Mohamed Mounir
Encyclopedia
Mohamed Mounir (born October 10, 1954) is a popular Egyptian
Egyptians
Egyptians are nation an ethnic group made up of Mediterranean North Africans, the indigenous people of Egypt.Egyptian identity is closely tied to geography. The population of Egypt is concentrated in the lower Nile Valley, the small strip of cultivable land stretching from the First Cataract to...

 singer and actor. He is one of the best-known musicians, both in Egypt and throughout the Middle East, with a musical career spanning more than three decades. He incorporates various genres into his music, including classical Arabic Music, Nubian music, blues, jazz and reggae. His lyrics are noted both for their philosophical content and for their passionate social and political commentary. He is affectionately known by his fans as “The King” in reference to his album and play "El Malek Howa El Malek" (The King is The King).

Early life

Born into a Nubian family in Aswan, Mounir spent most of his early childhood in the village of Manshyat Al Nubia, where he shared his fathers interests in both music and politics. As a teenager, he and his family were forced to relocate to Cairo when his village was lost in the floods that followed the construction of the Aswan Dam
Aswan Dam
The Aswan Dam is an embankment dam situated across the Nile River in Aswan, Egypt. Since the 1950s, the name commonly refers to the High Dam, which is larger and newer than the Aswan Low Dam, which was first completed in 1902...

. It was here that he studied photography at the Faculty of Applied Arts at Helwan University
Helwan University
Helwan University is a public university based in Helwan in Egypt. It comprises 18 faculties as well as 50 research centers.Generally, it is known for engineering and business studies...

. During this period, he would often sing for friends and family at social gatherings. His singing voice was noticed by the lyricist Abdel-Rehim Mansour, who would go on to introduce Mounir to the renowned folk singer Ahmed Mounib.

Musical career

Following his graduation, he was called up for military service in 1974, during which he continued his professional musical career by performing in various concerts. He performed his first such concert in 1975. Although the public were initially critical of Mounir for performing in casual attire at a time where Arab singers were expected to wear suits, they eventually warmed to his laid back image.

After completing his military service, Mounir released his 1977 debut solo album "Alemony Eneeki
Alemony Eneeki
-Track listing:#"Alemony Eneeki" – 2:11#"Dunia Rayha" – 6:01#"Ya Sabia" – 4:15#"Amana Ya Bahr" – 3:42#"Qool Lel Ghareeb" –#"Fi Eniky Ghorba" – 4:20#"Ya Azab Nafsy" – 3:25#"Eh Ya Blad Ya Ghareeba" – 3:32...

" on the Sonar record label. Mounir went on to release 5 more consecutive official albums and featured on one soundtrack album under the Sonar label. To date, Mounir has released a total 20 official albums and featured on 6 soundtrack albums under a number of different record labels.

Mounir’s single “Maddad” from this album caused controversy, as its lyrics could be interpreted as a call for intercession from the prophet Muhammad
Muhammad
Muhammad |ligature]] at U+FDF4 ;Arabic pronunciation varies regionally; the first vowel ranges from ~~; the second and the last vowel: ~~~. There are dialects which have no stress. In Egypt, it is pronounced not in religious contexts...

. Amongst Muslims, there are differing views as to whether the prophet can provide intercession between Allah
Allah
Allah is a word for God used in the context of Islam. In Arabic, the word means simply "God". It is used primarily by Muslims and Bahá'ís, and often, albeit not exclusively, used by Arabic-speaking Eastern Catholic Christians, Maltese Roman Catholics, Eastern Orthodox Christians, Mizrahi Jews and...

 and his believers. This resulted in the music video being banned from Egyptian television for a time. Mounir responded by saying "it is this fight against rigid thought that makes something out of you".

On his 2003 follow up album "Ahmar Shafayef
Ahmar Shafayef
Ahmar Shafayef is a 2003 studio album by Mohamed Mounir.-Track listing:#"Ekrar" – 3:49#"Banat" – 3:59#"Ahmar Shafayef" – 4:41#"Bahr El Hayah" – 4:34#"Asmarany El Loun" – 5:03#"Shamandora" – 3:15#"Horreya" – 4:26...

" (Lipstick), he returned to his more familiar style of mainly secular lyrics. In the summer of 2003, following the release of his album Mounir toured Austria, Germany and Switzerland alongside the Austrian pop musician Hubert von Goisern, and later that year the duo performed a concert in Asyut
Asyut
Asyut is the capital of the modern Asyut Governorate in Egypt; the ancient city of the same name is situated nearby. The modern city is located at , while the ancient city is at .- Etymology :...

.

In May 2004, he held a large concert at the pyramids, during which he was physically attacked by a drunken fan. Despite sustaining minor injuries, he continued his performance until the end of the concert.

He continued his trend of releasing secular albums infused with social commentary with the release of his 2005 album “Embareh Kan Omry Eshren
Embareh Kan Omry Eshren
Embareh Kan Omry Eshren is a 2005 studio album by Mohamed Mounir.-Track listing:#"Amar el Hawa" - 3:45#"Wailli" - 3:33#"Eidiya Fe Geyobbi" - 4:35#"Embareh Kan Omry Eshren" - 4:09#"Alb Fadi" - 4:37#"Beningerrih" - 4:32#"Hikaaytto Hekaya" - 5:07...

” (Yesterday I Was Twenty), as well as on his latest album "Ta'm El Beyout
Ta'm El Beyout
-Track listing:#"Yunis" - 4:10#"Mesh Mehtag Atoub" - 3:42#"Men Gheir Kusouf" - 4:30#"Taam el Biyout" - 3:18#"Yabo el Ta'iyya" - 4:19#"Maaki" - 3:43#"Kan Fadel" - 2:46#"Naygiribeh" - 4:10#"Lezaman" - 4:09#"Taht el Yassmina" - 4:31#"Soaal" - 4:53...

" (Taste of Homes), released in 2008. Ta'm El Beyout was noted for its creativity but initially did not perform as well as expected in terms of album sales.

In 2008, Mounir postponed his New Year's Eve concert at Cairo Opera House in solidarity with the Palestinians suffering the effects of the Gaza War.
He issued the statement: "delaying the concert is a message sent to the whole world, so that it would move forward and help the people in Gaza."

He headlined the Liverpool Arabic Arts Festival 2010 on the 9th July at the Liverpool Philharmonic Hall.

Acting career

As well as his singing career, Mounir also has an active acting career. Throughout his career he has appeared in 12 movies, 3 television series and 3 plays.

His movie career began in 1982, when he acted in and featured on the soundtrack album Youssef Chahine
Youssef Chahine
Youssef Chahine was an Egyptian film director active in the Egyptian film industry since 1950. He was credited with launching the career of actor Omar Sharif...

 film “'Hadouta Masreia” (An Egyptian Story).

In 1997 he played the role of the bard in the Youssef Chahine French-Egyptian historical drama “Al Maseer
Destiny (1997 film)
Destiny is a 1997 French-Egyptian historical drama film directed by Youssef Chahine. It was screened out of competition at the 1997 Cannes Film Festival....

” (Destiny), which screened out of competition at the 1997 Cannes Film Festival
1997 Cannes Film Festival
-Jury:*Isabelle Adjani *Gong Li *Mira Sorvino *Paul Auster *Tim Burton *Luc Bondy *Patrick Dupond *Mike Leigh *Nanni Moretti *Michael Ondaatje -Feature film competition:...

.

Mounir played the part of the blind poetry professor “Bashir” in the controversial 2005 film "Dunia". The movie is centered around the title character Dunia, a belly dancer and poet played by Egyptian actress Hanan Tork
Hanan Tork
Hanan Tork is an Egyptian actress and former ballerina. She was born as: Hanan Hassan Mohamed Abd El Karim , and is sometimes credited as Hanane Turk and Hanan Turk. She is a sister to two brothers: Hussein and Hossam...

. When the film aired at the 2005 Cairo International Film Festival, it left the audience split between those supporting the film’s calls for intellectual freedom and its anti-female circumcision stance, and those disapproved of either the title character’s desire to physically express herself through dance, or of the filming of scenes in the Cairo’s slums which could be seen to tarnish Egypt's international image.

Official Albums

  • Alemony Eneeki
    Alemony Eneeki
    -Track listing:#"Alemony Eneeki" – 2:11#"Dunia Rayha" – 6:01#"Ya Sabia" – 4:15#"Amana Ya Bahr" – 3:42#"Qool Lel Ghareeb" –#"Fi Eniky Ghorba" – 4:20#"Ya Azab Nafsy" – 3:25#"Eh Ya Blad Ya Ghareeba" – 3:32...

     (Your Eyes Taught Me) - 1977
  • Bnetweled
    Bnetweled
    -Track listing:#"Bnetweled" - 6:09#"Selya" - 2:01#"So'al" - 4:51#"Saheret Layali"#"Medy Edek" - 3:03#"Helly Dafyrik" - 3:25#"Ya Aroset El Nile" - 3:58#"Eftah Zorar Amesy" - 3:47#"Ghareeba" - 3:18#"Akalem El Amar" - 4:47...

     (We Are Being Born) - 1978
  • Shababeek
    Shababeek
    -Track listing:#"El Lela Ya Samra" - 5:40#"Shababeek" - 4:44#"Kreshendo" - 6:29#"Ashki Lmen" - 6:29#"Ya Zamani" - 5:04#"Aal Madina" - 4:48#"Shagar El Lamoon" - 4:52#"El Kon Koloh Bydor" - 4:35...

     (Windows) - 1981
  • Etkalemy (Speak) - 1983
  • Bareea (innocent) - 1986
  • West El Dayra (In The Middle of The Circle) - 1987
  • Shokolata (Chocolate) - 1989
  • Ya Eskenderia (Oh, Alexandria) - 1990
  • Meshwar (Trip) - 1991
  • El Tool We El Loon We El Horya (The Length, Colour, and Freedom) - 1992
  • Eftah Albak (Open Your Heart) - 1994
  • Momken (Maybe) - 1995
  • Men Awel Lamsa (From The First Touch) - 1996
  • El Farha (The Joy) - 1999
  • Fe Eshq El Banat (On The Love of Girls) - 2000
  • Ana Alby Masaken Shabya (My Heart is Public housing
    Public housing
    Public housing is a form of housing tenure in which the property is owned by a government authority, which may be central or local. Social housing is an umbrella term referring to rental housing which may be owned and managed by the state, by non-profit organizations, or by a combination of the...

    ) - 2001
  • El Ard... El Salam
    El Ard... El Salam
    El Ard... El Salam is a 2002 studio album by Mohamed Mounir. In contrast to Mounir's largely secular catalogue of albums, "El Ard... El Salam" features religiously themed lyrics...

     (The Earth... Peace) - 2002
  • Ahmar Shafayef
    Ahmar Shafayef
    Ahmar Shafayef is a 2003 studio album by Mohamed Mounir.-Track listing:#"Ekrar" – 3:49#"Banat" – 3:59#"Ahmar Shafayef" – 4:41#"Bahr El Hayah" – 4:34#"Asmarany El Loun" – 5:03#"Shamandora" – 3:15#"Horreya" – 4:26...

     (Lipstick) - 2003
  • Embareh Kan Omry Eshren
    Embareh Kan Omry Eshren
    Embareh Kan Omry Eshren is a 2005 studio album by Mohamed Mounir.-Track listing:#"Amar el Hawa" - 3:45#"Wailli" - 3:33#"Eidiya Fe Geyobbi" - 4:35#"Embareh Kan Omry Eshren" - 4:09#"Alb Fadi" - 4:37#"Beningerrih" - 4:32#"Hikaaytto Hekaya" - 5:07...

     (Yesterday I Was Twenty) - 2005
  • Ta'm El Beyout
    Ta'm El Beyout
    -Track listing:#"Yunis" - 4:10#"Mesh Mehtag Atoub" - 3:42#"Men Gheir Kusouf" - 4:30#"Taam el Biyout" - 3:18#"Yabo el Ta'iyya" - 4:19#"Maaki" - 3:43#"Kan Fadel" - 2:46#"Naygiribeh" - 4:10#"Lezaman" - 4:09#"Taht el Yassmina" - 4:31#"Soaal" - 4:53...

     (Taste of Homes) - 2008

Soundtrack Albums

  • Hadouta Masreia (An Egyptian Tale) - 1982
  • El Malek Howa El Malek (The King is The King) - 1988
  • Maadarsh (I Can’t) - 1993
  • El Maseer (Destiny) - 1997
  • Habeebty (My Love) - 1998
  • Dunia - Ode To Liberty - 2006

Movies

Year Film Role Notes
1982 Hadouta Masreia (An Egyptian Tale) Mahdi
1986 Al Yawm Al Sades (The Sixth Day) The Boatman
1987 Al Tokk Wa Eswera (Ring and Bracelet) Mr. Mohamed
1988 Youm Mor We Youm Helw (A Bad Day & A Good Day) Oraby
1990 Shabab Ala Kaf Afreet (Youth on the palm of a ghost)
1991 Ishtebah (Suspicion) Medhat
1991 Leih Ya Haram (Why Pyramid) Ahmed Shafek
1992 Hekayat Al Ghareb (Stranger Tale) Saed
1994 Al Bahth An Tut Ankh Amun (Search for Tutankhamen) Gad
1997 Al Maseer
Destiny (1997 film)
Destiny is a 1997 French-Egyptian historical drama film directed by Youssef Chahine. It was screened out of competition at the 1997 Cannes Film Festival....

 (Destiny)
Marwan (The Bard)
2006 Dunia (World) Dr. Bashir
2006 Mafesh Gher Keda (Nothing but this) Himself

External links

  • Mohamed Mounir’s official website
  • Mohamed Mounir at the Internet Movie Database
    Internet Movie Database
    Internet Movie Database is an online database of information related to movies, television shows, actors, production crew personnel, video games and fictional characters featured in visual entertainment media. It is one of the most popular online entertainment destinations, with over 100 million...

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