Lebanese singer Alissa has signed an agreement with the international soft drink company Pepsi Cola becoming the official spokesperson for the company in the Middle East. The agreement between Alissa and Pepsi is part of the company’s strategic plan to expand the popularity of Arab singers and their music making it reach the entire globe.
According to the London based daily, Al Sharq Al Awsat, Alissa will appear as the first spokesperson displaying Pepsi’s new soft drink “Pepsi X” in a new commercial with a song “Aribli” (Come Closer), written especially for her and is scheduled to be aired on all local and satellite TV stations in the very near future. Through this step the singer will have officially become part of Pepsi’s star family that includes some of the most well-known names of the Arab world and abroad like, American singer Madonna, Britney Spears, Enrice Igleasis, and Arab singers Nawal Al Zoughbi and Amr Diab.
Pepsi’s regional marketing manager stressed that Alissa was chosen specifically to represent Pepsi’s new energy drink is due to the fact that she enjoys such a lively and outgoing personality, and stands for everything that is natural and energetic, which is what the drink signifies. Earlier, Alissa had denied the news of signing an agreement with Pepsi wanting to keep it a secret until all the arrangement are complete.
Recently, Alissa has revealed in a press conference she held recently that she is seriously thinking about entering the acting world and is ready to accept offers to star in films. At the conference, which was held before she took part in a festival alongside Egyptian singer Amr Diab, Alissa made a number of other announcements regarding her future plans.
Alissa had also announced that she intends on repeating the experience of singing a duet and is currently holding talks with a prominent and well-known Arab singer, but refused to give out his name until all preparations are complete. The singer had stressed that she owes her success to the interest of large corporate companies, which have made it a point to sponsor singers and music festivals.
Alissa noted that her career objective is to become known on a wider scale in the Arab world and the West. She is always extra careful in the songs she chooses for her albums and the style she presents herself with to the audience.
Alissa is currently preparing to shoot television commercials for Pepsi Cola, owned by PepsiCo Inc., the world's No. 2 soft drink company, behind Coca-Cola Co. Earlier, Alissa had denied the news of signing an agreement with Pepsi wanting to keep it a secret until all the arrangement are complete.
Alissa has been officially banned from all Egyptian local and satellite TV stations after the release of her last hit single "Agmal Ihsas" (The Best Feeling). The Egyptian Censors have reached their decision after they felt that Alissa's latest video clip is unfit for Arab viewers due to the intimate scenes it contains.
A number of Lebanese newspapers have described Alissa, Nancy Ajram, and Haifa Wahbi as being overly undignified, in addition to giving the Lebanese song a bad image. It was added that these singers have drifted too far from the traditional Middle Eastern way, and blame was placed on the director Salim Turk who is the one behind producing such music videos. –Albawaba.com
© 2003 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
