Lebanese singer Assi Hilani has announced that he is currently going through a severe depression resulting from the conditions that have been clouding over the region for the past months. The singer added that the situation in Iraq and Palestine with enemy invasion of people’s land has kept everyone in a state of utter despair not knowing what the outcome will be.
The singer has on the other hand expressed that despite the huge success his new album has accomplished and the increase of popularity he is witnessing around the Arab world with large crowds of people attending all his concerts, his mind is not put at ease due to the situation that has taken over the region and would not allow anyone any form of peace of mind.
According to the Qatar based daily, Al Raya, Assi stressed that as a singer he feels he is responsible in giving something back to his audience especially those who are living through hardships day after day. He feels he owes his fans something that may help them out even if it is just to show his support towards them.
Assi recently held an unforgettable performance at the Carthage Festival in Tunisia, which witnessed an audience of over 12 thousand. The singer sung a collection of his new songs from his latest album “Fursit Omir” (A Chance of a Lifetime), in addition to a song dedicated especially to the people of Tunisia under the title “Carthage my Precious Dream". Assi’s performance was very successful with the audience singing along and dancing throughout the night. The singer had wanted to dedicate a special song in order to show his love and appreciation to his Tunisian fans.
Hilani had recently released his latest album in Egypt since it is where he as a singer was first introduced to the music world. The singer stressed that if it wasn’t for Egypt and its people who would not be where he is today, and so he prefers to release any new album from this country to show his appreciation.
Assi denied previous rumors that he refuses to hold performances on Egyptian satellite TV, saying that he is ready to accept any invitation to sing for the Egyptian people. Assi added that last year alone he held over 100 performances at different occasions and festivals around Egypt.
The new summer release hit stores on July 21, 2003 witnessing record breaking sales in a number of Arab countries. His new album is a collection of 12 new songs sung in the Lebanese and Bedouin accents, a style that the singer had refrained from singing in his previous album. Assi stressed that his release is revolutionary in the type of music it contains. The singer is sure that the songs chosen for the album will prove to be a big success among his viewers, in which he used modernized musical and singing techniques. –Albawaba.com
