Lydia Canaan | |
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Born | Lydia Canaan (Arabic: ليديا كنعان) |
Occupations |
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Musical career | |
Also known as | Angel |
Genres | |
Instrument(s) | Vocals (four-octave range mezzo-soprano) |
Years active | 1984–present |
Labels |
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Website | lydiacanaan |
Lydia Canaan is a Lebanese singer-songwriter, poet, humanitarian activist, and diplomat. She is noted for her four-octave vocal range, unique vocal stylings, songwriting, and for being the first Lebanese artist in music history to achieve global success. Widely regarded as the first "rock star" of the Middle East, she is cataloged in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum's Library and Archives.
Canaan first rose to fame in the mid-80s as an adolescent rock singer performing amid enemy attacks during the Lebanese Civil War, [1] holding concerts in vicinities of Lebanon as they were being bombed. [1] Society magazine writes, "in a small country that was ripped by war, there was this young girl making a difference". [2]
Canaan was the first Middle Eastern recording artist to sing and compose lyrics solely in the English language [3] and have music videos appear on MTV Global, MTV Southeast Asia, MTV Russia, and MTV Middle East. [4] [5] [6] Her career has been described as having defied tradition, [7] challenged convention, [4] and transcended millennia-old gender barriers. [8] According to Arabian Woman magazine, "as a girl who grew up in the midst of a bloody civil war, Canaan was breaking down seemingly insurmountable barriers ... She rocked the establishment". [8]
Canaan was born into an esteemed Greek Orthodox Christian family on Mount Lebanon in Brummana, Lebanon during the Lebanese Civil War. [1] She attended Brummana High School, [1] and later studied at Lebanese American University. [1]
According to Canaan, singing, writing, and dance served as a cathardic outlet for her from an early age. [9] When she was only eight-years-old, her French elementary school, College des Saints-Coeurs, Bikfaya, awarded her the first place prize in a literary contest (in which all grades competed against one another) for a poem she wrote about a child who wept for being scolded over trivial matters such as staining her fingers with ink when she writes. [10] [11]
Canaan's conservative parents initially discouraged her from singing rock music and forbid her to have a music education or any formal vocal training. [9] [12] In spite of these obstacles, a young Canaan composed songs in her head and committed the English lyrics and Western melodies to memory. [7] [11]
In 1984, the teenaged Canaan—under the stage name Angel—joined the heavy metal band Equation, [1] who until then had been intent on finding a male lead singer. Canaan's four-octave vocal range, [10] [12] charisma, and stage presence got her the gig and quickly gained her national popularity among Lebanese youth. [4] [10] The same year, she donned what would become her characteristic, trend-setting look: [4] revealing, studded leather outfits with dramatic capes and hip-length, blonde-streaked hair. [4] [12] As reported by the newspaper Campus: "For Lydia Canaan's first gig, she had to throw her trademark short rockish black leather skirt and studs out of her bedroom window in Brummana, put on a long skirt, lie to her conservative father about where she was going, and, after changing into her leather gear, singing her teenage heart out as Angel with the band Equation." [12]
Off stage, Canaan was voted "Best Dressed" by Brummana High School. On stage, her provocative costumes contributed to the perception of her as a sex symbol. [4] [12] The Daily Star wrote: "On stage, with her daring looks and style, Canaan became a role model". [4] Canaan's first original composition, "Why All The Hurt?", a tribute to a deceased friend that she wrote as a teenager, was a No. 1 hit on the radio charts in Lebanon. [4]
On Canaan's first concert with Equation, a Gulf Today writer notes: "The first show produced a phenomenal reaction... It is incredible that amidst the state of civil war that existed in Lebanon at that time, when most people had no idea if they would see another day, she managed to keep her ambitions alive". [1] Society magazine writes: "Tickets were sold out but more teenagers stormed in to see the young Angel perform... To accommodate the crowd, the concert organizers had to stamp on each fan's hand as they ran out of tickets. It was... her first success". [2]
Despite the dangers of warring militias and armies, Canaan held over 25 sell-out concerts from 1984 to 1988, recorded her English-language songs, and topped the radio charts in Lebanon. [4] At the height of their success, the band drew a crowd of over 15,000. [1] Canaan was hailed by the media as the first "rock star" of the Middle East. [9] [12] [13] [14] [15] [16] [17] [18] [19] [20] She performed her last concert with Equation in 1986. [10]
In 1987, Canaan embarked on a solo career, [10] performing her original compositions, including "To Oblivion and Back", "Does it Need Some Action?", "A Hard Situation", "Hey Richie", and "The Christmas Wish", all which were radio hits. [1] As a solo artist, Canaan enjoyed a significant increase in popularity. [2] [10] With Lebanon under Syrian occupation, her concerts were held in East Beirut, Mount Lebanon, and the north of Lebanon. In Tripoli, the second largest city in Lebanon, Canaan performed before a sold-out crowd under tight security despite having received death threats. [4] [9] In 1987, Canaan performed to a crowd of 20,000 at the Beirut Rock Festival. [21] [22] In 1988, she held sell-out concerts for three consecutive nights at Casino du Liban, [23] [24] the last performer to grace its stage until the venue resumed activity following the end of the Liberation War in 1990. [23]
Canaan's popularity in Europe and the UK distinguished her as the first internationally successful Lebanese musical artist. [3] [10] [23] [25] [26] [27] [28] Canaan's global breakthrough was widely reported on by the Arab media, [23] [27] [29] [30] Al-Hayat writing that she had " ... invaded the European market with her ballads". [27] Years later, in 1997, she would be the very first recipient of the Lebanese Ministry of Tourism's Lebanese International Success Award. [3] In 1989, she left Lebanon and settled in Zurich, Switzerland, [12] where she became a naturalized Swiss citizen. [8] There she took vocal lessons with soprano Anita Monti. [12] In 1990, she was interviewed by Radio Z in Zurich, where her songs received airplay. [8] [31]
In 1991, Canaan began working with record producer David Richards [2] (producer of Queen and David Bowie). [32] The same year, she gave a live interview for NBC Europe. [27] Also in 1991, Canaan signed a two-year contract with London-based production company Spinny Music (led by Queen manager Jim Beach) to write and record her original songs "Shine", [33] "Never Set You Free", [34] "So Much to Give", [35] "Desire", [36] "Love", [37] and a cover of Shirley Bassey's English version of "Never Never Never", [38] produced by David Richards at Mountain Studios in Montreux, Switzerland. [2] The same year, she recorded the duet "Love and Lust" with Queen drummer Roger Taylor. [39] [40]
In 1993, Canaan wrote and recorded songs "Libnan", [41] "Fallin'" [42] (including a remix that featured Tommy Mandel on keyboard), [43] and her cover of John Lennon's "Gimme Some Truth", [44] (all produced by Robin Scott of M) at Grove Studios in Brighton and Hove, England. [3]
In the fall of 1995, Canaan, who had up until that time performed rock music under the stage name Angel, dropped the moniker, and under her birth name Lydia Canaan presented the pop ballad "Beautiful Life" [45] (produced by Barry Blue and The Rapino Brothers) [46] at the Midem in Cannes, France. [47] That spring, Canaan's international release of the lead single "Beautiful Life" [45] by London-based Pulse-8 Records [45] gained her international critical acclaim, [10] [48] [49] including an endorsement by American radio personality Casey Kasem, [49] culminating in a promo tour in England and radio airplay in the UK, Europe, South Africa, and the Middle East. [49] That summer, Canaan performed "Beautiful Life" in Beirut for the launch of the MTV Global channel. [50] [51] [52] In promoting the event, MTV Global billed her as "the diva from the Middle East". [51] During the press conference, President of MTV Global, Peter Einstein, said: "MTV is proud and privileged to play Lydia's videos on Music-Non-Stop Show ... All at MTV have fallen in love with Lydia, her songs, and her performance." [52]
Canaan's second single, "The Sound of Love", produced by Barry Blue and The Rapino Brothers [46] (recorded at Maison Rouge Studios in London) [53] was released in the fall of 1997 ahead of the album of the same name. [54] Between the winter of 1998 and the spring of 1999, "The Sound of Love" and other songs by Canaan recorded by Jay Ward's New York City based Dogbrain Music were featured on Billboard magazine's billboardtalentnet.com seven times [55] [56] [57] [58] [59] [60] [61] and topped Billboard's RadioBTN chart for thirteen weeks. [55] [56] [57] [58] [59] [60] [61]
Canaan's debut studio album, The Sound of Love , was released in the summer of 2000. [54] Recorded in London and New York City, it included the track "Right On the Verge" featuring Tommy Mandel. [54] [62] The album was distributed by SIDI/XEMA in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, UAE, Bahrain, Qatar, Oman, Egypt, Jordan, and Lebanon. [54] In support of its release, Canaan performed at various venues in Beirut, including Jumeira Beach Hotel in Dubai, Savage Garden Club, [63] and Rifaa Golf Club in Manama, Bahrain. [64]
As Canaan's music evolved, she began to innovate a unique style by fusing the use of Middle Eastern quarter tones and microtones with English-language pop rock. [10] [18] [65]
In early 2000, "Guardian Angel" and "The Bridge", Canaan's duets with Robin Scott, [66] [67] [68] appeared on M's album Famous Last Words, released by BMG Music. [69] In 2003, "Spiritual Man", a track Canaan performs vocals on with Scott, appeared on Scott's solo album Life Class, released by Scott's label Yup! Records. [70]
In 2004, Canaan's English song "Libnan" (Arabic : لبنان, lit. 'Lebanon'Libnān or Lubnān, Lebanese Arabic: [lɪbˈneːn] ) became the soundtrack of the advertisement "Rediscover Lebanon", [3] produced and broadcast by CNN [71] [72] [73] [74] [75] and commissioned by the Lebanon Ministry of Economy and Trade to promote Lebanon as a tourist destination. [71] [72] [73] [74] [75]
In 2014, Canaan was named a semi-finalist by the UK Songwriting Contest for her song "Never Set You Free". [76] [77] [78]
In 2015, the Curatorial Affairs Division of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum's Library and Archives in Cleveland, Ohio, USA, created and cataloged a subject file on Canaan [20] for their world's-largest repository of rock and roll history. [79]
In 2018, both Brooklyn College and the University of Southern California began teaching the Music in Global America musicology course, [80] which includes study of Canaan's song "Hey Richie" [18] [65] as an example of "arab-rock fusions". [18]
I was born in a world of borders, barricades, and demarcation lines. And since I could not change the world around me, I created a world inside me, and I held on to it. It was a world with no borders, barricades, or demarcation lines. It was a world of hope. [81] [82]
— Lydia Canaan
Growing up in a war-ravaged Lebanon, Canaan was herself the victim of numerous atrocities and humanitarian crises, [2] [13] compelling her to utilize her talents as speaker, writer, and peacemaker for diplomatic efforts across the Near and Middle East and Europe. [83] [84] [85] [86] [87] [88]
In 2014, Canaan was appointed as a United Nations delegate for Khiam Rehabilitation Center for Victims of Torture (KRC), and has since delivered several speeches before the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC): [89] [90] [91]
In 2015, Canaan was first featured on United Nations Ambassador Muhamed "Mo" Sacirbey's website, Diplomat Artist, where Sacirbey describes her as a "global citizen and diplomat artist", [19] and showcases Canaan's essay, "Diplomacy and Art". [19]
In 2016, Canaan was invited by HuffPost to be a contributor to their newspaper, where she writes a column on matters such as war crimes and human rights violations. [102]
In 2019, Canaan was appointed as a member of the International Advisory Council of the Academic University for Non-Violence & Human Rights (AUNOHR), [84] whose former members include Nobel Peace Prize Laureates Desmond Tutu, Mairead Maguire, and Adolfo Esquivel.
In 2001, the American Community School in Beirut, Lebanon chose Canaan to deliver a speech to the students as Speaker of the Month. [103]
In 2014, Canaan attended the United Nations Millennium Campaign's My World partners awards ceremony at the United Nations Headquarters in New York City. [13]
In 2014, Canaan delivered the speech "It's About Time, My Country" in support of the Lebanese Armed Forces on Lebanese Independence Day at Casino du Liban in Beirut, Lebanon. [13]
In 2015, Canaan performed at a rally in solidarity with Cardinal Patriarch Bechara Boutros Al-Rahi's call to elect a president of the Republic of Lebanon at St. George Cathedral in Beirut. [13]
I have faith. I believe in this country. I believe in the spirit of these people. I am the daughter of this land. I'm a Canaanite. [104]
— Lydia Canaan
Canaan is known for benefit performances and activism as a response to the challenges faced by the Lebanese people, her nation's refugees and neighbors, and the world. [85] [86] [87] [88]
In 2001, Canaan performed at the United Nations International Volunteers Day in Beirut [105] and was awarded for her humanitarianism by Yves de San, Head of UNDP Lebanon. [30] [105]
In 2011, Canaan performed for elderly Palestinian refugees at the Social Support Society's Active Aging House within the Burj Al-Barajneh Refugee Camp in Beirut, Lebanon. [106]
In 2014, Canaan participated in the Arab International Forum in Solidarity With Palestinian Prisoners, held in Beirut, Lebanon, with over three hundred fifty public figures and other international attendees, headed by former U.S. Attorney General Ramsey Clark. [13]
In 2015, Canaan took part in the International Forum for Justice in Palestine, held in Beirut, Lebanon, with over five hundred attendees from the U.S., Europe, and the Middle East, headed by former United States Attorney General Ramsey Clark. [9]
In 2020, Canaan returned to the Burj Al-Barajneh Refugee Camp in Beirut, Lebanon, and again met with and sang songs for elderly Palestinian refugees and refugee school children to offer her support for a free Palestine. [85] [106]
Canaan actively supports the Palestinian Right to Resist movement, [85] [87] [106] Street Art for Mankind (for whom she granted use of her song "Beautiful Life"), [13] [107] Solitary Watch, John Legend's Free America campaign, [108] Human Rights Watch, War Child Holland-Lebanon, SAWA for DEV & AID, and the International Campaign to Prosecute War Crimes in Iraq (once chaired by the late former U.S. Attorney General Ramsey Clark). [9]
Throughout her career, Canaan has made financial contributions to and performed in support of various charitable causes and organizations, [4] particularly those concerning the welfare of children, women, animals, and the elderly. [9] [13] [109] [110]
Canaan fully funded the construction of the Children's Care Unit wing of the Salmaniya Medical Complex, [64] and made substantial financial contributions to Child Fund International (CFI) [13] and St. Jude's Hospital. [13]
Canaan's song, "Beautiful Life", was selected by South African President Nelson Mandela as the theme song for a charity event he held in South Africa, [29] [103] [111] [112] Mandela calling Canaan "a voice for peace". [84]
Notable performances by Canaan at charity and fundraiser events include the American Women's Club, [110] the Children's Care Unit of the Salmaniya Medical Complex, [64] the Beirut Rotary Club, the American Community School, [113] Association pour la Promotion Feminine, [114] [115] Caritas Internationalis (Liban), [116] Centre Renee Wehbe Le Vieillard Malade, Beirut for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (BETA), [117] the Lions Beirut Code Club, [118] the Unite Lebanon Youth Project (ULYP), [4] the Arab Resource Center for Popular Arts, Al-Jana (ARCPA), [4] the Social Support Society Active Ageing House, [30] NASMA Foundation, [4] and Association Amour et Partage. [30]
Canaan, an outspoken animal welfare supporter [109] [117] [119] and animal rights activist, [109] [117] [119] champions the Asian Conservation Awareness Programme (ACAP/WildAid), the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), Le Roselet Foundation, and Beirut for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (BETA). [109]
Year | Award | By | Ref. |
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1988 | Scoop d'Or Award | Scoop magazine | [120] |
1997 | Lebanese International Success Award | Lebanese Ministry of Tourism | [3] |
2001 | International Year of Volunteers Award | United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) | [105] |
2003 | Association pour la Promotion Feminine Award | Association pour la Promotion Feminine | [114] |
2005 | Caritas Award | Caritas | [116] |
2014 | Lebanese Army Award | Lebanese Armed Forces | [13] |
UK Songwriting Contest Semi-finalist Award | UK Songwriting Contest | [76] [77] | |
2016 | Silver Medal for Outstanding Achievement | Global Music Awards | [121] |
2023 | Global Goddess Artemis Award | Euro American Women's Council (EAWC) | [122] |
Year | Honor | Notes |
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2002 | Granted presidential audience | Canaan was granted audience with Lebanon President Emile Lahoud at the Lebanon Presidential Palace in Baabda, Lebanon. President Lahoud thanked Canaan for her "devotion to, affection for, and altruistic services rendered to [her] country". [4] [123] [124] [125] [126] [127] |
2002 | Granted presidential audience | Canaan was received by First Lady of Lebanon Andree Lahoud at the Lebanon Presidential Palace, who expressed her gratitude and admiration for Canaan for putting a positive cultural and artistic face on Lebanon. [128] [129] |
2002 | Granted presidential audience | Canaan was received by the First Lady Andree Lahoud at the Lebanon Presidential Palace, who also requested that Canaan hold a concert at the Presidential Palace in honor of the wives of the fallen Lebanon Republican Guard officers. [130] [131] [132] [133] |
2002 | Granted presidential audience | On Mother's Day Canaan was received at the Lebanon Presidential Palace where, upon the request of First Lady Andree Lahoud, she performed at a presidential ceremony in honor of the wives of the fallen Republican Guard officers. [112] [134] |
2015 | Cataloged in Rock & Roll Hall of Fame & Museum's Library & Archives | The Curatorial Affairs Division of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum's Library and Archives created and cataloged a Subject File on Canaan. [20] |
2019 | Sang Lebanese & Swiss national anthems | A dual citizen, Canaan was asked by the Embassy of Switzerland in Lebanon to sing both the National Anthem of Lebanon and the Swiss National Anthem at the Swiss National Day celebration, held at Horsh Beirut Park in Beirut, Lebanon. [135] [136] |
Title | Details |
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The Sound of Love |
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Year | Title | Writer(s) | Release |
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1985 | "The Sound of Equation" | Lydia Canaan | Radio |
1986 | "Why All the Hurt?" | Lydia Canaan | Radio |
"To Oblivion and Back" | Lydia Canaan | Radio | |
1987 | "The Hope Song" | Lydia Canaan | Radio |
"Does It Need Some Action?" | Lydia Canaan | Radio | |
"A Hard Situation" | Lydia Canaan | Radio | |
1988 | "And You Call Me" | Lydia Canaan | Radio |
"Hey Richie" | Lydia Canaan | Radio | |
1989 | "The Christmas Wish" | Lydia Canaan | Radio |
"Me and Little Andy" | Dolly Parton | Radio | |
1991 | "Love and Lust" | Lydia Canaan & Roger Taylor | Unreleased |
1995 | "Beautiful Life" | Barry Blue | Pulse-8 Records |
1997 | "The Sound of Love" | Barry Blue | Pulse-8 Records |
2000 | "Guardian Angel" | Robin Scott | BMG/Metro |
"The Bridge" | Nick Plytas & Robin Scott | BMG/Metro | |
2003 | "Spiritual Man" | Robin Scott | Yup! Records |
2004 | "Libnan" | Lydia Canaan | CNN |
2014 | "Shine" | Lydia Canaan | Online |
"Fallin' (Tommy Mandel Remix)" | Lydia Canaan | Online | |
"Love" | Lydia Canaan | Online | |
"So Much to Give" | Lydia Canaan | Online | |
"Gimme Some Truth" | John Lennon | Online | |
"Never Set You Free" | Lydia Canaan | Online | |
2017 | "Desire" | Lydia Canaan | Online |
"Never Never Never" | Alberto Testa & Tony Renis | Online | |
"Love is Blind" | Lydia Canaan | Online | |
"Everybody's Running After a Dream" | Lydia Canaan | Online | |
"Wish I Could Fly" | Lydia Canaan | Online | |
2018 | "Bless Me, Bless You" | Lydia Canaan | Online |
2020 | "Fallin'" | Lydia Canaan | Online |
Title | Year | Notes |
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Hey Richie [137] | 1988 | Broadcast by LBCI and NBC Europe. [27] |
Beautiful Life [138] | 1995 | Filmed at Canalot Studios and Syon House, the house of the Duke of Northumberland, in London, England. [138] |
The Sound of Love [139] | 1997 | Filmed at the country house West Wycombe Park, West Wycombe, England. [139] |
Title | Year | Notes |
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Live in Concert at Casino du Liban [24] | 1988 | Canaan performing as Angel live in concert at Casino du Liban. [23] |
Live Performance of "Spiritual Man" [140] | 1993 | Canaan performing the song "Spiritual Man" with Robin Scott on late night talk show It's Bizarre in London. |
Title | Year | Notes |
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Hostage to Injustice [81] | 2014 | Footage of the speech Canaan delivered at the 26th Session of the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) at the Palais des Nations in Geneva, Switzerland. [82] It has been widely circulated on the Internet. [81] |
Fighting Terrorism Without Violating Human Rights [141] | 2016 | Footage of the speech Canaan delivered at the 31st Session of the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) at the Palais des Nations in Geneva, Switzerland. [90] It was streamed live on YouTube by the Universal Periodic Review (UPR). [141] |
Global Effects of the Persecution of Religious Minorities in the Middle East [97] | 2017 | Footage of the speech Canaan delivered at the 34th Session of the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) at the Palais des Nations in Geneva, Switzerland, capturing Canaan's visibly emotional delivery. [98] |
No Refuge for Refugees [142] | 2018 | Footage of the speech Canaan delivered at the 37th Session of the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC), at the Palais des Nations in Geneva, Switzerland, followed by a standing ovation by attendees. [142] |
Year | Title | Medium | Notes |
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1993 | It's Bizarre | Television | Canaan appeared as a special guest and performed on the London-based late-night talk show. [143] [140] |
1995 | Russ Kane interview | Television | Canaan was interviewed by the host of Capital Radio and BBC Radio. [144] |
2014 | Global Sorority Foundation documentary | Film | Canaan appeared in the (America-based) women's rights foundation's documentary film series as a role model for young girls worldwide to overcome adversity and raise awareness for gender equality. [145] |
2018 | Bala Toul Sire | Television | Canaan appeared as a celebrity guest to give an extensive interview and perform on Zaven Kouyoumdjian's talk show, aired on Future Television. [146] |
2019 | From the Inside | Television | Canaan appeared on the talk show (aired on Al Mayadeen) for an interview as a "rock icon", and to perform "Humanity Wake Up and Fight". [147] |
2020 | New Morning | Television | Canaan performed as guest star on this talk show that aired on Al Araby TV. [148] |
Btehla ElHayet | Television | Canaan was interviewed and performed during a guest appearance on the talk show broadcast by LBCI. [149] [150] |
Year | Title | Genre | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
2014-2015 | Justifiable Homicide (2014), Annie and the Senator (2015), The Iraqi Girl Trilogy (2015) | Fiction novel(s) | American author Robert W. McGee mentions Canaan's songs "So Much To Give" and "Never Set You Free" in his novels Justifiable Homicide [151] and Annie and the Senator; [152] Canaan and her songs "Shine", "Fallin'", and "Libnan" are referenced in all three volumes of McGee's The Iraqi Girl Trilogy. [153] [154] Much as was actually the case in the mid-80s, [1] McGee's characters must often risk their lives to attend Canaan's concerts. [151] [153] [154] |
2017 | Rock in a Hard Place: Music and Mayhem in the Middle East | Non-fiction | Canaan is featured in British journalist for Newsweek Orlando Crowcroft's book about the dangers she faced and obstacles she overcame as a rock music pioneer in Lebanon. [155] |
2020 | Pioneers from Lebanon | Encyclopedia | Canaan is featured in an Encyclopedia endorsed by the Lebanese Ministry of Culture and sponsored by the UNESCO Cultural Heritage and Treasure Museum of Silk. [83] |
2023 | Rebel Girls Rock: 25 Tales of Women in Music | Children's book | Canaan is highlighted among music legends and iconic rock stars in this international best-selling book series for kids, with a foreword by Joan Jett and activities curated by Gibson Brands. [83] |
50 Amazing Swiss Immigrants: True Stories You Should Know About | Non-fiction | Canaan appears in this international Swiss book series among other modern and historical celebrities who immigrated to Switzerland. The book is endorsed by the Switzerland Foreign Ministry, the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA), and the State Secretariat For Migration (SEM), and is published worldwide in English, German, and French. [157] [158] |
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Elissar Zakaria Khoury, commonly known as Elissa, is a Lebanese singer, actress, television personality and businesswoman. Known for her romantic musical style and emotive vocal performances, she has been dubbed as the "Queen of Emotions" by fans and journalists alike. Her musical career began in 1992 when she was featured in the Lebanese talent show Studio El Fan; later being awarded the silver medal. In 1998, she released her debut studio album Baddy Doub through EMI Music Arabia. While the album was a success, the titular song’s music video initially received criticism for its racy content. Her second album W'akherta Maak (2000) featured the single "Betghib Betrouh", a duet with Ragheb Alama which achieved commercial success and won accolades.
Keith Lee Barnhart is an American composer, keyboardist, and audio engineer also known by the stage name Plex. Although the majority of his credits are as a session musician on nearly 100 major label albums, most of his career earnings come from composing for television, radio, library music, and popular music.
"Give Your Heart a Break" is a song recorded by American singer Demi Lovato for her third studio album Unbroken (2011). It was released on January 23, 2012, by Hollywood Records, as the second and final single from the album. The song was written and produced by Josh Alexander and Billy Steinberg. "Give Your Heart a Break" incorporates drums, violin and strings. The latter two, according to music critics, are reminiscent of those used in Coldplay's "Viva la Vida". Lyrically, the song chronicles the protagonist's attempt to win over her lover who has been hurt in a previous relationship and is fearful of committing again. In 2023, the song was re-recorded for her rock-compilation Revamped with Bert McCracken from the rock band The Used.
Victoria Loren Kelly is an American singer-songwriter. She first gained recognition after posting videos on YouTube as a teenager, and made it through to Hollywood week on the ninth season of American Idol in 2010. Thereafter, she independently released her self-produced debut EP in 2012, Handmade Songs.
Jonita Gandhi is a Canadian singer of Indian descent. She has recorded songs predominantly in Hindi and Tamil languages with few in Punjabi, Telugu, Marathi, Gujarati, Bengali, Kannada and Malayalam languages. Some of her most acclaimed songs include "The Breakup Song", "Mental Manadhil", "Chellama" and "Arabic Kuthu". She is also well known for her YouTube presence. Her singing debut started through Chennai Express in 2013.
Mia Khalifa is a Lebanese-American media personality and former pornographic film actress and webcam model. Born and raised in Lebanon, she and her family relocated to the United States in 2001. She entered the sex industry in October 2014, becoming the most viewed performer on Pornhub in two months. Her career choice was met with controversy after the release of a video in which she is engaged in a threesome while wearing a hijab; the scene brought Khalifa instant popularity as well as criticism from writers and religious figures. In 2015, Khalifa was voted the "Number 1 Porn Star" on Pornhub. In January 2017, xHamster reported that she was the most-searched-for adult actress of 2016. In 2018, she became the most-searched-for actress on Pornhub.
Libnan is an English language song by Lydia Canaan, who wrote and recorded the track in 1993 as an impassioned tribute to her country, Lebanon. In 1997, she was awarded the Lebanese International Success Award by the Lebanese Ministry of Tourism. In 2004, the song became the soundtrack of the advertisement "Rediscover Lebanon", produced and broadcast by CNN to over one-billion viewers and commissioned by the Lebanon Ministry of Economy and Trade to promote Lebanon as a tourist destination.
Tate Rosner McRae is a Canadian singer-songwriter and dancer. At the age of 13, she gained prominence as the first Canadian finalist on the American reality television series So You Think You Can Dance. McRae was signed by RCA Records in 2019 after her songs had gained traction online—including her 2017 viral hit "One Day"—as she released her debut extended play (EP) All the Things I Never Said (2020) in January of the following year. Her 2020 single, "You Broke Me First" became an international hit and peaked at number 17 on the Billboard Hot 100. In 2021, McRae was the youngest musician to be featured on the Forbes' 30 Under 30 list.
"Hey Richie" is a song by Lydia Canaan released as an English language single in 1988. It was recorded and mixed by Tony Farah Studios in Beirut, Lebanon. It was a radio hit in Lebanon, where it received considerable airplay nationwide.
The Sound of Love is the debut studio album by Lebanese singer-songwriter Lydia Canaan, released in mid-2000. Recorded in London and New York City, it included the track "Right On the Verge" featuring Bryan Adams' keyboardist, Tommy Mandel. Nelson Mandela used the album's second single release, "Beautiful Life", as the theme song for a charity event under his auspices in South Africa.