Melhem Barakat

Melhem Barakat (Arabic:ملحم بركات), also known as Melhim Barakat, is a Lebanese singer and song-writer and melodist. Melhem Barakat started his career back in the 1960s, Barakat has arguably established a genre of his own in both the way he sings and composes, which makes him one of the most esteemed and popular stars in Lebanon today. He has toured Australia, South America, Canada and the USA.

Career

Melhem Barakat mainly performs in colloquial Lebanese, a feat he has always defended, criticizing his fellow Lebanese peers for favouring the Egyptian dialect for commercial purposes. Although his popularity is rather modest in Egypt, where non Egyptian music material generally receives lukewarm mass appeal, Melhem has achieved huge stardom in most Arab world countries, most notably in Syria, Jordan and Lebanon.

Barakat started singing more than thirty years ago. Barakat participated as an actor and singer in many of the Rahbanis' musicals, to some Lebanese even saying he has established himself as one of the strongest voices in the country.^[1]

He also appeared in many Lebanese movies back in the 1980s. Melhem Barakat hit song from the 1980s was called Kboush El Touti and Wahdi Ana (I am alone).

During the 1990s, Melhem Barakat acted with Lebanese dancer Dani Boustros in a Lebanese theatre play entitled Wemsheet Bee Tariki (I walked my way).

Since the year 2000 Melhem Barakat had several hit songs, such as Habibi Enta, which was later sung by his ex-wife May Hariri.^[2] He has also collaborated with current famous singers such as Najwa Karam, Karol Sakr, Shatha Hassoun, Majida El Roumi .^[3]

Biography

Melhem Barakat, a Lebanese singer, was born in 1945 in Kfarshima, Lebanon.

Melhem Barakat grew up with the sound of Egyptian composer and singer Mohammed Abdel Wahab. Still a child, Melhem many people around him thought he showed a special talent while singing in school parties. One day, he composed a text from the school journal and sang it first before his classmates and teachers who appreciated a lot his performance and then before leader names of Lebanese musical scene who considered he was an exceptional talent and a charming voice.

Melhem Barakat career was a series of successes. His best works were “Amarine”, “Abouha Radi”, “Farah Ennass” and “Habibi Inta”.

References