Elissar Zakaria Khoury (born October 27, 1972 in
Deir el AhmarDeir El Ahmar is a Lebanese town, located at 100 km from Beirut and 12 km northeast of Baalbeck in the Bekaa Valley in Lebanon.- Demography and religion :The population of Deir el Ahmar is around 23,000 people....
,
LebanonLebanon , officially the Republic of Lebanon
[Republic of Lebanon is the most common term used by Lebanese government agencies...]
), known as
Elissa is a
LebaneseThe Lebanese people are an ethnic group or nation of Levantine people originating in what is today the country of Lebanon, including those who had inhabited Mount Lebanon prior to the creation of the modern Lebanese state...
singer with multiple Arabic and International awards. She is one of the most well-known female singers in the Arab world and considered as one of the best selling female artists in the
Middle EastThe Middle East is a region that spans southwestern Asia, southeastern Europe, and northeastern Africa. It has no clear boundaries, often used as a synonym to Near East, in opposition to Far East...
.
Famous for her passionate style of music and unique vocal capabilities, Elissa is often referred to as the "Queen Of Romance" and "Queen Of Feelings". Elissa was the first
LebaneseThe Lebanese people are an ethnic group or nation of Levantine people originating in what is today the country of Lebanon, including those who had inhabited Mount Lebanon prior to the creation of the modern Lebanese state...
musician to win World Music Award in 2005 and 2006 for best selling albums in
Middle EastThe Middle East is a region that spans southwestern Asia, southeastern Europe, and northeastern Africa. It has no clear boundaries, often used as a synonym to Near East, in opposition to Far East...
.
Biography
Elissa was born to Lebanese father and a Syrian mother, Elissa was raised in the The Bekaa valley in
LebanonLebanon , officially the Republic of Lebanon
[Republic of Lebanon is the most common term used by Lebanese government agencies...]
. She earned a degree in Political Science from the Lebanese University. She is a Maronite Catholic. Elissa's father, Zakaria Khoury, who studied and taught Arabic literature, died of cancer in 2004. Elissa has 3 brothers and 2 sisters, and she is the fifth child. Elissa usually mentions her brother Kamil, who's a DJ, and plans to release his own album soon and her sister Marina who is married and livs in Canada.
Elissa is still single and has not married yet. She has stated many time that she is looking for love. She also states that looks do not matter that much to her. Confidence, love, respect, sense of humor, and politeness are what Elissa looks for in a man. Her relationship with composer and music producer
Guy ManoukianGuy Manoukian is a Lebanese-Armenian musician, composer and pianist. He is a university graduate in law. He was also a basketball player in the Lebanese Basketball League.-Biography:...
was given significant attention by the media. The relationship lasted for a couple of years. Her relationship with Lebanese singer
Wael KfouryMichel Emile Kfoury known by his stage name Wael Kfoury and born on 14 September 1974 in Zahle , Lebanon is a well-known Lebanese pan-Arab singer, musician and songwriter.-Beginnings:...
has been speculated to be romantic, but both Elissa and Wael have denied it. Elissa commented that Wael is "a friend with a kind heart, as well as being very talented."
Originality and Emotion
Not many Arab divas have Elissa's combination of interpretation, originality and emotion in their voices. Those became her trademarks, along with her "sweet and sour" husky tone of voice. Elissa's vocal range is in the mezzo-soprano register. She started taking vocal exercises with the "Star Academy Lebanon" under Wadih Raad as her vocal coach. He showed her the way to sing without hurting her vocal cords. Wadih was very careful to help her preserve her special timbre. The singer's talent is a 100% innate while others flaunt their vocal virtuosity (backed by years of apprenticeship of the complex Arabic music and Maquams), Elissa just grabs the mic and let go all of her feelings. Some may accuse her of singing out of tune, but Elissa is not just a meer conservatoire student doing her solfeggio homework, she is just reciting poetry. Grand names had praised Elissa's genuine performance. From Ragheb Alama who was the first to recognize Elissa's vocal skills saying she has got the timbre of the sensitive and sensuous woman on a such basis he asked to sing the duet with her, Majida El Roumi stated that she feels enormous pleasure while seeing Elissa on the stage. Likewise,
Laila GhofranJamila Omar Bou Amer Jamila Omar Bou Amer Jamila Omar Bou Amer ( well-known as Laila Ghofran ((born March 19, 1961) is a popular Arabic singer. She is originally from Morocco....
declared that she is among Elissa's voice admirers especially because of her sensitive and authentic interpretaion, Marie Sleiman said that Elissa has got a lot of class, Micheline Khalifé also revealed her appreciation of Elissa's style and talent.
Early Career Success
Elissa's first venture into art and artistic activities consisted of acting in theaters of political critique, namely with well-known
ChansonnierA chansonnier is a manuscript or printed book which contains a collection of chansons, or polyphonic and monophonic settings of songs, hence literally "song-books," although some manuscripts are so called even though they preserve the text but not the music A chansonnier is...
Wassim Tabbara, and the "Theatre de 10 Heures". This was the first time she came in contact with an audience.
Her theatrical beginnings jayjay motivated her to move on to singing, which she did in 1992-3, when she participated in "Studio Al Fan". The show was broadcast on LBCI, one of the most renowned TV stations in the Middle East. Elissa won a silver medal over the course of her in the program. Following this, she performed in concert until 1999, when Lido Productions released her first album, 'Baddy Doub'. Elissa debut on the commercial music scene was an event of considerable importance. The album was a success, and featured a hit with famous French gypsy act, Gerard Ferrer. The release of this first album took her to Cannes, to participate in the International Music Festival of 2000.
Rise to Fame
Following this first success, Elissa released her second album, 'W'akherta Maak' in 2000, which in turn included the hit duet 'Bitghib Betrouh', sung with Lebanese superstar Ragheb Alameh. 'Bitghib Betrouh' was a hit, and is still being played on radio and TV today, more than three years after its initial release. It also sold more than 200,000 copies.
Elissa had a duet with the international artist
Chris de BurghChris de Burgh is an Argentinian-born Irish singer-songwriter, perhaps most famous for his 1986 love song "The Lady in Red"...
in an Arabic-English song titled “Lebanese Nights”, which was written, composed and distributed by DeBurgh.He decided to sing it with a Lebanese singer, and chose Elissa. The song was recorded in London and released in DeBurgh's 2002 Album, Timing Is Everything.
Her third album Ayshalak was released in June 2002, and supported by a video clip filmed in Paris by French director Fabrice Begotti. Wardrobe and make up were provided by
Christian DiorChristian Dior , was an influential French fashion designer, best known as the founder of one of the world's top fashion houses, also called Christian Dior. He was born in Granville, Normandy, a seaside town on the coast of France.-Early life:Acceding to his parents' wishes, Dior attended the École...
, which made Elissa the first Arab figure to represent Dior. The video and the song both were successful, and with the aid of the composer/arranger Jean-Marie Riachi, Elissa was able to produce another hit called "Agmal Ehsas", which was Elissa's second single from Ayshalak. The video clip was directed by the Lebanese director, Selim El Turk.In 2002, Elissa won the Murex d'Or award for best female artist and the "Ajmal Ihsas" clip won the best video clip at the Arabic music awards.
Elissa’s fourth album, Ahla Donya was released in 2004. This was one of the fastest selling albums ever in the Arab world. This album was the first under Elissa's contract with Rotana, the music production company. The album included a variety of songs, such as Koll Youm Fi Omry, Erga' Lel Shoa', Hobbak Waja' (Inta Lameen) and Ahla Donya.In 2005, Elissa won the World Music Award as best selling artist of the Middle east for the sales of "Ahla Dounia" CD and was the first Lebanese to win this award. In 2005, a Special Collector's Edition of the record was made available (1000 copies) with state-of-the-art packaging including a mini-biography.
In early 2006, Elissa released her fifth studio effort, the album Bastanak, which has sold nearly 3.7 million copies, according to Rotana. In 2006 Elissa won for the second year in a row the World Music Award as best selling artist of the Middle East for the sales of "Bastanak" CD.
In 2007 she had a hit with the song "Halili", a duet with Cheb Mami.
Her sixth album called Ayami Beek was released in December 2007 by Rotana. The album has gained extraordinary success in the Arab world and is considered the most selling album in 2008 and still is in the charts in all of the Arab countries. Her first single of the album, "Betmoun" debuted at number 1 on Rotana's PEPSI Top 20 Charts, making it the 2nd song ever in the charts to debut at number one, even though the song dropped to number 5 the following week.
New Projects
Elissa and Fadel Shaker are preparing to shoot there duet with Waleed Nassif.
Recently, during a recent press conference and dinner party Elissa signed a new contract with production company ‘Rotana.’ The news was shocking since circulating rumors in the media claimed there were problems between Elissa and ‘Rotana,’ and some attendees mistakenly thought the conference was for Haifa Wahbe.
Elissa is now recording her new album.
Image
In 2001, she took part in Jordan's 'Fiesta Latina'. She also held a performance at the pyramids of Egypt as the opening act for British superstar Sting. In addition to this, she was the only Arabic artist to perform in front of the former U.S President Bill Clinton at the Stars Charity show in Dubai. Also present at this event were Queen Rania of Jordan and the Crown Prince of Dubai, Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid al Maktoum.
The end of 2002 carried the bang when she inaugurated the opening of Kuwait's Virgin Megastore with Sir Richard Branson, the founder of the famous stores. Also a great success for Elissa was being included in the anthology book '100 Pioneers of Lebanon' alongside artists such as Fairouz, Wadih el Safi, as well as many other celebrities.
In September 2003, Elissa performed at the Hope Charity Gala, which took place in the Royal Albert hall, one of London's most prestigious venues. Elissa was the sole representative of the Middle East among other international stars such as
Sarah BrightmanSarah Brightman is a British crossover soprano, actress, songwriter and dancer. She sings in many languages including English, Spanish, French, Latin, German, Italian, Russian, Hindi, and Mandarin....
,
ZuccheroAdelmo Fornaciari , more commonly known by his stage name Zucchero Fornaciari, is an Italian rock singer. His music is largely inspired by gospel, blues and rock music, and alternates between ballads and more rhythmic boogie-like pieces.-Personal life:Adelmo Fornaciari was born in Reggio Emilia ...
and
Joaquin CortesJoaquín Cortés is a classically trained ballet and flamenco dancer from Spain of Romani origin.-Biography:A native of Córdoba, Cortés showed interest in dancing from an early age. Cortés and his family moved to Madrid in 1981...
.
Elissa's Fan base increase dramatically with every event she attend/holds and with every new album. Her concerts are always fully booked with sometimes a huge number of viewers that exceeds the capacity of the stage she's performing at.
Fashion
Elissa is famous for her physique, dubbed by many admirers as being the "typical mediterannean beauty". Some would say she embodies an intriguing mixture of class, charisma and genre, although rumours of the star's cocky attitude conflicts with this. Elissa wears a lot of Brand names prêt-à porter (
ValentinoValentino SpA is a clothing company founded in 1959 by Valentino Garavani. Nowadays it is a part of Valentino Fashion Group. New creative directors Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pier Paolo Piccioli will take Alessandra Facchinetti's seat as creative designer...
,
John GallianoJuan Carlos Antonio Galliano Guillén, CBE, RDI , professionally known as John Galliano, is a Gibraltarian-British fashion designer.-Early life and career:...
, D&G,
Michael KorsMichael Kors is an American fashion designer. "Michael Kors" also refers to his brands of apparel and fragrances.-Personal life:...
but when it comes to haute couture she wears only Elie Saab's designs).
Official Website
ElissaLB.com Elissa's Official website. ElissaLB.com includes the complete biography of Elissa, her latest news, with videos, pictures, commercials, list of her awards and performances.
Elissa's Official Fan Club page hosts more than 25,000 fans since it re-launched in March 2006, although the club is currently closed.
Controversies
Elissa's video for the title track of her album,
Baddi DoubBaddi Doub is Elissa's debut album. Released in 1999. It had a flamenco-influence which had sounds similar to the popular band Gypsy Kings. Intensive use of Guitar, and most songs are Flamenco-Themed. The hit Badi Doub topped charts as it had some variation of the usual Arabic Music sound.-Track...
caused controversy. In the video, Elissa is seen sitting on a bed wearing a white bed sheet. For years after the video, Elissa would be asked about the 'bed sheet incident' in interviews. Elissa mentioned that she was surprised on how much controversy this has caused, especially since she was almost completely covered up, and indeed there are other artists who wear far more 'revealing' outfits on TV. However it was seen as being a trashy style to exhibit in a video.
Elissa is believed had once accused the singer
Amal HijaziAmal Hijazi or Amal Higazi is a Lebanese singer, model and pop icon. She is currently one of the most active Lebanese singers and has given a number of concerts throughout the world and has made countless TV appearances...
for imitating her style, especially in the video of Hijazi's song,
Bedawwar A AlbiBedawwar A Albi is the third studio album by the Lebanese singer Amal Hijazi released in 2004. It was her first album under the label Rotana...
. Hijazi, however, denied the accusations, stressing that each of the singers has her own unique style. Hijazi added that her song was filmed long before Elissa's Hubbak Waja and had been airing on different satellite channels for a while. In 2004, however, Hijazi put everything aside and made a personal visit to Elissa to give her condolences after she lost her father to cancer. Elissa welcomed Amal with open arms and expressed her gratitude towards Amal's attempt to stand by her side at such a troublesome time.
Elissa is also known for her enmity with
Haifa WehbeHaifa Wehbe is a Lebanese model, actress, and singer who rose to fame in the Arab world as runner up for Miss Lebanon and later through the release of her debut album Houwa El-Zaman .-Biography:...
. Haifa started the fire when she compared the two singers to cars by saying that Elissa is an old car while she is a new one. Elissa refused to reply just saying: "When someone compares me to a car, is there anything left for me to say?". This enmity stopped when
NishanNishan can refer to multiple things* Saint Nishan, a saint of the Armenian Apostolic Church* Epic of Nishan, a shamanistic tale of the Mongols* Flag, holy mark, which is carried by devotees....
had Elissa live on his show and called Haifa. Both Elissa and Haifa were surprised, but assured people that there are no problems.
Another rivalry is hers with Lebanese singer Nawal Al Zoghbi when Elissa thought that the latter accused her in an indirect way of buying awards and ignoring fans in concerts.
Elissa has a reputation of creating drama and controversies among Arab celebrities, but she denies this claiming they are rumors intent on tarnishing her career.
Commercials
Elissa created a very high image for herself which made her become the most wanted artist for all prestigious brands.
Elissa's commercial life started in 2003, when she signed a deal with Pepsi. This contract made Elissa the official female star for Pepsi in the Arab world. She has already filmed the ad for Pepsi X in Spain, and in 2004 the Regular Pepsi ad filmed in Roma with famous director Roger Spottiswood. Then she shot two ads with
Christina AguileraChristina María Aguilera is an American pop musician. Aguilera first appeared on national television in 1990 as a contestant on the Star Search program, and went on to star in Disney Channel's television series The New Mickey Mouse Club from 1993–1994. Aguilera signed to RCA Records after...
for Pepsi for the world football cup. Both were shot in Los Angeles with famous director Tarsem Singh.
Her second deal was with Ray Ban to run their campaign.
Also, She shot Ads for Lux in a flying Tub.
Elissa is one of the ambassadresses for the World Gold Council in collaboration with Lazurde.
In 2007, Elissa was chosen by French company Georges Stahl to create her own perfume, and Elle D'Elissa was created, as the first international perfume for an Arab artist which caused a controversy after Lebanese star
Haifa WehbeHaifa Wehbe is a Lebanese model, actress, and singer who rose to fame in the Arab world as runner up for Miss Lebanon and later through the release of her debut album Houwa El-Zaman .-Biography:...
who claimed that it was hers but Elissa didn't reply and said that the perfume is hers and only hers. Elissa chose 'Emirates Tower' in Dubai for releasing her perfume on 14/11/2007 in a big celebration covered by media and newspapers attended by more than 200 of businessmen, marketing, media, and friends.
For 2008, Elissa is the ambassadress of Samsung Mobiles and released her own mobile Samsung Music Phone that contained three of her songs Bastanak,
Ayami BeekAyami Beek is Elissa's sixth studio album and the follow-up to 2006's Bastanak. The album contains 11 tracks, Elissa collaborated again with the famous songwriter Marwan Khoury after she stated that she would never work with him again...
, and Mush Kiteer A'alek.
Elissa has been known for being an official spokesperson for many international brands and the ambassador of them in the Arab World including Pepsi, Lux, Lazurde jewels, Ray Ban glasses, Vogue Eyewear, Corum watches, and Samsung mobiles.
Awards and honors
Elissa was rewarded a Murex D'Or for being the first Lebanese to receive the World Music Award 2005. In the same event Elissa was also admired for her second success with Lebanese director Selim el Turk and received the best video clip award for the song Hobbak Waja' (directed by Selim El Turk). She was also held the Best Female artist of the year.
Elissa has won two World Music Awards for best-selling artist in the Middle East in 2005 and 2006. Total sales of her albums are close to 19 million, making her one of the most popular Lebanese singers ever. Elissa is also one of the wealthiest Lebanese singers and her wealth is estimated to be nearly $31 million.
In early 2006, Elissa released her fifth studio effort, the album
Bastanak, which has sold nearly 6.2 million copies, according to Rotana. In 2006, Elissa again won the World Music Award for best-selling Middle Eastern artist from the album sales of "Bastanak".
Elissa performed
Bastanak, the smash hit from her latest album, dazzling the audience with a lovely performance, dedicating the award to her beloved country Lebanon - her Father's soul - and all her fans.
Elissa's Most Famous awards
- A Silver Medal over the course of 'Studio Al Fan' Show. 1992
- The Murex D'Or award - Best Female Artist of the Year. 2002
- Best Arabic Female Singer - Zahret El Khaleej Magazine. 2003
- Best Selling Album for a female singer in Egypt - Al Ahram Newspaper. 2004
- LG Music Festival Award. 2004
- AUST University Honoure - Lebanon. 2005
- World Music Award - Best selling Middle Eastern artist - 'Ahla Donya
Ahla Donya is the fourth studio album by Lebanese artist Elissa and was her first album to be produced by Rotana, following the termination of her contract with Mohsen Gaber's Alam al Phan...
album.' 2005
- The Murex D'Or award - Best Female Artist of the Year. 2005
- Best Arabic Female Singer In Al Aghani Radio Station - Egypt. 2005
- Best Character of the Year - Zahret El Khaleej Magazine. 2005
- Best Video Clip Award for the song 'Hobbak Waja'. 2005
- Best Female Artist of the Year Award. 2005
- World Music Award - Best selling Middle Eastern artist - 'Bastanak album.' 2006
- An Honorable Award from the Professional Artists Union of Lebanon. 2007
- Middle East Music Award - Best Female Arab Artist. 2008
Discography
- 1999: Baddi Doub
Baddi Doub is Elissa's debut album. Released in 1999. It had a flamenco-influence which had sounds similar to the popular band Gypsy Kings. Intensive use of Guitar, and most songs are Flamenco-Themed. The hit Badi Doub topped charts as it had some variation of the usual Arabic Music sound.-Track...
- 2000: W'akherta Ma'ak
W'akherta Ma'ak is the second album released by Lebanese singer Elissa. The album's hit single was the duet with Ragheb Alama "Betgheeb, Betrooh".-Singles:*W'akherta Ma'akMusic video director:Marc Hadifé*Betgheeb Betrouh...
- 2002: Ayshalak
Ayshalak is Elissa's third studio album.The album's breakthrough success was due to the hit single, "Ayshalak".The music video for "Ayshalak" was shot in Paris with acclaimed french director Fabrice Begotti.Elissa's wardrobe in the video was supplied by Christian Dior, this was the first time Dior...
- 2004: Ahla Donya
Ahla Donya is the fourth studio album by Lebanese artist Elissa and was her first album to be produced by Rotana, following the termination of her contract with Mohsen Gaber's Alam al Phan...
- 2006: Bastanak
- 2007: Ayami Beek
Ayami Beek is Elissa's sixth studio album and the follow-up to 2006's Bastanak. The album contains 11 tracks, Elissa collaborated again with the famous songwriter Marwan Khoury after she stated that she would never work with him again...
- 2009: TBA
Videography
- Baddi Doub (1998)
- W'akherta Ma'ak (2000)
- Betghib Betrouh (2001)
- Ayshalak (2002)
- Ajmal Ehssas (2003)
- Lebanese Night (2003): Duo with Irish artist Chris De Burgh
- Koli youm fi omry (2004)
- Erga' Lel Sho2 (2004)
- Hobak Wajaa (2005)
- Bastanak (2006)
- Law Te'rafoh (2007)
- Betmoon (2008)
- Awakher El Sheta (2009)
External links