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Ragheb Alama: I liked “Assmahan” series because she wasn’t portrayed as an angel

The Lebanese singer Ragheb Alama said he liked “Assmahan”, the series that aired in Ramadan on several satellite channels and was a great hit.

Alama said that the series succeeded in winning people’s hearts because it has represented Assmahan’s image in a balanced way, and as a normal human being, and that the series didn’t fall for the typical, often repeated mistake of biography series which is portraying the great artists and creators as angels.

Alama belongs to the Druze sect as Al-Atrash family, this sect in Lebanon is currently headed by the politician Walid Jumbelat.

The Lebanese singer added that the series has done well in avoiding approaching some of the dark areas in the life of the late singer Assmahan, and that it hasn’t come near the religion subject.

Alama then confirmed that the sectarian differences are the root of all evil in the whole Arab world in general, and especially in Lebanon.

We’ve heard that you dream of becoming a politician if the sectarian system has been demolished in Lebanon..is that true?
Well, first and foremost, I’m a Lebanese citizen who has full freedom to express my opinion frankly. Some people say that I can play fair in politics as I know a lot about this matter, but I say that I am not at all a fanatic of a certain sect or a political party in Lebanon; instead, I look at the case in complete objectivity.

And I can boldly say that I fully support every resistance movement in Lebanon seeking to defend the country and the people, against the Zionist enemy that wants to seize the natural wealth of Lebanon; and I am for any movement that struggles for the sake of the country’s liberty and development. Therefore,  in such a bad political and sectarian system, I certainly don’t have any political goals, and I don’t even dream about becoming a minister in such chaos.

From politics to art..are you satisfied with your latest album “Ba’ashaqo” (I adore her)?
I spent so much time preparing for this album that contains 11 songs, 2 in the khaliji dialect, 2 in the Lebanese dialect and the rest in the Egyptian dialect. What’s new about the album is that it’s been distributed by two companies Verginia Worldwide, that distributed the album in some of the Gulf countries and Europe, and Melody that distributed it in Egypt.

This is the new mix, and I consider myself a unique artist who has a different identity than any other singer, so I planned for this album and prepared for it for such a long time, meaning I was so careful in choosing all diverse dialects and techniques that reflects my own style.

And how do you categorize your songs’ video clips among those showing on satellite channels now?
We shouldn’t confuse between what’s prevailing now from the indecent clips on satellite channels and the other good ones that presents a classy subject and a meaningful message.

No doubt some frivolous clips had penetrated the business only for commercial goals, but unfortunately the good video clips that carry a real artistic idea are just few, but you can easily distinguish them; and I personally don’t prefer these bad clips that give art and its message such a bad image.

How have you maintained your stardom and success throughout these years in the midst of all these conflicts within the artistic field?
Patience my dear is the key to all success, and a man should fight to make it in any field; it’s true that the political situation in Lebanon is really bad, and that has reflected in the artistic field in a form of segregations and numerous battles between artists.

And what truly saddens me is the fact that many production companies use artists as a tool to fight each other with, but after all, the best will prevail, and so I am not afraid and I believe God will help and support me and I always rely on him, and no success enemies will ever get me!

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