Cairo – Marwa Yehia
Egyptian singer, Amal Maher said that she was happy to perform two concerts in Egypt on New Year’s Eve, pointing out that singing for Egyptian audience is special for her, as it shows the success of her latest album ‘A’raf Menen’ or “How do I know”. In an interview with ‘Arabstoday’, Maher commented on the lack of her concerts saying “the main reason is that my own songs are very few, as I used to sing Um Khalthoum’s songs, but after my new album I tried to make modern songs that attract the young audience.” She also denied what was said about her prefering to perform in Arab festivals rather than Egyptian festivals saying “this is not true, in Egypt, there is only one festival for the Arabic music and I participated in most of its sessions, and I wish Egypt has more festivals Such as Carthage in Tunisia, Mowazin in Morocco or Jerash in Jordan.” Concerning the reasons of her return to ‘Alam Al-Fann Company’ after leaving it, Maher said “I didn’t leave Alam Al-Fann Company for any problems, it was because divergence of views, and I didn’t cut my relation with the company, as I used to consult the great producer, Mohsen Gaber in choosing my songs, and my return wasn’t a surprise, because this company was the first producer who presented me to my fans.” Regarding the huge success of her drama songs, Maher said “people love dramatic songs because they touch them, so I was keen to include some of them in my new album, together with the modern songs that attract young people.” Amal Maher is considered one of the most talented artists in her generation, as she is quiet much influenced by Umm Kulthoum. She performed many concerts in Egypt and Arab countries paying tribute to Um Khalthoum. She currently has two albums: "Isa'lni Ana" or "Ask Me" and "A'raf Mneen" or "How Do I Know", as well as a few singles.