Lydia Canaan | |
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 Canaan performing "Beautiful Life" at MTV Global concert, Beirut, 2000 | |
| Born | Lydia Canaan (Arabic: ليديا كنعان) December 2, 1967 |
| Occupations |
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| Years active | 1984–present |
| Works | |
| Spouse | Thomas Vitins (m. 1993) |
| Awards |
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| Musical career | |
| Origin | Beirut, Lebanon |
| Genres | |
| Instruments | Vocals (four-octave range mezzo-soprano) |
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| Website | lydiacanaan |
Lydia Canaan (born December 2, 1967) is a Lebanese singer-songwriter, poet, humanitarian activist, and diplomat. She is noted for her four-octave vocal range, distinctive vocal stylings, and for being the first Lebanese artist in music history to achieve global success. Widely regarded as the first "rock star" of the Middle East, she is cataloged in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum's Library and Archives.
Canaan is credited as the first recording artist to exclusively release English-language music in the Middle Eastern region,[2][3] along with pioneering in having music videos featured on MTV Global, MTV Russia, MTV Southeast Asia, and MTV Middle East.[4][5][6]
Canaan rose to fame in the mid-1980s as a teen rock singer performing amid enemy attacks during the Lebanese Civil War,[7] holding concerts in vicinities of Lebanon as they were being bombed.[7] "In a small country that was ripped by war," Society writes, "there was this young girl making a difference".[8]
Canaan's career is described as having defied tradition and convention[4][9] and challenged millennia-old gender roles.[10] Arabian Woman reports, "As a girl who grew up in the midst of a bloody civil war, Canaan was breaking down seemingly insurmountable barriers. She rocked the establishment".[10]
- ^ "Library and Archives Subject File (Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum Records—Curatorial Affairs Division Records): Canaan, Lydia, 2015". Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Library and Archives. January 28, 2016. Retrieved February 2, 2024.
- ^ Sinclair, David. "Global Music Pulse", Billboard, New York, December 27, 1997.
- ^ Haddad, Viviane. "Lydia Canaan Shows Readiness to Hold Charity Concerts—The Only Lebanese Singer Who Performs in English and Has Toured the Major European Capitals", Asharq Al-Awsat, Vol. 24, No. 8,477, London, February 12, 2002.
- ^ a b Jubayli, Jinan. "'Angel' Canaan Brings it All Back Home", The Daily Star, No. 10,735, Beirut, March 18, 2002.
- ^ Khonji, Tariq. "Lebanese Singer to Entertain Golf Fans", Gulf Daily News, No. 217, Bahrain, October 23, 2001.
- ^ "The MTV Spirit in the Air of Beirut", Magazine, Beirut, May 19, 1995.
- ^ a b Chandran, Sudha. "An Angel's Song", The Gulf Today, November 24, 2000.
- ^ Habib, Hala. "Lydia Canaan: A Star is Born to The Sound of Love", Society, No. 3, Beirut, February 1997.
- ^ Pulse-8 Records Press Release, January 1995
- ^ a b High, Claire. "With Her Debut Album, The Sound of Love, Recorded in English, Lebanese Singer Lydia Canaan is Tipped to Be the First Middle-Eastern Female Singer to Break into the International Market", Arabian Woman, No. 21, Saudi Arabia, September 2000.