Syrian singer Asalah Nasri is planning to present her fans with a new song for the prominent Palestinian poet Mahmoud Darwish. The song which will be one of the highlights of her upcoming album is to be composed by Kamal Al Taweel, although an agreement has not been finalized. According to the London baed Elaph, Asalah is currently on a visit to Lebanon.
Asalah is known for being a highly emotional singer. Her silky, multi-layered voice enables her to improvise and helps sustain her individuality and reputation as one of the leading Arabic singers today. She continuously creates variations on the melody (arabesques), while her voice perfectly hits high and low quarter notes. The moment she starts singing, audiences are mesmerized, “I want my voice to echo the pain of our people,” she said.
Her songs distinguish her from every one else. Her most revered song, the brilliant “Alli Gara” (What Happened), originally written for the late Tunisian singer Oulaia,, never got that popular until Asalah sang it. Asalah has the gift of making endless variations on the notes and soaring to new heights with her voice.
Having started as a child prodigy singing her father’s compositions, Asalah soon shifted to “Tarab” (Refers to the Traditional Arab music genre). Some of Egypt’s top composers adopted her talent and presented her with their best music. “Ya Sabra Yana” (Oh My Patience) by Sayyed Mikkawi, “Hat Albi” (Give me My Heart) by Mohammed Al Mouji and the hit “Samehtak Kteer” (I Forgave you enough) by Mohammed Sultan are a few among many. Though Asalah never lost the spirit of “Tarab”, she later experimented with more modern tunes with the release of her hit album, in collaboration with Prince Abdel Rahman Bin Mossaed, “Rahal” (Explorer/Wanderer), “Ya Khi Issaal” (Would you Please ask) which marked her second “Khaleeji” (Gulf) album.
Asalah Nasri, the daughter of the well-known singer, Mustafa Nasri, began her singing career at the age of nine by focusing on national and children’ songs. Her quick rise to stardom dates from her early television appearances, the first of which was on the Lebanese TV program “Stars” produced by Jordanian Hasib Yousef. Further television appearances have made her a popular star all over the Arab World.
Nasri reiterated that she had not been influenced by anybody except her father, who taught her how to sing. “He was fond of Umm Kulthoom and Mohammed Abdel Wahhab’s music, and had his own way of singing their songs,” she said, adding that she acquired her style from him, which has prompted her to capture the more attentive music listeners. - Albawaba.com
