Nancy Ajram's 'Sah Sah' a Global Success
By: Malorie Lewis / Arab America Contributing Writer
Last year, Universal Music announced they were launching a Universal Arabic Music project under Republic Records label. The US-based project aimed to promote Arabic music on a global scale. Universal Arabic Music cooperates with other labels within the Universal group such as: the US, UK, Brazil, France, Germany, Australia, and Mexico. They also collaborate with existing labels in the MENA region. They sign and promote other artists of Middle Eastern and North African descent. One Universal artist beloved by many, a true fan favorite, is Lebanese pop star Nancy Ajram. She was honored by Universal with the Universal Arabic Music Shield Award just this week.
Yet another award on the long list of achievements, this month alone! This award came following her successful release of “Sah Sah,” a new song performed in collaboration with Marshmallow. Both artists are big-time stars, and this summer collaboration exploded following its release.
The Colab!
The Universal collaboration “Sah Sah,” released on Friday, July 8th, 2022 is an upbeat Arabic success, according to streaming platform Spotify. The song features Marshmello’s brilliant instrumentation, paired with Nancy Ajram’s amazing voice using the Egyptian dialect!
Not only that, but the song rose to #9 on the US iTunes chart! As of July 15th, 2022, “Sah Sah” peaked reaching: over 1 million streams on Angami, over 1 million on Spotify, and over 11 million views on YouTube. The week following its release, “Sah Sah” is still trending as number two on nine Angami charts: Libya, Sudan, Tunisia, Algeria, Oman, Morocco, Jordan, Lebanon, & Iraq. The song is also number two on six charts in Saudi, UAE, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, & Yemen. In addition to the song’s popularity, Nancy Ajram has also become the most streamed Arab singer on Spotify Arabia. Her stardom really knows no bounds!
Who is Nancy Ajram? For those who don’t know!
For those unaware of this pop star’s legacy and her long list of achievements, here is a brief overview of the pop idol. Nancy Ajram is a successful and talented singer, entrepreneur, Cartoon Network voice actor, reality television judge, philanthropist, mother of three, and dedicated wife.
Early Beginnings
Hailing from Achrafieh, Beirut, Lebanon and born into a Christian Family, Nancy Ajram was born into a close-knit family. As a result, she took up music at an early age and practiced it frequently with her grandmother. Subsequently by the age of 13, she had become one of the most celebrated singers in Lebanon. At 15 years old, Ajram signed a recording contract with EMI and released her debut studio album Mihtagalak.
Philanthropy and Awards
In 2003 and 2004, Nancy Ajram received the titles of both: Best Female Lebanese Singer and Best Female Arab Singer. During 2004, she became the spokesperson for Coca-Cola in the Middle East and North African region. On October 22, 2009, the UNICEF chose her to be the first female regional ambassador for the Middle East and North Africa. In August 2011, Nissan chose Ajram to be the official ambassador in the Middle East and North Africa.
Between 2013 and 2017, she worked as a judge on MBC’s reality talent show Arab Idol. In addition to that, she began serving as a coach on The Voice Kids Arabia in 2016. The 2017 Arabic dub of “Power of Four,” a one-hour special episode of The Powerpuff Girls, Nancy is the voice of the fourth Powerpuff Girl, Bliss.
In 2019, Ajram was awarded the title of Best Arabic Female Singer by the Oscar Saydati Magazine. She is a multi-platinum Lebanese musician who managed to top the legendary Fairuz and the late Umm Kulthum on the “Most Listened To” Arab artist on Spotify in 2020! Throughout the years she has been very successful, and here is a list of her awards compiled by fans.
Controversies throughout Nancy’s Career
Along with her fame and success, she has experienced her fair share of controversies. In 2011, she received blowback from anti-Iranian comments on social media that occurred due to a breach in security of her social media account. Her husband was charged with Murder in 2020, after an alleged break-in at their home.
Finally and most recently, earlier this year she received a lot of backlash over being accused of “Black Face”. Blackface is considered a racist and derogatory representation of black people and an appropriation of black culture. It has a long history both in the Middle East and elsewhere in the world.
Despite these controversies, her popularity has reigned at the top of the charts and it seems nothing will slow this star down. She has a strong fan base and because of that, we will certainly see more her in the future. At the present time she remains in the spotlight and we are excited to see what she will do next!
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