Ragheb Alameh: I adore myself in Damascus

An Arabic proverb says: every person has a share of his name. Indeed, the superstar Ragheb Alameh has left a hallmark (Alameh) on music in the Arab world from the early 1980s until today.

One of the few singers in the Arab world who has attained the title “super star,” Ragheb Alameh is also referred to as a legend in his own lifetime. Boasting a long and prolific career, Alameh first appeared on an amateur program on Lebanese television called “Studio al-Fann” (Art Studio) in 1980. The program director felt the wisdom in Ragheb Alameh’s voice. The success story snowballed from there, and Alameh called on his brother Khodor, a university student in Italy, to return to Lebanon and help him launch a career in show business. In addition to singing, Alameh began composing his own music, and produced eternal pop classics like “Ragheb bi Orbek” (Wanting to be near you) and “Ya Reit Fini Khabiha” (If only I could hide her).  These songs put Alameh at the top of the Arab billboards from the mid-1980s onwards, transforming his cassettes, and later CDs, into immediate hits. All major production companies were soon after him, attempting to sign exclusive contracts. He spoke to FW: about his past and career, his success, dreams and convictions.

Let us start first with your latest album “Bashaak.” For whom do the bells toll? Who is the one to whom Ragheb Alameh says “I adore you?”
It’s a secret (smiling). No, these words are definitely for my two lovely sons Khaled and Louai.

What can you tell us about your relationship with Syria?
I first came to Damascus in 1984; I was not very well known back then. It was the early stage of my career and my dreams. People started promoting me by word of mouth, rather than through the printed media. The Syrians welcomed me very well and they loved my songs. I will never forget the days I spent in Syria and the first concerts I made in this country. They helped me start, and helped me continue.

When did people start calling you a super star?
I had a friend named Jiji Lamara (the current manager for singer Nancy Ajram) who used to accompany me during my concerts. Whenever I entered a place, he used to say, “the super star has come!” Since then the press started to call me “super star.”

The quality of music and the caliber of artists have been spiraling downwards in recent years. How can you describe the artistic environment of the Arab world today?
It is a fake atmosphere. If I were given responsibility for what is produced in the Arab world, I would create a quality-control committee to evaluate any performer before he or she appears on TV. Around 90-95% of current singers should be eliminated.

What about the programs currently airing on Arab television, which bring amateur singers to the limelight, inspired by Western programs that hunt for talent? How can we compare them to Studio al-Fann, which discovered you in the 1980s?
These are programs created to gain money, not to produce stars. With no doubt, however, some of the talent displayed in programs like Super Star was impressive.

If you had the chance to become president of Lebanon for 24-hours, what is the first presidential decree you would sign?
It would be a decision against sectarianism. Look at what de-nationalization did to Lebanon! The hero has always been an external player. They tried to create problems between Muslims and Christians, aimed at scaring away the Christians, but they failed. They tried to create problems between Shiites, Sunnis, and Druze. They tried to create differences between Syria and Lebanon. They imposed a “divide and rule” policy in Lebanon, aimed at isolating the Lebanese.

You survived an attempted assassination in Jordan back in 2001. What remains of it in your memory?
It was a surprise that I would face such an accident. God was kind to me—he let me see life from another angle. I now look at it from a positive perspective. With no doubt it was a painful experience but it gave me a new life. At that time my wife Jihan was pregnant with my first born Khaled. All I was thinking about was my expected child; God wanted me to see him—and him to see me—and this gave a new meaning to life.
Away from work, how do you spend your free time? What are your hobbies?
I always search for a quite place where I can drink a cup of coffee. I go to the mountain, beach or go to play sports. Usually I spend the weekend with my children, since I don’t usually see them a lot because of my work and travel.

The life of an artist is filled with upheavals and troubles. Would you encourage your son to become a singer; to walk in your shoes?
On the one hand, sure I will encourage him if he has good voice. On the other hand the art environment is cleaner than many other environments. Who knows the drudgery of the medical, law, and security environments? The big example is the dirtiness of the political environment in Lebanon, much dirtier, believe me, than the artistic world.

What have you achieved from the goals you had set in life, and what is there yet to achieve?
In art and singing I achieved much more than what I ever dreamt of. I had small dreams that started to materialize, one after the other. Whenever a dream became reality I would come up with a new one. My personal dream is a little strange; peace for the entire world. I would like to utilize the humanity in the hearts of people to stop the injustices taking place all around us. There are people out there who are suffering and who are hurt for reasons that do not concern them, and for crimes they never committed.

You have performed in thousands of concerts—which one was most enjoyable for you, and were you ever attended by VIPs in the Arab world?
There are many memorable concerts, especially the ones at large festivals. As for an official personality that attended my shows, I was once surprised to find Queen Rania of Jordan among the audience. She is a very modest woman. When I went up to greet her, she stood up and walked half-way to meet me in a very kind way. I was flattered.

Of all the countries you have visited, which one did you like most, and why?
In all sincerity, I adore myself when I am in Damascus and when I meet the Syrians. On the other hand I like Paris, it’s a beautiful city with nice weather. Usually I like the West because when walking in their streets nobody recognizes me—something that I can no longer enjoy in the Arab world.

In one word, how can you describe:
Success: Glory
Freedom: Oxygen
Love: Enjoyment
Stage and audience: Love
The situation in Lebanon: Disaster
Arab politicians: God help them!
Your children: My sweethearts
Your fans: True friends that I love a lot.