Got A Million Rhymes
When choosing someone to write about that I have never heard of, I became interested in reading about the highly successful Arabic singer, Nancy Ajram. Nancy Ajram was born and raised in Beirut, Lebanon, the same place that my boyfriend’s family is from. She is one of the most famous Lebanese singers in history. When…
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Got A Million Rhymes
When choosing someone to write about that I have never heard of, I became interested in reading about the highly successful Arabic singer, Nancy Ajram. Nancy Ajram was born and raised in Beirut, Lebanon, the same place that my boyfriend’s family is from. She is one of the most famous Lebanese singers in history. When I attend family parties or go to Arabic restaurants I always love the music however I never knew about any of the songs or artists. Ajram began performing music when she was very young and released her first studio album at just 15 years old, Mihtagalak, (I Need You). She had been in many talent competitions and was popular on the show, Noujoum Al Moustakbal, (Stars of the Future). With the help of producer Jiji Lamara, Ajram released her first hit, “Akhasmak Ah,” in 2003. This song translates to, “I Will Upset You,” and is a song about a girl being in love but her husband does not appreciate her or accept her love. This song was actually banned by the Egyptian parliament because they believed that the video was too explicit. The video includes her dancing and flirting with customers at a restaurant. Imagine how they would feel about a popular Beyoncé video.

Nancy Ajram- Akhasmak Ah

Ajram’s third studio album, Ya Salam, turned out to be her first best selling album however it was her next album, Ah W Noss (Yes, and a Half), that made her a star. Ah W Noss was released in 2004 and included four hit singles. She even opened for Latino-pop singer Enrique Iglesias at his concert in Egypt that year. Her music videos also earned her a lot of notoriety for her acting skills therefore she was called upon for starring movie roles. Her next album, Ya Tabtab Wa Dallaa, released in 2006 was even more successful. She had eight radio hits from this album alone. The video for that song was different from much of her previous music videos as she laughed in the face of controversy surrounding her “provocativeness” by dressing completely covered as a clown.

Nancy Ajram- Ya tabtab Wa Dallaa

Aside from her famous love songs, Ajram is well known for using her music to promote world peace and teach children values and morals. She released many songs shedding light on the problems that children face worldwide. She even performed alongside Lionel Richie at a children’s fundraising event. She has a song, “Resala Llal Aalam,” which translates to “A Message to the World,” which talks about world peace. She has won three World Music Awards and has become a multi platinum recording artist. Setting aside the language barrier, you can really feel the emotion come through in her amazing voice. Ajram has established herself as an Arabic pop music icon and continues to release best selling music and work in the television industry.