Melhem Barakat

Melhem Barakat ملحم بركات
Birth name	Melhem Barakat
Born	1940 (age 70–71)
Origin	Kfarshima, Lebanon
Genres	Lebanese music
Occupations	Singer
Years active	1980s—present

Melhem Barakat (Arabic:ملحم بركات), also known as Melhim Barakat, is a Lebanese singer and song-writer. He is nicknamed by his fans as Abou Majd. Melhem Barakat started his career back in the 1960s, Barakat has arguebly established a genre of his own in both the way he sings and composes, which makes him one of the most esteemed and popular stars in Lebanon today. He has toured Australia, South America, Canada and the USA.

Career

Melhem Barakat mainly performs in colloquial Lebanese, a feat he has always defended, criticizing his fellow Lebanese peers for favouring the egyptian dialect for commercial purposes. Although his popularity is rather modest in Egypt, where non Egyptian music material generally receives lukewarm mass appeal, Melhem has achieved huge stardom in most Arab world countries, most notably in Syria, Jordan and Lebanon.

Barakat started singing more than thirty years ago. Barakat participated as an actor and singer in many of the Rahbanis' musicals, to some Lebanese even saying he has established himself as one of the strongest voices in the country.^[1]

He also appeared in many Lebanese movies back in the 1980s. Melhem Barakat hit song from the 80s was called Kboush El Touti and Wahdi Ana (I am alone).

During the 90s Melhem Barakat acted with Lebanese dancer Dani Boustros in a Lebanese theatre play entitled Wemsheet Bee Tariki (I walked my way).

Since the year 2000 Melhem Barakat had several hit songs, such as Habibi Enta, which was later sung by his ex-wife May Hariri.^[2] He has also collaborated with current famous singers such as Najwa Karam, Karol Sakr, Shatha Hassoun, Majida El Roumi .^[3]

Biography

Melhem Barakat, a Lebanese singer, was born in 1945 in Kfarshima, Lebanon.

Melhem Barakat grew up with the sound of Egyptian composer and singer Mohammed Abdel Wahab. Still a child, Melhem many people around him thought he showed a special talent while singing in school parties. One day, he composed a text from the school journal and sang it first before his classmates and teachers who appreciated a lot his performance and then before leader names of Lebanese musical scene who considered he was an exceptional talent and a charming voice.

Melhem Barakat career was a series of successes. His best works were “Amarine”, “Abouha Radi”, “Farah Ennass” and “Habibi Inta”.

Later on, he entered the Rahbani school that married western classical and folk music with old Lebanese traditional gigs and gave birth to numerous artists.^[4]

References

1. ^ http://www.albawaba.com/en/main/135339/&searchWords=Melhem%20Barakat
2. ^ http://www.fanoos.com/society/melhem_barakat.html
3. ^ http://www.waleg.com/archives/016753.html
4. ^ http://en.hibamusic.com/Liban/melhem-barakat/melhem-barakat-244.htm

Persondata
Name	Barakat, Melhem
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	1945
Place of birth	Kfarshima, Lebanon
Date of death
Place of death