The Jordanian annual Summer Festival Jarash has witnessed enormous success so far this year with performances held by some of the most prominent Arab singers and more to be held in the upcoming days. Singers like Amr Diab, Najwa Karam, George Wassouf, and many more are part of this year’s stars lineup.
According to the London based daily, Al Hayat, the unusual participation of the new rising Lebanese singer Nancy Ajram surprised many and caused for a number of disputes to occur between the organizers of the festival and some production companies. The music production company Rotana strongly opposed Nancy’s participation stressing that the singer is not qualified enough to sing on the stages of Jarash where some of the most notable Arab singers stood. Rotana added that Nancy is not worthy of having such an opportunity so early in her career. The company had threatened to pull her singers out of the festival if Nancy remains, but the organizers of the festival were able to reach a settlement with the company.
It was added that Nancy’s performance witnessed a large crowd for the mere fact that she is a symbol of feminine seduction and not for her talent to sing. Critics noted that if it weren’t for her style and method of seducing her audience she would not have come this far, and so the crowds rushed to watch not to listen.
Ajram recently announced that she will not look for residence in Egypt despite her extensive activity in the country. The singer stressed that she does not think of moving from her home in Lebanon where she is surrounded by her family and friends.
The singer revealed that she is in debt to Egypt for helping her rise to stardom and that she is scheduled to hold a number of performances in Sharm El Sheikh and other places around the country. Ajram, who has reached stardom around the Arab world, revealed that she had put a lot of effort into herself to be a successful singer. The singer denied that her looks, seductive moves, or her revealing cloths are what made her reach the top. Nancy stressed that ever since she was a little girl she has been studying music and had in fact learned to play a number of musical instruments.
Nancy admits that her popularity came after she released the hit single “Akhasmak Aah”, and that it caught the eyes of viewers for the fact that she underwent many daring and seducing moves. But Nancy added that looks were not the only factor that made her and the song a success, and that if she did not possess a talent for singing, album sales would not be so high.
Nancy said that her songs were never banned in Egypt and that the news was a false rumor. It was added that on July 4, 2003 Nancy held a live concert at the Alexandria song festival. It was rumored that an official request by the Egyptian Parliament had been released demanding the ban of Ajram’s songs. The Parliament has ordered that all satellite and local TV stations stop the airing of Nancy’s songs, especially “Akhasmak Aah” (I’ll Upset You Yes), due to the nature of its content and the manner in which the music video is shot. –Albawaba.com
