Photographed by Michael Schwartz for Vogue Arabia, January 2018.
Fact: Nancy Ajram is one of the region’s most beloved stars, boasting millions of loyal fans across the Arab world and beyond (Oprah is a fan), selling more than 30 million albums, and receiving numerous awards. But we all knew this. Read on for five other facts that you probably didn’t know about the Lebanese superstar.
She has been performing since she was a child
“It was said that I achieved instant success after my single “Akhasmak Ah” (2003), but I had been singing and practicing a whole decade before releasing this song,” reveals the popstar to Vogue Arabia. Indeed, the ultra-talented songstress began performing as a child. At the age of eight, she appeared on a singing contest for kids on national television in Lebanon, and by 12-years-old, she was part of a Lebanese reality television competition entitled “Stars of the Future”, where she won top prize.
Her and her husband met in a very unlikely place…
On a recent episode of Takhareef, Nancy Ajram sat down with talk show host Wafaa El Kilani to share the adorable story of how she first met and won over her now-husband, Fadi Al-Hashem, who is a celebrity dentist in Beirut. “I had a dentist’s appointment with him in 2005, and I just said to him ‘You are so handsome, did you do something to your teeth?’ He replied that they were his natural teeth,” revealed a pregnant Ajram to the audience. Though he didn’t acknowledge it then, she claims that her comment really stuck with him. Clearly — considering that the couple went on to date immediately afterwards before tying the knot in Cyprus three years later. Today, they have two daughters together, Mila and Ella, and are currently expecting their third child.
She doesn’t like change
In conversation with Vogue Arabia, the Lebanese star admits that she gets “easily attached to places and things”. She reveals that this is one of the main reasons why she hasn’t relocated from Beirut. “When I redecorate the house, I find myself missing the old elements. This is why I don’t like change, and why I can’t just pick up my bags and leave,” she stated.
She became UNICEF’s first female ambassador for the MENA region
The news was announced during a press conference held in Beirut in 2009. The expecting mother of two is a leading philanthropist, who has embarked on a number of various charitable endeavors. Despite her busy schedule, she always finds time to help underprivileged children, and runs her own charity in Beirut.
She is a proud foodie
You can blame it on her Taurus sun— The singer is a self-proclaimed foodie who recently revealed to Vogue Arabia that she is “a person who loves to eat”. She has a passion for cooking, with French and Asian cuisines her favorites.
