Lebanese singers Haifa Wahbi and Katia Harb have announced that they will hold a joint concert on Valentine's Day February 14, 2004 at the Venicia Intercontinental Hotel in Beirut. The event will mark the first time the two singers meet on one stage.
According to the London based Elaph, the concert is expected to witness a huge success due to the popularity both singers enjoy especially Haifa. Scenarist Faisal Nada has nominated Haifa for the leading role in the upcoming comedy television series “Hub Sakhin Jidan” (Real Hot Romance) alongside prominent Syrian actors Duraid Laham and Rafiq Al Suba’ei. Faisal had decided that Haifa would best fit for the role in the film and had made his decision during his trip to Syria.
The series is to be aired on Syrian television during the holy month Ramadan (Muslim fasting month) and is scheduled to begin shooting of the scenes in May. The series tackles the issue of human beings basic rights in the era of globalization. Numerous prominent Egyptian actors and actresses are also scheduled to take part in the series in different episodes as guests of honor.
Wahbi has been the phenomenon of the year 2003; she had her own style in singing and offered something new that none of her competitors did before. She did not claim to be a singer, and instead she insists to referred to as a performer, which is what she likes to call herself. She was able to take her popularity internationally and became the center of talks and lights, which ended by being personally interviewed on the international television network CNN.
Haifa disclosed that CNN had reflected a bright point of view about Lebanon and the people and expressed her happiness to be one of Lebanon's friendly faces. She added that she felt very proud as the cameras were following her and showing the amount of appreciation people hold towards her and her art.
Haifa added that she is working on her second album which is due to be released next March by the Rotana Music Production Company. In her album she revealed that she cooperated with some people who helped her in her first album and also new people will be participating in the second album among who are Omar Mustafa, Mohammed Rifa'i, and Mohammed Raheem.
After getting intensive vocal training, Haifa is going to sing new songs in a different style than what she did before. Haifa noted that she gained lots of experience, which she appreciates especially after being trained by prominent Lebanese poet Elias Nasser, and said that she wont change her looks or her style in singing.
With regards to the reason she is always targeted by critics, Haifa commented that it is because she is very popular so everyone talks about her whether in a good or bad way. Haifa added that she is so special because of her spontaneous performance. She added that most of her generation does not sing but perform, but there are many singers in the Arab world like Melhem Barakat, Elias Karam, and Najwa Karam.
Haifa asserted that she benefits a great deal from constructive critic and she tries to rectify some mistakes that she was not aware of, but what hurts her is critics who only want to harm her reputation. Haifa said “Many had gambled on my failure and expected it but to their surprise I was gaining more and more success everyday. This made me more selective in my works. To tell you the truth I was not expecting this success, I was like a chef who makes a cake and did not know how it will end up tasting.” –Albawaba.com
© 2004 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
