Fares Karam ( ar, فارس كرم; born 21 January 1973) is a
Lebanese singer who specializes in the
Dabke style and
Lebanese music in general. He is known for the songs "Retani" (I wish), "El-Tannoura" (The Skirt), "Shefta" (I Saw Her) and "Neswanji" (womanizer). Throughout his career, he has participated in a large number of concerts, public celebrations and festivals all over Lebanon. Karam has also toured the
Arab World
The Arab world ( ar, اَلْعَالَمُ الْعَرَبِيُّ '), formally the Arab homeland ( '), also known as the Arab nation ( '), the Arabsphere, or the Arab states, refers to a vast group of countries, mainly located in Western A ...
, UK, South America, United States, Europe, Australia and Canada.
Biography
Karam was born in
Jezzine
Jezzine ( ''Jizzīn'') is a town in Lebanon, located from Sidon and south of Beirut. It is the capital of Jezzine District. Surrounded by mountain peaks, pine forests (like the Bkassine Pine Forest), and at an average altitude of 950 m ( ...
, in
Southern Lebanon
Southern Lebanon () is the area of Lebanon comprising the South Governorate and the Nabatiye Governorate. The two entities were divided from the same province in the early 1990s. The Rashaya and Western Beqaa Districts, the southernmost distri ...
to a
Maronite
The Maronites ( ar, الموارنة; syr, ܡܖ̈ܘܢܝܐ) are a Christian ethnoreligious group native to the Eastern Mediterranean and Levant region of the Middle East, whose members traditionally belong to the Maronite Church, with the lar ...
family. His father was a farmer and his mother worked as a teacher in the local school for their village. He has one sister, Madonna, with whom he maintains a very close relationship. Karam grew up in the mountainous areas of Lebanon, and later attributed his song "Jabali" to this experience.
Fares Karam rose to the limelight in the 1990s when he participated in the 1996 series of the Lebanese talent show
Studio El Fan
''Studio El Fan'' ( ar, ستوديو الفن, "The Art Studio") was one of the Arab world's first star-maker talent shows in Lebanon, created by the famous television director and producer Simon Asmar, and Alfred Barakat. The program is behind m ...
and received the gold medal.
He signed with
Rotana Records
Rotana Music Group ( ar, تسجيلات روتانا, Tasjīlāt Rūtānā) is the Arab world's largest record label. It is owned by the Rotana Group, established by the Nagro Brothers, Mohammed, Khalid, Waleed, Ahmed and Nezar Nagro later sold t ...
. His musical style is linked more closely to
Dabke. His live band plays many of his songs with a large tabl (drum).
Personal life
Karam married Hiba Aziz, a teacher from Jezzine, in 2020.
Discography
Albums
* Chlonn (1998)
* Janen (2002)
* Aktar Min Rohi (2003)
* Dakeelo (2004)
* W'edni (2005)
* Yo' Borni (2007)
* El Hamdlilah (2010)
* Fares Karam 2013 (2013)
* 44:36 (2018)
Singles
* Aal Tayib (2015)
* Bala Hob Bala Bateekh (2016)
* Mnamnam (2016)
* Aa Mawedna Walla Shou (2022)
* Amarjee (2022)
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Karam, Fares
1973 births
Living people
People from Jezzine
20th-century Lebanese male singers
Lebanese Christians
People from South Lebanon
Rotana Records artists
Lebanese pop singers
21st-century Lebanese male singers