Singers-turned-brands: Arab celebs get on the self promotion trail

Published February 11th, 2013 - 01:10 GMT

Long gone are the days when a celeb’s success was based on actual work. While movies and albums might help aspiring stars make a name for themselves, there’s no need for them to worry their pretty little heads about a repeat performance when there are more important things to be focusing on...like themselves!

These days more and more stars in the Arab celebosphere are proving it's possible to keep hold of their legions of fans without doing a single day’s work in the recording studio or on set.

How do these crafty celebs manage to keep their faces in the papers and the cash pouring in? By going down the shameless self promotion trail of course.

From re-releasing old albums, to flashing flesh and getting bitchy on Twitter, these desperate divas will do just about anything to stay in the spotlight without having to roll their sleeves up and do some work.

But be warned lazy celebs, you’re about to be named and shamed!

Do you think Arab stars should have to work harder for their fame? Are there any lazy celebs we've missed out? Share your comments with us below!

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Ragheb Alama: the brand, is a force to be reckoned with. Now with a perfume range for both men and women plus a mass of charity photo-ops, the Lebanese star looks unstoppable. However, the same can’t be said for his singing career. Ragheb released a whole album of his old recycled songs this year.

Four years album-free wasn’t going to stop this UAE songstress from hitting the headlines. Self-proclaimed Twitter queen, Ahlam, has filled enough column inches with her bitchy tweets to keep her name among the most recognized in the Arab world, despite the lack of songs.

Undeterred by accusations that she was a talentless wannabe, Lebanese pop starlet, Myriam Klink, cheerfully went on the self-promotion trail. Posing in barely-there outfits and spilling her hopes of running for Parliament, she may have missed the part about her original job description.

Lebanese gay icon and owner of the biggest lips in the Middle East, Elissa, put out an album in June last year and clearly thought that was enough time in the office for 2012. The rest of her year has been spent promoting watches, jewelry and of course, herself, around the Gulf.

Better known for her wardrobe malfunctions than her voice, it would be hard to say exactly what Lebanese star, May Hariri, does for a living. She’s most often found at a fashion show or giving an interview about how beautiful she is but where have those albums disappeared to?

Happy to post up photos of her ‘new look’ on her Facebook page or espouse her political views to anyone who will listen, Syrian star, Asala Nasri, has had a lot less success on the singing front. Her last concert in Tunisia garnered only a third of the stadium capacity but she has popped up presenting a TV talk show.

It might be nearly half a decade since he put out an album but that hasn’t stopped legendary Lebanese star, Milhim Barakat, from getting his name in the papers. Using his voice for something other than furthering his singing career, Milhim has picked fights with everyone from Ragheb Alama to Amr Diab to hit the headlines.

Taking time to ‘focus on his family’ is no reason for Egyptian megastar, Amr Diab, to let up on the self-promotion. The break from making an album has allowed him to post up as many pictures as possible of himself with kids in tow on Facebook, Twitter, or anywhere that will take them.

Ragheb Alama: the brand, is a force to be reckoned with. Now with a perfume range for both men and women plus a mass of charity photo-ops, the Lebanese star looks unstoppable. However, the same can’t be said for his singing career. Ragheb released a whole album of his old recycled songs this year.

Four years album-free wasn’t going to stop this UAE songstress from hitting the headlines. Self-proclaimed Twitter queen, Ahlam, has filled enough column inches with her bitchy tweets to keep her name among the most recognized in the Arab world, despite the lack of songs.

Undeterred by accusations that she was a talentless wannabe, Lebanese pop starlet, Myriam Klink, cheerfully went on the self-promotion trail. Posing in barely-there outfits and spilling her hopes of running for Parliament, she may have missed the part about her original job description.

Lebanese gay icon and owner of the biggest lips in the Middle East, Elissa, put out an album in June last year and clearly thought that was enough time in the office for 2012. The rest of her year has been spent promoting watches, jewelry and of course, herself, around the Gulf.

Better known for her wardrobe malfunctions than her voice, it would be hard to say exactly what Lebanese star, May Hariri, does for a living. She’s most often found at a fashion show or giving an interview about how beautiful she is but where have those albums disappeared to?

Happy to post up photos of her ‘new look’ on her Facebook page or espouse her political views to anyone who will listen, Syrian star, Asala Nasri, has had a lot less success on the singing front. Her last concert in Tunisia garnered only a third of the stadium capacity but she has popped up presenting a TV talk show.

It might be nearly half a decade since he put out an album but that hasn’t stopped legendary Lebanese star, Milhim Barakat, from getting his name in the papers. Using his voice for something other than furthering his singing career, Milhim has picked fights with everyone from Ragheb Alama to Amr Diab to hit the headlines.

Taking time to ‘focus on his family’ is no reason for Egyptian megastar, Amr Diab, to let up on the self-promotion. The break from making an album has allowed him to post up as many pictures as possible of himself with kids in tow on Facebook, Twitter, or anywhere that will take them.

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Singers-turned-brands: Arab celebs get on the self promotion trail

Ragheb Alama: the brand, is a force to be reckoned with. Now with a perfume range for both men and women plus a mass of charity photo-ops, the Lebanese star looks unstoppable. However, the same can’t be said for his singing career. Ragheb released a whole album of his old recycled songs this year.

Four years album-free wasn’t going to stop this UAE songstress from hitting the headlines. Self-proclaimed Twitter queen, Ahlam, has filled enough column inches with her bitchy tweets to keep her name among the most recognized in the Arab world, despite the lack of songs.

Undeterred by accusations that she was a talentless wannabe, Lebanese pop starlet, Myriam Klink, cheerfully went on the self-promotion trail. Posing in barely-there outfits and spilling her hopes of running for Parliament, she may have missed the part about her original job description.

Lebanese gay icon and owner of the biggest lips in the Middle East, Elissa, put out an album in June last year and clearly thought that was enough time in the office for 2012. The rest of her year has been spent promoting watches, jewelry and of course, herself, around the Gulf.

Better known for her wardrobe malfunctions than her voice, it would be hard to say exactly what Lebanese star, May Hariri, does for a living. She’s most often found at a fashion show or giving an interview about how beautiful she is but where have those albums disappeared to?

Taking time to ‘focus on his family’ is no reason for Egyptian megastar, Amr Diab, to let up on the self-promotion. The break from making an album has allowed him to post up as many pictures as possible of himself with kids in tow on Facebook, Twitter, or anywhere that will take them.

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