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.
Ahlam bint Ali bin Hazeem Al Shamsi, better known mononymously as Ahlam, is an Emirati singer and actress. She has released a total of 14 albums and numerous singles. In 2011, Ahlam joined MBC's Arab Idol judging panel, for the inaugural season and the following three seasons. She was also judge and coach for season 4 in The Voice: Ahla Sawt singing competition.
Ragheb Alama is a Lebanese singer, dancer, composer, and television personality. Alama began his career in the 1980s when he appeared as a contestant on the talent show broadcast Studio El Fan, on which he received the Platinum Award.
Rotana Music Group is the Arab world's largest record label. It is owned by the Rotana Media Group, established by the Nagro Brothers, Mohammed, Khalid, Waleed, Ahmed and Nezar Nagro later sold to the Saudi prince Al Waleed bin Talal, who sometimes personally signs artists to the label. Rotana Records is part of a media empire that includes a film production company, a magazine of the same name, a record label, and seven music channels. More than 100 artists are signed to Rotana.
Sherine Sayed Mohamed Abdel Wahab, known professionally as simply Sherine, is an Egyptian singer and actress. She was formerly a judge on MBC's The Voice: Ahla Sawt.
The X Factor Arabia, originally aired on March 26, 2006, with the title XSeer Al Najah is the Arab version of The X Factor. The Arabic-language version of the program also created by Simon Cowell has a similar format to the British version, in that there are judges who each have a team of contestants to mentor and compete with each other for the X Factor title. The 14-episode first series was broadcast in 22 Arabic-speaking countries. In its debut, it was known as being one of the most watched programs on television and was produced and supported by Rotana, one of the largest production companies in the Arab World. The winner of XSeer Al Najah earned a chance to sign with Rotana. However, with the continuing success of the rival pan-Arab series Star Academy on Lebanese Broadcasting Corporation (LBC), XSeer All Najah lost most of its pan-Arab appeal and was discontinued after season 2. In 2023, season 5 was released.
Amr Mostafa Mohamed Alsayed Abulmagd, better known as Amr Mostafa, is an Egyptian singer and composer. He has composed several hit songs for artists like Amr Diab, Mohamed Hamaki, etc. He worked with western arrangers in one of his album and is known for introducing new type of music in Egypt.
Rabih Jaber, also known by his simply Rabih is a Swedish singer of Lebanese origin. He is a former participant of Swedish Idol 2009, where he finished in seventh place. Jaber and Eddie Razaz, yet another Idol participant, became a duo pop boy band as Rebound! in 2010 with a number of hits on the Swedish charts. After the split-up of the duo in April 2011, Jaber continued for a while as a solo singer. He has of recent years made a career as a songwriter for other artists.
Elissar Zakaria Khoury, commonly known as Elissa, is a Lebanese singer. She is one of Lebanon's most famous singers and one of the best-known artists in the Arab world.
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.
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.
Following the huge success of the first season of Arab Idol, MBC launched the second season on 8 March 2013. The jury panel, composed of Ahlam, Ragheb Alama and Hassan El Shafei, is completed by Lebanese pop star Nancy Ajram. The top 27 was announced on 6 April 2013 and the first prime is scheduled for 19 April. 13 contestants should reach the final stage, compared with the first season where only 10 contestants were picked. On finale night, Mohammed Assaf from Palestine won the competition against Ahmad Gamal and Farah Youssef. There was an estimated 60 million votes. media and was welcomed with joy by Palestinians and the rest of the Arab world. This year was a premiere since it will be the first time that there is a non-Arab/non-Arabic speaker contestant.
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.
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.
The Voice Kids: Ahla Sawt is an Arabic TV series airing on MBC 1 and MBC 3. It premiered on 2 January 2016. The three judges for the inaugural season were Tamer Hosny, Nancy Ajram and Kadim Al Sahir. There are four stages starting with the Blind Auditions. Contestants between the ages of 7 and 14 sing covers of already existing songs without being seen by the judges. If a coach likes the contestant's performance, they turn their chair. Each coach is allowed to have 15 contestants on their team.
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.
Chaima Doublal, known professionally as Chaimae Abdelaziz is a Moroccan Singer who rose to popularity as a contestant in the fourth season of The Voice Ahla Sawt, broadcast on MBC. She sang various songs of both Moroccan and Middle-Eastern repertoires and reached the quart-finals.
The fifth season of the Arabic reality talent show The Voice premiered on September 21, 2019, on MBC1 and MBC Masr. Mohamed Hamaki and Ahlam returned as coaches. Ragheb Alama and Samira Said replaced long time coach Assi El Helani and Elissa as coaches.
