Nancy Ajram

In this Lebanese name, the father's name is Nabil and the family name is Ajram.
Nancy Ajram
نانسي عجرم
Ajram poses during Nancy 9 album signing ceremony in May 2017
Born
Nancy Nabil Ajram

(1983-05-16) May 16, 1983 (age 41)
Achrafieh, Beirut, Lebanon
Occupations
  • Singer
  • television judge
  • businesswoman
Years active1996–present
Spouse
Fadi El Hachem
​
(m. 2008)​
Children3
Musical career
GenresArabic Pop[1]
Instruments
  • Vocals
  • piano
  • keyboards
  • oud
Labels
  • EMI
  • Relax-In
  • Megastar
  • Art Line Music
  • EWE
  • In2Musica
Websitenancyajram.com

Nancy Nabil Ajram (Arabic: نانسي نبيل عجرم, Lebanese Arabic: [ˈnæːnsi ˈʕæʒræm]; born May 16, 1983) is a Lebanese singer, television personality, and businesswoman, dubbed by Spotify as the "Queen of Arab Pop".[2] With the support of her father, she began performing as a child and appeared on several television shows in her early years. By the age of 15, Ajram signed a recording contract with EMI and released her debut studio album Mihtagalak (1998). In spite of being under the legal age, Ajram was exceptionally accepted to the Syndicate of Professional Artists in Lebanon.[3] The following year, she released her second album Sheel Oyoonak Anni (2001).

Her breakthrough occurred with the start of her collaboration with well-known Lebanese producer Jiji Lamara, when she released her controversial hit single "Akhasmak Ah"; created by Egyptian composer Mohamed Saad,[4][5] and third studio album Ya Salam (2003) in which she adopted a public image as a sex symbol while reinventing her music. Ajram's fourth album Ah W Noss (2004) was another commercial success, spawning the chart-topping singles "Ah W Noss", "Lawn Ouyounak", "Oul Tani Keda" and "Inta Eyh", at which point she had established pop icon status in the Middle East.[6] In 2007, Ajram released her first children's album, Shakhbat Shakhabit, which was the most notable and successful work for children at the time. Betfakkar Fi Eih (2008), her sixth album produced seven singles including the commercially successful Egyptian hits, "Betfakkar Fi Eih", "Min Dally Nseek" and the Lebanese single "Mashi Haddi", won Ajram's first World Music Award as world's best-selling Middle Eastern artist, the youngest Arab WMA winner to date.

Having sold over 30 million records worldwide as of 2007, Ajram is one of the best-selling Middle Eastern music artists.[7] By 2010 she was announced the best-selling Middle Eastern female singer of the decade (2000–2009).[8] Throughout her career, Ajram has released twelve studio albums to date (including two dedicated for children) and numerous chart toppers such as "Yay", "Ya Tabtab", "Moegaba", "Ehsas Jdeed", "Ibn El Giran", "Fi Hagat", "Ya Kether", "Ma Tegi Hena", "Aam Betaala' Feek", "Badna Nwalee El Jaw", "Salamat", and "Aala Shanak". Ajram is the first and only female spokesperson of Coca-Cola in the Arab world, releasing several promotional Coke anthems that became instant smash-hits, such as "Oul Tani Keda", "El Dounya Helwa", "Noss El Kawn" and "Shaggaa Bi Alamak". Ajram has made the list of Most Powerful Arabs on Arabian Business several times, and was similarly listed by Newsweek as one of the most influential Arab singers.[9]

She has also featured in patriotic songs for her country Lebanon, and has also dedicated seven patriotic songs to Egypt; a country she is widely popular in thanks to her Egyptian hits such as "Akhasmak Ah" and "Ah W Noss".[10] Between 2013 and 2017, Ajram served as a judge on MBC's reality talent show Arab Idol. She also began serving as a coach on The Voice Kids Arabia in 2016. In 2020, Nancy was the most-streamed Arab female artist on Spotify, achieving more than 100 million plays of her songs, followed by Lebanese icon Fairuz with 67 million plays.[11]

  1. ^ "Queen of Arab Pop" Nancy Ajram in concert at RSIFF 22", film festivals.com, December 28, 2022
  2. ^ "23 years ago, the queen of Arab pop #NancyAjram debuted her first studio album". Spotify. Archived from the original on December 23, 2021. Retrieved July 11, 2021.
  3. ^ "Biography". Nancy Ajram.
  4. ^ "حكاية أغنية أخاصمك آه", elwatannews, November 22, 2020
  5. ^ The death of the owner of the song "Akhasmak Ah" by Nancy Ajram, Egyptian composer Mohamed Saad, the owner of the song "Say again like this and I fight you Ah"... passed away.
  6. ^ "Nancy Nabil Ajram". coca-colacompany.com. Archived from the original on May 3, 2017. Retrieved October 11, 2017.
  7. ^ "Power 100-Nancy Ajram". Arabian Business. March 26, 2008.
  8. ^ "Nancy Ajram Hits The Arab World By Storm!". Hit Sorter. 2010. Archived from the original on December 8, 2021. Retrieved December 8, 2021.
  9. ^ "The Most Powerful Arab Singers". Arabian Business. 2007. Archived from the original on April 13, 2016. Retrieved August 15, 2016.
  10. ^ بالفيديو.. 7 أغاني وطنية قدمتها نانسي عجرم في حب مصر
  11. ^ "Nancy Ajram Breaks a New Record Surpassing the Living and the Dead!". Albawaba. September 1, 2020. Retrieved April 25, 2021.