Elissa (singer)
Elissa | |
|---|---|
| File:Elissa.jpg Elissa in Laha Magazine, 2005. David Abdullah's Lens | |
| Background information | |
| Years active | 1998–present |
Alissar Khoury, known as Elissa (Arabic: إليسا) is an Arab music star from Lebanon. She was born on the 27th of October, 1972 in Deir Ahmar in the Bekaa region of Lebanon.
Biography
Elissa started off her singing career back in the early 90's on a talent show, Studio el Fan, on LBC. After a long absence, she came back with a Spanish-Arabic single, titled “Badi Doub” in 1998. Her first album Baddi Doub was one of the largest selling albums in Lebanon and the Middle East. She sold over 150.000 copies. She featured a flamenco artist named Gerard Ferrer in the song, Baddi Doub(Turkish Gulsen-Be Adam).(Music-Ozkan Turgay).
Her second project in 2000 was a duet with Ragheb Alameh Betghib Betrouh. The song was included in Elissa's second album W'akherta Ma'ak. The album "W'akherta Ma'ak" went on to sell more than 200,000 copies.
Later on, Elissa was featured with the international artist Chris DeBurgh in an Arabic-English song titted “Lebanese Nights”, which was written, composed and distributed by Chris DeBurgh. He wrote this song while on his last visit to the country. He decided to sing it with a Lebanese singer, and his chose Elissa. The song was recorded in London and released in Chris DeBurgh's 2002 Album, Timing Is Everything.
Her third album Ayshalak was released in June 2002 supported by a video clip that was filmed in Paris by the famous French director Fabrice Begotti and her wardrobe was officially from Christian Dior,Paris as well as for the make up. The video/song made a huge success, and with the aid of the composer/arranger Jean-Marie Riachi, Elissa was able to hit it off with a good trancy yet calm and romantic song. Ajmal Ehsaas was Elissa's second single from her album, Ayshalak. The video clip was directed by the Lebanese director, Selim El Turk.
Elissa’s Fourth album, Ahla Donya was released in 2004. The album was one of the fastest selling albums ever in the Arab world. This album was the first production after the contract Elissa had 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. The album was a true success for Elissa, which marked her on the road of super stardom. The album led to a World Music Award for best selling album in the Middle East and North Africa, which she received in 2005. In 2005, a Special Collector's Edition of the record was made available with state-of-the-art packaging including a mini-biography about the singer. The Edition was made available in only 1000 copies, making it a must-have for fans and collectors everywhere.
Elissa is an official spokesperson for Pepsi. In 2006 Elissa co-starred alongside Christina Aguilera in an advertisement for Pepsi-Cola.
In early 2006, Elissa released her 5th studio effort, the album Bastanak, which has sold nearly 3.7 million copies, according to Rotana.
Discography
- 1998 - Baddi Doub Sales : 150,000 copies
- 2000 - W'akherta Ma'ak Sales : 200,000 copies
- 2002 - Ayshalak Sales : 2,950,000 copies
- 2004 - Ahla Donya Sales : 3,400,000 copies
- 2006 - Bastanak Sales : 3,700,000 copies
See also
External links
- Official Elissa Website
- Elissa Bio, Pictures and Photos
- Elissa Pictures, Lyrics, Videos clips and CDs
- Elissa honored at 2005 World Music Awards
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