Update: Lana Del Rey will also be performing at the Byblos Festival on July 10th even though it wasn’t officially declared yet. [Source]
For all the Anthony Touma fans, The Voice Tour 2013 is coming to the Jounieh International Festival 2013 on Tuesday July 9 at the Fouad Chehab Stadium as stated by L’Orient LeJour. I didn’t see a mention of the concert on the Jounieh Festival website though.
I for myself am still upset I will be missing Lana del Rey’s performance at the Sky Bar in Beirut on May 30. Speaking of partying, I’ve been to White, Pier7 and Al Mandaloun these past two days and I can assure you the summer has kicked off to a great start!
As I stated in a previous post, I went to meet Sir Richard Branson today and had the chance to ask him few questions. Here’s what I asked and what he told me in brief:
Questions:
1- What do you think about the Lebanese authorities and the way they condemn and ban music, movies and books? Do you find it justifiable specially that you were among the first few people to sponsor and sign controversial bands?
He told me that the last time he was there, he was aware of the censorship issues in Lebanon and asked us if things had become better? (To which I answered: No it actually got worse). Then he continued saying that “Freedom of speech is extremely important and that it’s a pity that we ban or censor music, cds and videos in Lebanon. Every individual should have the freedom to decide what to listen to or watch or what not to”
2- Do you think Virgin Radio Lebanon should have opened before in Lebanon? isn’t the radio market saturated by now? Should we expect something like the V festival to take place in Lebanon?
He said that Virgin should have indeed opened before but there are a lot of difficulties to initiate such a project and that now he’s found people ready to cooperate with and make it happen. As for the V Festivals, I was told we should be expecting major events with big artists in Lebanon.
Gino asked questions regarding Virgin Galactic that you can check [Here].
I didn’t expect Branson to be such a cool and down to earth guy. It was an honor meeting him and I hope he comes back again to Lebanon. As for now, Virgin Radio Lebanon is now officially on and you can listen to it on 89.5 FM!
Adonis is a Lebanese Band that was formed back in 2010 and has released so far one album and another is on its way. Kermalik is a single from the new album that is expected to be launched in June 2013.
Their songs are fun to listen to. You can check them out [Here].
Lebanese Anthony Touma lost tonight in the semi-finals of The Voice by the tiniest of margins despite gaining the support of the majority of the spublic.
Anthony Touma chante Les mots bleus de Christophe durant les demi-finales de The Voice!
Anthony Touma has become an inspiration to many Lebanese and has now made it to The Voice’s finals to become the first Lebanese to ever do so. I know it’s a hassle to find videos of previous performances online due to TFI’s copyright restrictions so I thought I share this one before it gets blocked. You can also check it at this [Link].
Ziad Rahbani has announced that he is preparing for a new album for his mother the legendary Fairouz to be released in the summer of 2013. Ziad refused to release single songs and is intending to release a full album. Fairouz last CD was released in 2010 titled “Eh Fi Amal” and was considered a mega success. [Source]
Check out tons of pictures from the Guns N’ Roses concert in Lebanon [Here] and a video uploaded by Francois on his blog below. There are other videos that will follow but the internet connection doesn’t allow more than one video per day. I still haven’t uploaded my ASOT600 videos because they are around 200mb each.
You may have not heard of it before but Champlain is a Lebanese group and one of the very few Francophone Lebanese bands that writes and composes its own songs, which varies from rock, pop, funk to blues and jazz. They already have an album entitled “Permis de rêver”. Champlain has been around for quite a while and had a few lead vocalists including the Lebanese talent Anthony Touma who is very talented and one the favorites to win this year’s edition of the Voice in France.
Voix : Anne-Sophie Azzi, Anthony Touma, Eid E. Eid, Fouad Maroun
Guitares : Fouad Maroun, Jack Boutros
Claviers : Elias Kateb
Batterie : Roy Khoury
Basse : Walid Sarrouh
Arrangements :Christophe Haroun, Walid Sarrouh
Musique : Fouad Maroun, Roy Khoury, Walid Sarrouh, Christophe Haroun, Eid E. Eid, Jack Boutros, Anthony Touma
Textes : Eid E. Eid
Champlain will be in concert on the Palais des Congrès Dbayyeh, on Friday 05-Apr-12 at 20:30 pm. Tickets are available at all Virgin Mega stores and profits will go to the association INCLUDE.
I don’t know why I never heard of Therése Neaimé up until now. She’s apparently a known pop-singer not only in Sweden but in the Gulf countries as well where she got featured on many TVs and radios and even made a song for the 40th anniversary of the UAE. She apparently pursued a modelling career as well and was featured in several Swedish magazines, print ads (Dobber/Levis Jeans, IKEA) and commercials [Source]. She has the body of a top model but not the prettiest of faces to be honest.
I posted below her latest song and her interview with MBC1. She has a nice voice. You can read more about Therese on her Facebook page [Here] and official website [Here].
Therése Neaimé, the Swedish-Lebanese singer-songwriter, has been enjoying great success in the US, Europe and the Middle East. Her debut album “LIVIN’” was released in 2006 on Therése Neaimé’a own label Future Records and included the hit singles “The Future” (#13 in the US) and “Not Easy” (#1 in Sweden).
In October 2011 she released her new album “STRONGER”, a mix of soulful ballads and dance hits. It includes the pre-released singles “How Could I”, “All I Think About Is You” and “Lovers Lullaby” that have all made it to radio hits.
“Today Is A Holiday” is dedicated to the 40th anniversary of the UAE and has been playing on major radio stations. Since her return to Dubai this fall, Therése has enjoyed much media attention. Dubbed by radio as “the talk of town” she is a regular on TV and radio shows, lifestyle magazines and tabloids.
Therése Neaimé toured the world from Los Angeles to Singapore, Europe and the Middle East. She performed for the troops in Afghanistan and opened with her own band “Neaimé” for “Simply Red” on their European Tour. She has performed for the King and Crown Princess of Sweden and at numerous VIP events.
Therése shares her time between Sweden and Dubai. She was selected by the Swedish Government as “noteable personality” for the cause of Swedish-Arab relations. Therése is the Brand Ambassador for Volkswagen Middle East and an Ambassador for the Swedish Foundation for Children with Cancer. [Facebook Page]
