Lebanese singer Nancy Ajram was awarded Best Arab Female singer at the Music Video Oscar Awards in Sharm El Sheikh- Egypt, which ended late last week. Nancy’s award had caused a number of disputes to take place among the judging committee because of a sudden change in the results causing a number of judges to pullout.
At the end of the prize ceremony, Egyptian actor Hussein Fahmy, who is also head of the judging committee, announced the names of the winners, which were different from the ones previously decided on by the judging committee. When the names were called out some of the judges stood up and left their seats in anger opposing the unexpected change made by Fahmy.
Nancy was awarded the Oscar for her song “Akhasmak Aah” (I’ll Upset You), and Lebanese singer Assi Hilani was awarded the Oscar for Best Male Singer for his song “In Kan Alaiah” (If It Was Up To Me).
The organizing committee of the big event awarded an honorary award to Lebanese singer Najwa Karam, UAE singer Hussein Al Jasmy, and Kuwaiti singer Abdullah Ruwaished. The opposition came when the changes were made by the head of the judging committee without notification to the other 7 members, causing only three to remain at the awards ceremony.
On a different note, Nancy has 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. Nancy also revealed that she has received a number of offers from film producers to star in different movies, but stressed that she leaves the matter to her business manager Jiji Lamara to decide on the issue. With regards to acting Jiji stressed that the time has not come for Nancy to begin acting and is better off concentrating on her singing career at the moment.
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
