DUBAI: Ten-time Grammy-winning US singer Billie Eilish has once again declared her love for Lebanese superstar Nancy Ajram.
In a recent interview with Elle magazine, the 24-year-old artist said she has “always been really inspired by Arabic singers — my dad and I have bonded over our love for Arabic music. Like, I freaking love Nancy Ajram. She’s one of my favorite singers.”
Ajram, known for hits “Akhasmak Ah,” “Fi Hagat,” and “Badna Nwallea El Jaw,” is widely dubbed the “Queen of Arab Pop.”
It is not the first time Eilish has paid tribute to Ajram — in May 2020, she spoke about the Lebanese artist on the second episode of her radio show “Me & Dad.”
beginning her career as a teenager in the 1990s.
“I’m going to cheer myself up by playing a very special song to me that’s in Arabic,” Eilish said. “This is Nancy Ajram whom I love. I love this song and I love another song she made called ‘Inta Eyh.’”
The 2004 ballad was featured on Ajram’s smash hit album “Ah W Noss.”
Ajram is set to embark on a US tour in May, with stops in Detroit and Los Angeles, among other locations.
Ajram is one of the Arab world’s most influential pop stars, rising to fame in the early 2000s after beginning her career as a teenager in the 1990s.
Her breakthrough came with hits including “Ah W Noss” and “Ya Tabtab,” which helped define modern Arabic pop. She has released multiple chart-topping albums and served as a judge on “Arab Idol.”
For her part, Eilish rose to fame as a teenager after releasing her debut single “Ocean Eyes” in 2015. Her breakthrough album “When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?” topped charts worldwide after its release in 2019 and earned her multiple Grammy Awards, including the “Big Four” in one night.
She has headlined major international festivals including Coachella and Glastonbury, and performed the theme song for the 2020 James Bond film “No Time to Die.” She regularly works with her brother, Finneas O’Connell, writing music and performing together.
Eilish is gearing up to release a film version of her tour “Hit Me Hard and Soft: The Tour (Live in 3D),” directed by herself and James Cameron.
BY: The Times Union
