for their favorite contestants. Egyptian singer and SuperStar alumni Wael Mansour would host the show with Miss Lebanon 2004 Majdala Khatar, replacing Egyptian anchorman Ayman Qaissouni. Also, the introduction of a new female judge, Jihane, who joined Elias Rahbani, Ziad Boutros and Abdallah El Qaoud. This year, 12 contestants would get into the final stage. On 24 July 2008, Lebanese contestant Elie Bitar won the contest against Saudi contestant Abdelmajeed Ibrahim.
Salma Rachid is a Moroccan pop singer and actress who gained fame at the age of 18 following her participation in the second season of Arab Idol, broadcast on MBC. The youngest contestant, she earned fifth place and was praised for the strength of her voice, her ability to master various styles, and her charisma. She was nicknamed El Sultana by her fans and considers Umm Kulthum among her main inspiration.
Mohamed Hassan is an Egyptian singer who rose to fame in the third season of Arab Idol in 2014, broadcast by the MBC network. He was one of the best singers in the Program. He distinguished in Arab Idol with his deep strong sensitive voice. He Joined Arab Idol to achieve his father's dream to become a famous Arab singer. Hassan won the hearts of millions around the Arab world by singing for Abdelhalim Hafez and many other soul songs for other Arab stars. The Egyptian singer also has a Bachelor of Laws from Cairo University 2004. Before Arab Idol, Hassan was a Trouper in AbdelHalim Nouira orchestra in Cairo Opera House. He also was the vocalist of a band consisting of a group of talented youth friends called Taefeel Masry. Hassan often sings Eastern music, especially Egyptian Folk music and House Music. His idols are Abdelhalim Hafez, Mohamed Abdel Wahab, Warda and Saber el Rebaii.
After more than a year-long hiatus, the fourth series of Arab Idol was relaunched on MBC, with its premiere on 4 November 2016. Once again, just like in the previous season, the jury was composed of singers Wael Kfoury, Nancy Ajram, and Ahlam, as well as music producer Hassan El Shafei, and Ahmad Fahmi returned as host of the show. The first four episodes covered the first round of the show, the auditions process, which took place in nine different Arab countries and, for the first time ever, in Turkey. Although thousands of hopefuls put forth their candidacy, only 64 went through to the second round of auditions in Beirut, Lebanon by the end of which, the 25 semi-finalists were picked to go through to the third round, the live show. The Palestinian contestant Yaacoub Shaheen won the title.
Dalida Antoine Khalil is a Lebanese actress and singer. Her acting career started in 2007 when she participated in a Lebanese series called Fifty-Fifty. Since then, she has performed in more than twenty series. She received the Murex d'Or Award for Best Rising Actress in 2012. She would later star a musical career and release her debut single "Wardi W Wardi" in 2018.
I Love This, I Want That is an Egyptian romantic drama musical film released on July 14, 1975. It was directed by Hassan al-Imam, features a story by Ihsan Abdel Quddous and additional scripting by al-Imam, Murad Ramses Naguib, and lyricist-poet Morsi Gameel Aziz. The film stars Hany Shaker, Noura Qadry, and Hamdi Hafith. In the film, somewhat resembling the plot of Cyrano de Bergerac, Ahmed and Ashraf both love Salwa, but Ashraf communicates only through love letters which Ahmed calls her and claims to have written.
Furigat is an Egyptian film released on July 2, 1951. The film is directed by Hussein Fawzi, features a screenplay by Abo El Seoud El Ebiary, and stars Naima Akef, Mohsen Sarhan, Abbas Fares, and Hassan Fayek. The plot revolves around a belly dancer named Sett al-Kul who dreams of fame and money fronting a traveling music group. She sees her opportunity when her father returns a wealthy woman's lost purse, whereupon she offers to perform in the grandee's band.
