Amr Diab was born
in to 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).
|