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Amr Diab was born in Port Said, Egypt into an
artistic family. His father, Abdul Basset Diab, worked for the Suez Canal
Corporation where he was chairman of Marine Construction & Shipbuilding. He
possessed a fine singing voice and encouraged the young Amr to sing.
One evening, when Amr was just 6 years old, his
father took him to the July 23rd Festival at Port Said There they visited
the local broadcasting station and Amr made his first singing appearance on
Egyptian Radio performing the National Anthem "Biladi, Biladi". He was
praised by the Governor of Port Said who awarded him with a guitar as a
prize.
In due course Amr began his musical studies at the
music faculty of the Cairo Academy of Art and from which he graduated in
1986. His first album "Ya Tareeq" followed shortly. It was an instant
success. There have been, since then, a further 16 top selling albums in a
prolific recording career which has established him as the super-star of the
Arab world.
Amr has toured widely throughout his career
organizing galas and performing concerts in countries as far flung as
Australia, Canada, Europe & the USA.
In 1990 Amr was chosen to represent Egypt at the 5th
Tournament of African Sports where he sang in English and French as well as
Arabic. This concert was televised by satellite throughout the Arab world
and highlighted on CNN. He became the first Arab artist to make a video clip
and in a parallel career, has acted in several films including "Dhahk We
La'ab" (Laughter & Fun), a film which opened the Egyptian Film Festival in
1993. In this film, directed by Tarek Al Telmasani, Amr played opposite the
world famous Egyptian actor Omar Sharif. In the film "Ice Cream" directed by
Khairi Bishara, Amr played the role of the main hero.
The singer has
already been the subject of three biographies – Amr Diab, the owner of
my heart, The Rebellious and Amr Diab, Star of the 20th Century. His
nickname is Rebellious – due, it is said, to comparisons made with his
contemporaries, in all aspects of life - his clothes, hairstyling, the
performance and execution of his music, the melodies he composes and his
many appearances at parties.
Amr became known for the new 'style' of his music
which the Arabs came to call "Mediterranean Music" referring to its
blend of Western and Arabic rhythms. He was named, by most satellite and
TV stations, as the Best Singer in the Arab World throughout the
nineties and continually sets new Arabic sales records with successive
album releases.
1996 saw the release of the Alam El Phan produced
album "Nour El Ain" ("Mind's Eye") which was a tremendous success not
only in the Middle East but throughout the entire world. The title
track, and its English version "Habibe", was an international
phenomenon, becoming a massive crossover hit in countries as far afield
as India, Argentina, Chile, France and South Africa. The song was
remixed by several top European remixers and has become a big pull on
the dance floors of Europe. The video clip, also produced by Alam El
Phan for the song "Nour El Ain", was one of the most lavish and
expensive productions in the field of Arab song, and set a new standard
for his contemporaries to aspire to. "Nour El Ain" has become the best
selling album ever released by an Arabic artist.
In 1997 Amr Diab won three Awards at the Annual Arabic Festival (for
Best Video, Best Song and Artist of the Year).
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Amr .. The Best |
In the following year, he received a Triple Platinum
Award for the sales of "Nour El Ain", and received the Worldwide Music Award
in Monaco on 6 May 1998, under the patronage of H.S.H. Prince Albert of
Monaco, and attended by such International luminaires as Gloria Estefan,
Celine Dion, Mariah Carey, The Backstreet Boys, Stevan Segal and many more.
This award was the first of its kind for an Arabic artist, emphasising that
his appeal is not just confined to the Middle East unlike the majority of
his contemporaries.
His follow-up studio album entitled "Awedony" was released in July 1998, and
as for "Nour El Ain" it was produced with Hamid El Shary and recorded in
Cairo, Egypt. The first video from the album, the title track "Awedony", was
shot by the river Nile in Egypt and directed by Tareq Al Aryan. Like its
predecessor this album was a huge success for Amr and reinforced his
popularity in the Arab world and abroad.
The "Best of Amr Diab" released in early 1999 contained a brand new song "Maham
Kibirt Sugheir" recorded as a tribute to the Legends of Arabic music such as
Omm Kolsoum, Abdel Halim Hafez and Mohammed Abdul Wahab that have influenced
him. A strong ballad with a spectacular video of the concert footage
inspired by Puff Daddy (who he met at the Monaco Awards) it became another
big hit for Amr. The album also contains a previously unreleased European
remix of Habibe, and the most popular songs from Amr's albums of the 1990s.
Acknowledge:
www.amrdiab.net , www.amrdiab.info
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