Asala Nasri: "I don’t like to hurt anyone"

Asala Nasri Beirut – Bshair Shuqayyar In an interview with Arabsoday singer Asala Nasri denied that there is a distance between her and the press, saying that she didn’t know how to put up barriers between her and her friends , so she wouldn’t be able to keep a distance between her and reporters. She added that the press is always after something, which she tries to avoid. As for whether the media has harmed her she said: “Yes, it did harm me and I know I didn’t deserve it, they know it too because they were criticizing me and afterwards trying to make up for it. I don’t mean anyone specific here, but they were very close friends of mine. I’ve always feared the media in all stages of my life and for this reason my interviews are almost rare.” She continued: “There’s always controversy surrounding me - even my voice. There’s never a unanimous agreement, so many people disagree on my voice. I’m one of those people who dislikes criticism, meaning that it’s difficult for me to deal with it even if it’s about something very small.”

“People think that I’m too forward and honest, but I don’t like to hurt anyone and I don’t like to directly criticize anyone. In fact I’ve never done that in my whole life, even with my own children, to the point where if I wanted to ask my child not to do something specific I would try to find a suitable way of telling them not to, because I don’t have that controlling personality and I don’t like bothering anyone. I do get annoyed by direct criticism, in fact I hate it, despite how honest I am, but honesty is one thing and hurting someone is another.”

Regarding the rumours surrounding her, Asala says that they don’t bother her, as they are just silly or harmful and that: “A new rumor claiming that I’ve split up with my husband, and rumors along those lines could come out tomorrow, but these types of rumours don’t bother me; people respect me and that’s all what matters to me.” Nasri confirmed that her married life is stable because it is based on friendship and a huge amount of love. “Tareq and I trust each other and talk about things that most men and women don’t discuss; we share every little detail and hide nothing from each other. We have a beautiful friendship and trust. I really needed someone to trust me because I have very close relationships with people, and that’s why I needed my partner to trust me and to understand how I understand myself.”

She continued: “I think I’m unique, not only in the entertainment world but in the social world too. For example, it is unacceptable to greet someone coldly when I’ve known them for 16 years, there has to be a type of love and respect between people. The person linked to me should know why I act the way I do without asking me for a reason, as the way I behave has everything to do with the humane way of thinking I possess.”  Asala said that she has been very busy lately as she was pregnant and busy with taking care of her kids. She has also been producing her latest Gulf album “Qanoon Keifak” which has been very successful; so after being this busy she felt that she needed some rest, especially as she would like to plan what she wants to do on her new album, specifically in regards to the Gulf-style songs.

Speaking about her relationship with Rotana, she said that there was in fact no disagreement between them and therefore nothing to reconcile, stating: “We felt that we needed space from each other to see who was better for whom, and when I was with them I knew what their advantages were. I was honest with Rotana and told them what they were. Rotana is a company that has everything does not bother other artists, even those who decide not to renew their contracts with the company,” she said. The star continued: “The truth is that I just needed some space from Rotana but people misunderstood that move, because we in the Arab world like to “suck up to people”. I told the truth which is that my relationship with them was not that of friendship, maybe because I didn’t get very close to them, or because they didn’t get very close to me, but maybe that was my fault. When I don’t like someone it just shows on my face, so believe my face more than what my tongue speaks.”

As for what made her Gulf albums more distinctive to other Gulf artists’ albums, she stressed that she presented her songs in a way that hasn’t been done before, especially with the music. She has changed her voice for the first time, and sings in a Western “jazz” style giving a bold performance. She said: “Ever since I started singing Gulf-style songs I’ve felt that their words really pulled me in, and they have new meanings, which makes me really excited to sing them. I also feel that I somehow belong to the Gulf, especially to Bahrain which I am a citizen of.”  As for why she hasn’t done any performances in Lebanon, she said that it could be because the offers she receives do not suit her, saying that it could be due to her high fees. As for the Gulf artist that she would choose to duet with, she said that she loves Hussain Al Jasmi on both a personal and artistic level, and that she would also love to sing with Majid Al Muhandis. Asala said that she thinks that Rashid Al Majed and her share a spiritual connection.

Giving her opinion on the divorces that some artists have been through, especially those of Diana Haddad and Nawal Al Zoghbi, she said that getting divorced when there are kids involved is very difficult, and that she is certain that both of these artists would have taken this decision as a last resort. She commented: “I feel that divorce is the best option for those who are financially independent, as it is unfair for two people who are angry at each other all the time to live with one another. But in the Arab world many women feel angry, and we need to have a sort of ‘humane’ and social upbringing. Unfortunately in schools they care about everything but this, which is the most important thing in life. It doesn’t matter to me what your education or my education is, what matters is how I treat you. We (Arabs) are very good at criticizing and hurting each other’s feelings, especially when someone suffers from a medical problem.”

As for the reasons which cause artists to fail nowadays, she said that the main reason was acting fake and being pretentious. “In the Arab world we have extreme pretentiousness. I am very happy to imitate a number of big artists, and they imitate me with my simplicity and my genuine nature, but that cannot be easily imitated, it has to come from within. I always see the same pretentious people at airports or parties or on planes, and they often act that way towards people who don’t have a lot of money, but it would be much better for them to stop being this way. Finally she told us about her hopes and dreams for the future, saying: “The majority of the ‘surprises’ in my life are unplanned and unexpected. But the biggest surprise in the future for me and other people would be if I didn’t change, and I hope to remain the way I am.”