Fady Maalouf

Fady Maalouf was born on 20th April 1979 in the Lebanese town of Zahlé as the son of an interior designer of French origin and a German-Lebanese travel agent. Due to the unstable political situation in Lebanon, he grows up not only there, but also in Bordeaux in the South of France, living with his relatives. Early traumatic experience during the Civil War have an influence on his passion for music. That is probably why, as an adult, the colour of his voice is characterized by an extraordinary depth of emotion. Fady takes classical singing lessons, begins his musical career singing in church choirs and piano bars and achieves early national credit with self-composed songs and appearing in Lebanese tv-shows. After graduating from school, the creative cosmopolitan takes up fashion design studies in Beirut and France. With his diploma in fashion design, he gets the chance to work for renowned designers like Elie Saab and Robert Abi Nader. He specializes in ‘haute couture’ and on his sketch pad he creates the design of the evening dress that Halle Berry wore at the Oscars in 2002. "Still her dress is one of the most beautiful in the whole Oscar history," says the Celebrity headline about the "dream in burgundy". As the political situation in Lebanon escalates in 2006, Fady moves to relatives in Germany. In Hamburg he starts by earning his living as a barista in a café and learns his fifth language within a few months. "From comic books," he jokes. The great chance to catch on in German music business comes up when friends persuade him to take part in the popular talent show "DSDS". With his sensitive interpretations of great ballads, his enormous stage presence and his pleasant manner, he wins not only the hearts of a broad audience, but also succeeds in convincing those in charge of the record label Sony Music of his artistic potential. As runner-up he is offered a record deal immediately. His debut single "Blessed" is written especially for him by the acclaimed songwriter Jorgen Elofsson and Peer Åström, who have already worked for Kelly Clarkson, Madonna, Britney Spears and Celine Dion. With Alex Christensen (Tom Jones, U96, Michael Bolton) producing both Fadys single and album of the same name, Fady makes it to number 2 in both the single and album charts. The quality of his debut album is a proof of his great vocal potential and of the various facets of the humorous young singer with the charming French accent. "Blessed" is also the name of the charity organization launched by him for people in need, mainly in Lebanon and in Africa. Fady is personally highly committed to the success of the projects. In May 2009 he does a sold-out benefit concert in Berlin's Holy Cross Church, donates personal items for charity-auctions and is godfather of further charity-projects. His second hit single "Amazed" also supports a charitable purpose as "official song of the great RTL Donation Marathon 2008". His debut single is voted "summer song of the year 2008" and Fady is nominated twice for the Viva-Comet 2009 - all signs of his emerging career. So are the remarkable development of his versatility and of his live performance on stage. Again and again he surprises the audience not only with touching ballads, but also with swing and dance songs. His second performance in the "Fliegende Bauten" in Hamburg, the première of playing live together with his first-class band, shows that he can also score with rock songs. Fady Maalouf’s second album "Into the Light" is released on 12th March 2010. With six own compositions Fady can show his talent as a song-writer. The varied album offers upmarket ballads and groovy pop songs. On the occasion of the album release concert in the "Kulturbrauerei" in Berlin, he takes the enthusiastic audience on an emotional journey through the world of the album, through contemplative and melancholic to joyful and dynamic songs. During his "Into the Light" tour with band across Germany he will play shows in Hamburg, Berlin, Brandenburg, Munich and Oberhausen. Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.