Maher Zain ( ar, ماهر زين; born 16 July 1981) is a Lebanese- Swedish R&B singer, songwriter and music producer. He released his debut album '' Thank You Allah'', an internationally successful album produced by

Awakening Records Awakening Music (previously known as Awakening Records) is a British-based Islamic faith-inspired music production company. It was created in 2000 by four British and American entrepreneurs. Albums produced by Awakening Music ;Live albums ...

, in 2009. He released his follow-up album '' Forgive Me'' in April 2012 under the same production company, and a third album ''

One 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length 1. I ...

'' in 2016.

Career

Beginnings

Maher Zain's Lebanese family emigrated to

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic countries, Nordic c ...

when he was eight. He completed his schooling there, gaining a bachelor's degree in

Aeronautical Engineering Aerospace engineering is the primary field of engineering concerned with the development of aircraft and spacecraft. It has two major and overlapping branches: aeronautical engineering and astronautical engineering. Avionics engineering is sim ...

. After university, he entered the music industry in Sweden, and in 2005 linked up with the Moroccan-born Swedish producer

RedOne Nadir Khayat ( ar, نادر الخياط; born 9 April 1972), better known by his stage name RedOne, is a Moroccan singer, songwriter, record producer and record executive. As a record producer and songwriter, he has worked with many high-profi ...

.Entertainment (2011-08-10)
"Maher Zain's Hip but Pious Soundtrack to the Arab Spring"
''The Atlantic''. Retrieved 10 October 2011. When RedOne moved to New York in 2006, Zain soon followed to continue his music industry career in the United States, producing for artists such as Kat DeLuna. On returning home to Sweden, he became engaged once more with his Islamic faith and decided to move away from a career as a music producer to become a singer/songwriter of contemporary R&B music with a strong

Muslim Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abrah ...

religious influence.

Breakthrough and success

In January 2009, Maher Zain began working on an album with

. His debut album, '' Thank You Allah'', with 13 songs and two bonus tracks, was released on 1 November 2009 with percussion versions and /www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kvger_C4LN8 Frenchversions of some tracks released shortly afterwards. Zain and Awakening Records successfully used social media such as

Facebook Facebook is an online social media and social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. Founded in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with fellow Harvard College students and roommates Eduardo Saverin, Andrew McCollum, Dust ...

YouTube YouTube is a global online video sharing and social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by Google, and is the second mo ...

and

iTunes iTunes () is a software program that acts as a media player, media library, mobile device management utility, and the client app for the iTunes Store. Developed by Apple Inc., it is used to purchase, play, download, and organize digital mu ...

to promote tracks from the album.Lisa Siregar (2011-05-02)
"A Portrait of the Artist As a Young Muslim"
. ''Jakarta Globe'', retrieved 14 October 20112011-08-2
"Being pious in the heart of modernity"
''New Straits Times'', retrieved 14 October 2011 In early 2010 his music very quickly gathered a huge online following in Arabic-speaking and Islamic countries as well as among young Muslims in western countries. By the end of 2010, he was the most Googled celebrity in Malaysia for that year. Malaysia and Indonesia have been the countries where he has had the most commercial success. The album '' Thank You Allah'' has been certified multiple platinum by Warner Music Malaysia and Sony Music Indonesia. It became the highest selling album of 2010 in Malaysia. Zain sings mainly in English but has released some of his most popular songs in other languages. The song "Insha Allah", for example, is now available in English, French, Arabic, Turkish, Malay and Indonesian versions. Another song, "Allahi Allah Kiya Karo" ("Continuously Saying Allah"), is sung in

Urdu Urdu (;"Urdu"
'' Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...

born Canadian singer

Irfan Makki Irfan Makki ( ur, عرفان مکی; born October 30, 1975) is a Pakistani Canadian Muslim Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider th ...

. Zain has performed concerts around the world, including in the UK, the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

Malaysia Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federal constitutional monarchy consists of thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two regions: Peninsular Malaysia and Borneo's East Mal ...

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Gui ...

Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in Western Asia. It covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and has a land area of about , making it the fifth-largest country in Asia, the second-largest in the Ara ...

and

Egypt Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning the North Africa, northeast corner of Africa and Western Asia, southwest corner of Asia via a land bridg ...

. He has fan clubs in several countries including Malaysia, Egypt, and Morocco. He took part in the judging committee of the Awakening Talent Contest to choose Awakening Records' new star in 2013.

Collaborations, appearances and awards

In January 2010, Maher Zain won Best Religious Song for 'Ya Nabi Salam Alayka', on Nogoum FM, a major Middle East mainstream music station, beating other prominent singers including Hussein Al-Jismi,

Mohammed Mounir Mohamed Mounir ( ar, محمد منير; born October 10, 1954) is an Egyptian singer and actor, with a musical career spanning more than four decades. He incorporates various genres into his music, including classical Egyptian music, Nubian mu ...

and Sami Yusuf. In March 2011, Maher Zain released "Freedom", a song inspired by the events and the actions of the people taking part in the

Arab Spring The Arab Spring ( ar, الربيع العربي) was a series of anti-government protests, uprisings and armed rebellions that spread across much of the Arab world in the early 2010s. It began in Tunisia in response to corruption and econo ...

. Maher Zain was chosen as a Muslim Star of 2011 in a competition organized by Onislam.net. In July 2011 he featured on the cover of the UK Muslim lifestyle magazine ''

Emel Emel may refer to: * ''Emel'' (magazine), a British Muslim lifestyle magazine * EMEL Fashion, US based fashion designing firm co-founded by Taiwanese fashion designer Michelle Liu and Ken Wu in Los Angeles, CA. People *Emel Aykanat (born 1975), Tu ...

''. Zain was featured on

's track "I Believe" from his debut studio album of the same name. Maher Zain has appeared in the 40-episode Indonesian TV drama ''Insya-Allah''. The show was aired on Malaysian satellite TV channel, Astro Oasis and Mustika HD, starting 17 July 2012, concurrent with the broadcasting of the show on Indonesia's SCTV. In 2013, he took part in the ''Colors of Peace'' project constituting songs based on works by

Fethullah Gülen Muhammed Fethullah Gülen (born 27 April 1941) is a Turkish Islamic scholar, preacher, and a one-time opinion leader, as de facto leader of the Gülen movement. Gülen is designated an influential neo-Ottomanist, Anatolian panethnicist, Isl ...

on the album ''Rise Up'' where Maher Zain performs the track "This Worldly Life".

Discography

Albums

Compilations

Mini albums

Single's

* ''Palestine Will Be Free'' 2009 * ''Insha Allah'' 2010 * ''The Chosen One'' * ''Freedom'' 2011 * ''Ya Nabi Salam Alayka'' * ''For The Rest Of My Life'' * ''Samih 2014'' * ''Nas Teshbehlena'' * ''A'amarona A'amalona''2015 * ''Eidun Mubarak'' 2022

Videography

Maher Zain at Tuisa charity concert Essen Germany 2012

*2009: ''Palestine Will Be Free'' *2009: ''Subhan Allah'' *2010: ''Insha Allah'' *2010: ''The Chosen One'' *2011: ''Freedom'' *2011: ''Ya Nabi Salam Alayka'' *2011: ''For the Rest of My Life'' *2012: ''Number One For Me'' *2012: ''So Soon'' *2012: ''Guide Me All the Way'' *2013: ''Love Will Prevail'' *2013: ''Ramadan'' *2014: ''Muhammad (P.B.U.H)'' *2014: ''Nas Teshbehlana'' (in

Arabic Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C. E.Watson; Walter ...

ناس تشبهلنا) *2014: ''One Day'' *2015: ''A'maroona A'maloona'' (in

أعمارنا أعمالنا) *2016: ''I am Alive'' (with

Atif Aslam Atif Aslam is a Pakistani playback singer, songwriter, composer, and actor. He has recorded many songs in both Pakistan and India, and is known for his vocal belting technique. Aslam predominantly sings in Urdu, but has also sung in Hindi, ...

) *2016: ''By my Side'' *2016: ''Paradise'' *2016: ''Peace Be Upon You'' *2016: ''The Way of Love'' (with Mustafa Ceceli) *2017: ''Close to You'' *2017: ''As-subhu Bada'' (in

الصبح بدا) *2017: ''Kun Rahma'' (in

كن رحمة) *2017: ''Medina'' *2018: ''Huwa AlQuran'' *2019: ''Ala Nahjik Mashayt'' *2019: ''Live It Up'' (feat.

Lenny Martinez Lenny Martinez may refer to: * Lenny Martinez (musician) * Lenny Martinez (cyclist) {{hndis, Martinez, Lenny ...

) *2019: ''Ummi'' *2020: ''Antassalam'' *2020: ''Asma Allah Alhusna (The 99 Names of Allah)'' *2020: ''Break The Chains'' *2020: ''Srebrenica'' ;Featured in *2011: ''I Believe'' (

feat. Maher Zain) (in Irfan Makki's album '' I Believe'') *2009 : ''Never Forget'' (

Mesut Kurtis Mesut is a Turkish given name for males, derived from the Arabic name Masoud. People named Mesut include: * Mesut of Menteşe (died 1319), Turkish bey * Mesut Bakkal (born 1964), Turkish football manager * Mesut Cemil (1902–1963), Turkish co ...

feat. Maher Zain) (in Mesut Kurtis' album ''Beloved'') *2014: ''So Real'' (

Raef Raef is a male given name. Arabic Raif, Raaif or Raef (Arabic: رَائِف ''rā’if'') is an Arabic male given name meaning "kind, compassionate, affectionate, benign" or "sympathetic, merciful". The name comes from the Arabic verb ''ra’afa ...

feat. Maher Zain) (in Raef's album ''The Path'') *2014: ''Eidun Saeed'' (

feat. Maher Zain) (in Mesut Kurtis' album ''Tabassam'')

Philanthropic activities

*In 2013, Zain performed in

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by to ...

on a tour organised by Islamic Relief to raise donations for

typhoon A typhoon is a mature tropical cyclone that develops between 180° and 100°E in the Northern Hemisphere. This region is referred to as the Northwestern Pacific Basin, and is the most active tropical cyclone basin on Earth, accounting for a ...

victims in the

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

. Zain took part in the UK "Sound of Light" event organized by

Human Appeal International Human Appeal is a British international development and relief charity based in Manchester. It was established in 1991. It runs targeted poverty relief programmes in emergency response and sustainable development. In the past, the charity was k ...

in support of the

Syrian Syrians ( ar, سُورِيُّون, ''Sūriyyīn'') are an Eastern Mediterranean ethnic group indigenous to the Levant. They share common Levantine Semitic roots. The cultural and linguistic heritage of the Syrian people is a blend of both indi ...

people. Zain also dedicated his song "Love will prevail" (sung in Arabic and English) to the Syrians. * Zain celebrated his birthday with his 3.9 million Facebook fans by asking them to donate money to a United States–based charity organization that builds water wells in Africa. His fans paid more than $15,000 within a few weeks. *Zain took part in a

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

pro-Palestinian rally, joined by thousands of people, to call for the end to

Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...

i military action in Gaza. In August 2014, Zain took part in "The Great Wall of China Trek 2014" a 10-day humanitarian mission in association with Human Appeal to raise donations for clean water to children in Gaza. *Ahead of performing at the 2014 Nansen Refugee Award Ceremony, Zain travelled to

Lebanon Lebanon ( , ar, لُبْنَان, translit=lubnān, ), officially the Republic of Lebanon () or the Lebanese Republic, is a country in Western Asia. It is located between Syria to the north and east and Israel to the south, while Cyprus lie ...

with

UNHCR The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) is a United Nations agency mandated to aid and protect refugees, forcibly displaced communities, and stateless people, and to assist in their voluntary repatriation, local integrat ...

to spend time with Syrian refugees and see UNHCR's frontline work. Zain sang "One Day" about refugees in

Geneva Geneva ( ; french: Genève ) frp, Genèva ; german: link=no, Genf ; it, Ginevra ; rm, Genevra is the second-most populous city in Switzerland (after Zürich) and the most populous city of Romandy, the French-speaking part of Switzerland. Situa ...

's Bâtiment des Forces Motrices for the award ceremony.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Zain, Maher 1981 births Living people Lebanese Sunni Muslims Swedish Muslims Lebanese emigrants to Sweden 21st-century Lebanese male singers Lebanese songwriters Swedish songwriters Performers of Islamic music Awakening Music artists Naturalized citizens of Sweden 21st-century Swedish male singers Rotana Records artists Singers who perform in Egyptian Arabic