Farrah Yousef

Farrah Yousef (Arabic: فرح يوسف‎‎) (born July 20, 1989) is a Syrian singer who was the first runner-up on the second season of the television program Arab Idol in 2013.^[1]

Biography

Early life and early career

Farrah Yousef was born on July 20, 1989 in Tartus, a city on the Mediterranean coast of Syria.^[2] Her first performance on stage was at the age of seven at the Abu Dhabi Cultural Center, where she sang "Sit Al Hbayib" in the presence of a large crowd of diplomats and the presence of Sheikh Zayed's wife Sheikha Fatima. Farrah won the applause of the audience, and since then she has aspired to become an artist.^[1][3]

After graduation from high school, Farrah got a scholarship to study medicine in Italy, where she gained considerable experience in western singing and learned how to sing in English, French and Italian. In 2011 Yousef had the chance to perform the theme song of a Syrian series, "Wilada Mina Al Khassira".^[2][4] In 2012 she performed the theme song for two series, "Bet Amer" and "Al Amemy".^[5]

Arab Idol

Following the success of the first season of Arab Idol, MBC launched the second season on March 8, 2013. Back in Syria, the civil war was taking place all over the country, so Yousef hesitated to audition. She was encouraged by her friends and family to achieve her dream. She said that watching the program last year inspired her to give it a try.^[1] She almost did not make it out of Syria. Her car was caught in the middle of a shootout as she left Damascus to audition in Beirut.^[6]

Television viewers first saw Yousef during the audition episodes at the beginning of Arab Idol's second season. The show's judges included Ragheb Alama, Nancy Ajram, Ahlam and Hassan El Shafei. Farrah performed "Ifrah Ya Albi" by Umm Kulthum and got accepted to the next round. In Beirut, where the competition was held, outdoor cafes put up big screens and the sound of Youssef’s voice drifted down streets.^[7] Yousef said her performance mirrors the way she feels when performing on stage. When she is on stage singing she often thinks of her family. She says that she feels a sense of responsibility to the audience and that there is always that deep happiness mixed with fear.^[1] She says that she tries to make people love one another again using the healing power of music.^[6] Yousef performed many kinds of music during the competition, including Arabic pop songs and Classic songs by great Arabic singers like Umm Kulthum, Fairuz, Asmahan and Najwa Karam, and also Someone Like You by Adele.^[1]

Arab Idol performances

References

External links

• Official Facebook page
• Official Verified Twitter account