Nancy Nabil Ajram (Arabic: نانسي نبيل عجرم) (born May 16, 1983) is a multi-platinum Lebanese singer. By 2007,
Ajram had sold over 30 million records ranking 3rd best selling female artist in Lebanese history[1][2].
She has released seven albums to date and appeared in numerous music videos and commercials. She has
participated in the most significant Arabic festivals and won multiple awards, most importantly the 2008
World Music Award of best-selling Middle Eastern artist, the youngest Arab WMA winner to date. Nancy
Ajram is the first and only female sponsor and spokesperson of Coca-Cola in the Middle East and Arab
world.
Early life and beginnings
Ajram was born on May 16 1983 in Achrafieh, a mainly Christian district of East Beirut[3], Lebanon, to
Christian parents Nabil Ajram and Rimonda Oun.
In 1995, at the age of twelve, Nancy Ajram took part in the entertainment show, Noujoum Al-Moustakbal,
("Stars of the Future"), a Lebanese television musical competition, winning a gold medal in the Tarab
category after singing a song by Umm Kulthum.
Ajram studied music following her early success with renowned Lebanese musicians and although she was
less than 18 years old, the syndicate of professional artists in Lebanon accepted her as a member. Her
first songs were titled "Hobbak Allam Albi elGheere" by Abdo Mounzer, and "Oulha Kelma Ala Shani". At the
age of 15, she released her first album, Mihtagalak ("I Need You') in 1998, with most of its songs
holding a pure Tarab style. It was followed by Sheel Oyoonak Anni ("Take Your Eyes Off Of Me") in 2000,
which achieved more success.
Fame and stardom
2002-2004: Akhasmak Ah
Ajram then began working with Jiji Lamara, an experienced producer and manager. In early 2003, her third
album, Ya Salam ("How Beautiful"), became her most successful album so far, driven by the popularity of
the song Akhasmak Ah ("I'll taunt you") and by its then-controversial music video. Reminiscent of older
Arabic films, Nancy appeared as a cafe manager who dances and flirts with its customers. Several other
music videos promoting songs on the album were released, less controversially.
2004-2006:Ah w Noss, Coca-Cola
Her fourth album, Ah w Noss ("Yes, and a half"), was released on April 12, 2004, and was also an
important marking point in Nancy's career. The tremendous success "Ah w Noss" achieved stabilized Nancy's
position as an A-level star in the Arab music industry. Nancy then filmed "Lawn Ouyounak" (The Color of
Your Eyes) which portrayed Nancy as a bride in a traditional Lebanese wedding. Negotiations between
leading soft-drink company Coca-Cola and Nancy Ajram started that period and towards the beginning of
2005, Nancy Ajram became Coca-Cola's star and official celebrity sponsor and spokesperson for the Western
Asia and North Africa. Her first Coke commercial was for her hit "Oul Tany Kida" (Say That Again?) which
was filmed with the international Italian director Luca Tomassini. The commercial's success lead to its
filming as a music video behind the scenes of the commercial. Later on in 2005, Nancy decided on filming
"Inta Eih" (What Are You?) as the fourth hit from the album. Nadine successfully created a drama that
portrayed Nancy in a much mature and different image, as she appeared as wife who sees her husband
cheating on her, and pretends not to know for the sake of her love and marriage. Leading Egyptian actors
and directors, like Faten Hamama praised Nancy's acting abilities and movie offers doubled for Nancy, who
was not really interested or free at that period. Nancy performed in Enrique Iglesias's first concert in
Egypt in 2004.
2006-2008:Atabtab, Shakhbat, ElDonya Helwa
Main article: Atabtab
Her fifth album, Ya Tabtab...Wa Dallaa was released on February 15, 2006. Atabtab was considered Nancy's
best album to date, with six music videos released, eight radio hits, and five songs used for
commercials.
The title song's video was Nancy's last video directed by Nadine Labaki, as she then started working on
her movie Caramel. Nancy then released the video of her Coca-Cola hit "Moegaba" (Admirer), as well as a
video and commercial for her newly signed Damas Jewelry contract advertising their "Farfasha" set. The
song used was Ana Yalli which was promoted before the album's release. Nancy then cooperated for the
first time with prominent Lebanese director Said el Marouk, filming "Ehsas Jdeed" (A New Feeling) which
is widely considered to be the most successful song of the album. The video, which was a salute from Said
to his deaf and mute parents, depicted the story of a rich woman who falls in love with a deaf and mute
man. Later in 2007, Nancy released all together the video of "Elli Kan" (All That Was) for Damas's second
campaign, her Coca-Cola Side of Life commercial featuring a new single "ElDonya Helwa" (Life is
Beautiful), and a video and album directed towards children, titled Shakhbat Shakhabit (Scribbled
Scribbles). "ElDonya Helwa", Nancy's 7th commercial, is considered one of her most successful commercials
representing her style and Coca-Cola's with colors, happiness, and music, and it led her to release a
Live album featuring the single.
Ajram's sixth album was fully dedicated to children with a variety of songs aimed towards teaching
children good values and morals, something she has wanted to do for a long time. The music video was her
second cooperation with Said El Marouk after "Ehsas Jdeed" and featured four songs from her album:
Shakhbat Shakhabit, Katkouta, Shater, and Eid Milad at the credits. Nancy performed these songs at
several fund-raising events for children and other children's events. She then filmed with Fadi Haddad,
the director of photography of her previous works with ElMarouk, a video for the song "Resala Ilal Aalam"
(A Message to the World) which talks about world peace. The video was released on May 25, 2008, the day
the Lebanese president General Michel Suleiman was elected ending a deadlock that lasted since November.
It was the first video for Nancy that had an entirely graphical world that implied the suffering of
children worldwide and the need to bring out a more colorful and happy world for them, like the one in
the video. Old rumors claimed that the video will be presented to the UNICEF. In 2007, Nancy performed
alongside Lionel Richie in Egypt at a launching event.
2008–present: Betfakkar Fi Eih, WMA
Main article: Betfakkar Fi Eih?!
In February and March 2008, Nancy released three Coca-Cola commercials that featured a brand new hit from
her long awaited album. The song, "Meen Gheyri Ana (Noss elKawn)" (Who Else?) was made by the successful
Yey and Ana Yalli trio (Nizar Francis, Samir Sfeir, and Tarek Madkour). The song and commercials served
as a highly successful promotion 5 months before the album's release. Nancy released her seventh studio
album after several delays on July 30 2008, which has been highly anticipated by fans for almost three
years. This long awaited comeback album held lots of surprises for her fans with a huge change in her
style that presented her matured vocal abilities like never before. Nancy's 7th album, Betfakkar Fi
Eih?!, is considered to be one of her most successful albums so far as it won her first World Music Award
in her career. The album included her first "Tarab" song called "Biteegy Sirtak" since 1998's Mihtagalak
album, and in general had a wide mix of several different styles ranging from dance, beat, pop, to drama,
romance, Tarab and oldies. Even though the hit video had mixed opinions, the second video of "Min Dally
Nseek" was much more accepted, peaking at #1 for seven consecutive weeks in Melody Hits [4]. The same
musical trio who created "Ehsas Jdeed" did one of the instant radio-hits of the album, "Lamset Eed"
(Touch of a Hand), which was filmed with Leila Kenaan under a high budget, and the song and music video
peaked charts for months. Nancy announcned that she will be filming around 8 to 10 songs from the album
as requests for music videos for the songs were on the rise. With this album Nancy signed a celebrity
endorsement deal with Sony Ericsson, as a special w595 phone was released holding Nancy's signature, and
Wana Ben Idek was chosen as the commercial song.
On November 9, 2008, about a month after her marriage, Nancy Ajram won her first World Music Award for
her best-selling album Betfakkar Fi Eih. In her short speech, Nancy thanked her parents, Jiji Lamara, her
fans and album makers, and husband, and said "2008 has been a fantastic year - a successful album, my
wedding, and now this award, what can I ask for more?"
Marriage and motherhood
In September 2008, Nancy married Dr. Fadi AlHachem after a 2-year relationship; the wedding was attended
mainly by close friends and family. Nancy continued her work during pregnancy, and during that period she
had filmed "Lamset Eed" and her first Sony Ericsson commercial, participated in several concerts such as
Layali Febrayer, and received her WMA. On May 16, 2009, Nancy gave birth to her first baby daughter named
"Mila", who shares her birthday. Short for Milagrosa (miraculous in Spanish), Mila is also an old Arabic
name widespread in rural Lebanon meaning a "blooming tree"[5]. Nancy released her song for her daughter
"Ya Rab Tekbar Mila" (I Pray That Mila Grows Up) on the same day.
Awards and titles
1995 Nojoom Al Mustaqbal Golden Award - (Nancy's most significant pre-stardom award)
2003 Murex D'or Award - Best Female Lebanese Singer of the year, Beirut [6]
2003 Murex D'or Award - Best Video of the Year: Ya Salam - Nadine Labaki, Beirut
2003 The Golden Lion Award Egypt
2003 LG Music Award
2003-2004 Zahrat elKhaleej Magazine - Best Female Arab Singer, Dubai
2004 Zahrat elKhaleej - Best Music Video of the Year, Dubai
2004 Arabian Music Awards - Best Female Arab Singer of the year, Dubai
2004 Murex D'or Award - Best Female Lebanese Singer of the year, Beirut [7]
2005 Zahrat elKhaleej Magazine - Best Female Arab Singer, Dubai
2005 Newsweek - Most Influential Arab Personalities, Kuwait
2005 - Honor from the Opera House of Egypt
2006 Murex D'or Award - Best Female Lebanese Artist of the year, Beirut
2006 Murex D'or Award - Best Video of the Year: Ehsas Jdeed - Said elMarouk, Beirut
2007 LG Music Award , Abu Dhabi
2007 Certificate from the Pope of Rome
2007 Middle East Music Awards (Mobinil) - Best Female Arab Singer of the year, Cairo [8]
2007 Arabian Business - Most Influential Contemporary Female Singer in 2007 [9]
2007 Arabian Business - Most Powerful Arab Singers [2]
2007 Kol elArab Survey - Best Arabic Star of the year 2007 [10]
2008 Annual Doha Festival - Honor Award, Doha
2008 World Music Award - World's Best-Selling Middle-Eastern Artist, Monaco [11]
2008 Student Choice Award - [College Student Survey]: Best Album of the Year 2008, Beirut [12]
2008 AlJumhuriya Newspaper, Freedom Magazine - Best Female Arab Star of 2008, Egypt [13]
2009 Arabian Business - Power 100 - World's Most Influential Arabs [14]
Discography
Studio albums
* 1998: Mihtagalak
* 2001: Sheel Oyoonak Anni
* 2002: Ya Salam
* 2004: Ah W Noss
* 2006: Ya Tabtab...Wa Dallaa
* 2007: Shakhbat Shakhabit
* 2008: Betfakkar Fi Eih?!
DVDs and live albums
* 2004: Live at the Jarash Festival [DVD] - MegaStar
* 2005: Ma La Ta'arifunahu 3an Nancy Ajram [DVD] - MBC
* 2006: Ah w Noss: Collector's Edition [CD and DVD] - MegaStar
* 2006: Ya Salam: Collector's Edition [CD and DVD] - MegaStar
* 2007: Shakhbat Shakhabit [DVD]
* 2007: ElDonya Helwa - Live [Live CD]
* 2008: The Best of Nancy Clips [DVD]
* 2008: Greatest Hits [Compilation CD] - EMI
* 2009: Awwel Marra [Old Live Songs CD] - Artline Music
Non-album singles
Nancy released several songs dedicated to special countries in the Arab world, starting with "Kuwait
alShahama" in 2005. Later on, a compilation CD featured "3agbal", dedicated to the Sheikh's daughters. In
early 2006, she released a single, "Ana Masry" ("I am Egyptian"), timed to coincide with Egypt's hosting
and winning of the African Cup of Nations football tournament, taking it by storm. Its video showed
Egyptians representing the diversity of the country lip-sync the patriotic lyrics of the song. Nancy also
released a song for the rival Egyptian soccer teams "Ahly and Zamalek", being the first to do so after
Sabah. Nancy released a sensual song for Lebanon called "Habib elOmr" composed by Ziad Boutrous, which
preceded the 2006 Lebanese war. After the 2007 "Nahr el Bared" war, Nancy dedicated a song composed by
Samir Sfeir to the Lebanese Army, called "Khalleek Bwejj elGhadab".
Nancy's non-album singles:
* 2005 "Kuwait Al Shahama"
* 2005 "Ana Masry"
* 2005 "Agbal"
* 2006 "Ahli w Zamalek"
* 2006 "Habib el Omr"
* 2007 "Bwejj el Ghadab"
* 2007 "El Dunya Helwa" (featured in the Live album only)
* 2009 "Ya Rab Tikbar Mila"
* 2009 "Efta7 Albak Tefra7"
In 2007, Coca-Cola released their international trademark campaign of their popular slogan "The Coke Side
of Life", which focused on themes such as fun, happiness, colors, and life. A collaboration with Nancy
Ajram lead to the making of the song "El Donya Helwa" (The World is Beautiful) for which a commercial was
filmed with an American director on international standards and hi-tech effects. Nancy insisted on
filming in Lebanon which had been hit by war a while back. "El Donya Helwa" became one of Ajram's most
successful songs, and she then released it as a single track in a "Live" album with live performances of
songs from her last studio album, Atabtab.
Ajram also participated in the following group works:
* 2003 Il7a2ni (Follow Me) for the Lebanese Marathon.
* 2005 La Ma Khelset El Hekaya (It's Not Over) after the assassination of late president Rafiq
elHariri.
* 2008 ElDhameer el 3arabi (The Arab Conscience) the sequel to the well-known "elHelm al3arabi" along
with more than 100 artists.
