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{{Infobox musical artist
| Name = Elissa <br />{{lang|ar|إليسا}}
| Img = Elissar Zakaria Khoury.jpg
| Img_size = 291px
| Img_capt =
| Background = solo_singer
| Born = {{Birth date and age|1972|10|27|mf=y}}
| Origin = [[Deir el Ahmar]], [[Lebanon]]
| Genre = World
| Religion = Christian
| Occupation = Singer
| Years_active = 1992 — present
| URL = [http://www.elissalb.com/ Official website]
[http://www.elissalb.com/vb/ Official Fan Club]}}

'''Elissar Zakaria Khoury''' ({{lang-ar|إليسار زكريا خوري}}) (born October 27, 1972<ref>[http://www.lebanonatlas.com/content/magazine/Elissa.asp As listed on Lebanon Atlas and as she announced in Al A'rab TV Show With Neshan Der Haroutiounian ]</ref> in [[Deir el Ahmar]], [[Lebanon]]), known as ''' Elissa ''' ({{lang-ar|إليسا}}) is a [[Lebanese people|Lebanese]] singer with multiple Arabic and International awards. She is one of the most well-known female singers in the Arab world and considered as one of the best selling female artists in the Middle East.
She is also known as the "queen of romance", and is the first Lebanese singer to win three music awards for best selling albums in the Middle East.page fans elissa on facebook now welcome http://www.facebook.com/ElissaLover
==Biography==
Born to a Lebanese father (Zakaria Khoury) and a Syrian mother (Youmna Saud),<ref>http://www.albawaba.com/en/countries/186762/&searchWords=Alissa%20Syria</ref> Elissa was raised in the The Bekaa valley in [[Lebanon]].
She earned a degree in Political Science from the Lebanese University. She is a [[Maronite]] Catholic. Elissa's father, Zakaria Khoury, who studied and taught Arabic literature, died of cancer in 2004. She has 3 brothers and 2 sisters. Her brother Kamel Khoury is a DJ. Her sister Norma is married and lives in Canada, her two other brothers are Ghassan and Jehad.

==Music career==
=== Studio El Fan: Early Career Success ===
Elissa's first venture into art and artistic activities consisted of acting in theaters of political critique, namely with well-known chansonnier [[Wassim Tabbara]], and the "Theatre de 10 Heures". This was the first time she came in contact with an audience.

Her theatrical beginnings motivated her to move on to singing, which she did in 1992-3, when she participated in "[[Studio El Fan]]". The show was broadcast on [[LBCI]], one of the most renowned TV stations in the Middle East. Elissa won a silver medal over the course of her in the program. Following this, she performed in concert until 1999, when Lido Productions released her first album, '[[Baddi Doub]]'. Elissa debut on the commercial music scene was an event of considerable importance. The album was a success, and featured a hit with famous French gypsy act, Gerard Ferrer. The release of this first album took her to Cannes, to participate in the International Music Festival of 2000.

===W'akherta Maak (2000–2001)===
Following this first success, Elissa released her second album, '[[W'akherta Ma'ak]]' in 2000, which in turn included the hit duet 'Bitghib Betrouh', sung with Lebanese superstar [[Ragheb Alama]]. 'Bitghib Betrouh' was a huge hit all the over the Arab World, and is still being played on radio and TV today, more than 9 years after its initial release. It also sold more than 200,000 copies.

Elissa had a duet with the international artist [[Chris de Burgh]] in an Arabic-English song titled "Lebanese Nights", which was written, composed and distributed by DeBurgh.He decided to sing it with a Lebanese singer, and chose Elissa. The song was recorded in London and released in DeBurgh's 2002 Album, Timing Is Everything.

===Ayshalak (2002–2003)===

Elissa's third studio album, [[Ayshalak]], was released in June 2002, and supported by a video clip filmed in Paris by French director Fabrice Begotti. Wardrobe and make up were provided by [[Christian Dior]], which made Elissa the first Arab figure to represent Dior. The video and the song both were a huge success, and with the aid of the composer/arranger Jean-Marie Riachi, Elissa was able to produce another hit called "Agmal Ehsas", which was Elissa's second single from Ayshalak. The video clip was directed by the Lebanese director, Selim El Turk. In 2002, Elissa won the Murex d'Or award for best female artist and the "Ajmal Ihsas" clip won the best video clip at the Arabic music awards.

===Ahla Donya (2004–2005)===

Elissa's fourth album, [[Ahla Donya]], was released in 2004. This was one of the fastest selling albums ever in the Arab world. This album was the first under Elissa's contract with [[Rotana]], the music production company. The album included a variety of songs, such as Koll Youm Fi Omry, Erga' Lel Shoa', Hobbak Waja' (Inta Lameen) and Ahla Donya. In 2005, Elissa won the [[World Music Award]] for being best selling artist of the Middle east for the sales of Ahla Donya and was the first Lebanese to win this award, Elissa also won the Murex Dor award for Best video clip, "Hobak Wajaa (Inta Lameen)". In 2005, a Special Collector's Edition of the record was made available (1000 copies) with state-of-the-art packaging including a mini-biography.

===Bastanak (2006–2007)===
In early 2006, Elissa released her fifth studio effort, [[Bastanak]], which has sold nearly 3.7 million copies, according to [[Rotana]]. Unlike her previous albums which were produced by Jean-Marie Riachi, numerous producers collaborated in the project. The album's lead single was the title track "Bastanak" with its music video shot in Prague. It was released exclusively on Rotana music channels. To promote the album in May 2006, [[Pepsi]] launched an international commercial in which Elissa and American pop singer [[Christina Aguilera]] sing together.

On November 15, 2006, Elissa won her second World Music Award as best selling artist of the Middle East for the sales of Bastanak. Elissa attended the the 2006 World Music Awards (the 12th annual World Music Awards) which were held in London and performed the hit single Bastanak.

In 2007, she recorded the song "Halili" which is a duet with the Algerian-born raï singer [[Cheb Mami]].

===Ayami Beek (2007–2009)===
Her sixth studio album, "[[Ayami Beek]]", was released in December 2007 by Rotana. The album has gained extraordinary success in the Arab world and is considered the best selling album in 2008 and still in the charts in all of the Arab countries. Her first single of the album, "Betmoun" debuted at number 1 on Rotana's PEPSI Top 20 Charts, making it the 2nd song ever in the charts to debut at number one, even though the song dropped to number 5 the following week. This album has been selling high numbers all over the Middle East. Thousands of copies were sold in the first days of the Islamic feast [[Eid Al Adha]]. The album has been number one in all Middle East charts for over 6 months. The album's first single "Betmoun" was released in Summer of 2008 and became very successful. In February 2009, Elissa worked with [[Fadl Shaker]], a Lebanese singer, on a duet called "Jowa El Rooh", the song can be found on Fadl's 2009 studio album, Ba'da Al Bal. Unfortunately, this project was not promoted enough either, it was supposed to be shot a video clip, but because of Fadl's filled schedule, and Elissa's then problems with Rotana, as some media resources say, the music video shooting was canceled. The album's second single "Awakher El Shita" was released early 2009 and was also successful. In the summer of 2009 there had been rumors that there were problems between Elissa and Rotana, her record label, but she signed a new contract with Rotana.

=====Rumours of Engagement=====
In late 2009, Elissa had faced some rumors about her being engaged to the young Egyptian artist Muhammad Rahim. Both Elissa and Muhammad Rahim have denied the news. Elissa stated that she only saw Muhammad Rahim twice and both were business meetings.

===Tsadaq Bmein (2009–present)===
"[[Tsadaq Bmein]]" was released on December 26, 2009. The production includes 13 songs. Elissa collaborated with a group of professional songwriters and composers. For the third time in her career, Elissa won the [[2010 World Music Awards|2010 World Music Award]] for best selling artist of the Middle East for the sales of this album.

==Image==
In 2001, she took part in [[Jordan]]'s ''Fiesta Latina''. She also held a performance at the pyramids of Egypt as the opening act for British superstar Sting. In addition to this, she was the only Arabic artist to perform in front of the former U.S President [[Bill Clinton]] at the Stars Charity show in Dubai. Also present at this event were Queen Rania of Jordan and the Crown Prince of [[Dubai]], Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid al Maktoum.

At the end of 2002 she inaugurated the opening of Kuwait's [[Virgin Megastore]] with Sir [[Richard Branson]], the founder of the famous stores. Also a great success for Elissa was being included in the anthology book, ''100 Pioneers of Lebanon'', alongside artists such as Fairouz, Wadih el Safi, and others.

In September 2003, she performed at the Hope Charity Gala, which took place in the Royal Albert hall, one of London's most prestigious venues. Elissa was the sole representative of the Middle East among other international stars such as [[Sarah Brightman]], [[Zucchero]] and [[Joaquin Cortes]].

==Arab's Fashion Icon==
"The Queen of Elegance" was the first title given to her in reference to her classy and suave way of dressing. Elissa is the best example of a modern-classic woman, staying in tune with the latest modern trends of the high-end fashion industries. She attends most of the fashion shows of high-end couturiers such as ''Dior, Louis Vuitton, Elie Saab, Dolce&Gabbana'' and ''Marchesa''. She has been awarded several times by magazines and polls for her best appearances. In 2005 she attended the World Music Awards in a sky blue dress designed by ''Michael Kors'' and after that People Magazine took a poll comparing Elissa to Jennifer Lopez, who had also worn the same dress. Elissa won the poll with 60% of the votes. She rarely changes her hairstyle pattern and colour; she enjoys being a classic lady. Overall she is recognized as the Arabic fashion icon.

==Commercials ==
Her commercial life began when she signed a deal in 2003 with Pepsi. She has already filmed the ad for Pepsi X in Spain, and in 2004 the Regular Pepsi ad filmed in Roma with famous director Roger Spottiswood. Then she shot two ads with [[Christina Aguilera]] for Pepsi for the world football cup. Both were shot in Los Angeles with famous director Tarsem Singh.

Elissa is one of the ambassadresses for the World Gold Council in collaboration with Lazurde.

In 2007, Elissa was chosen by French company Georges Stahl to create her own perfume, and Elle D'Elissa was created, as the first international perfume for an Arab artist which caused a controversy after Lebanese star [[Haifa Wehbe]] who claimed that it was hers but Elissa didn't reply and said that the perfume is hers and only hers. Elissa chose 'Emirates Tower' in Dubai for releasing her perfume on November 14, 2007 in a big celebration covered by media and newspapers and attended by more than 200 businessmen, marketing, media, and friends.

In 2008, Elissa was the ambassadress of Samsung Mobiles and released her own mobile Samsung Music Phone that contained three of her songs [[Bastanak]], [[Ayami Beek]], and Mush Kiteer A'alek.
Elissa has been known for being an official spokesperson for many international brands and the ambassador of them in the Arab World including Pepsi, Lux, Lazurde jewels, Ray Ban glasses, Vogue Eyewear, Corum watches, and Samsung mobiles.

==Elissa's Famous Quotes==
''Thanks to all those who challenged and criticized me, I've learned that hard work eventually leads to success'' – Elissa, from her message to her fans in [[ Tsadaq Bmein ]] album cover (2009)

==Awards and honors==
She was awarded the Murex D'Or for being the first Lebanese to receive the World Music Award 2005. In the same event Elissa was also admired for her second success with Lebanese director Selim el Turk and received the best video clip award for the song Hobbak Waja' (directed by Selim El Turk). She was also held the Best Female artist of the year.

Elissa has won two World Music Awards for best-selling artist in the Middle East in 2005 and 2006. Total sales of her albums are close to 15 million, making her one of the most popular Lebanese singers ever. Elissa is also one of the wealthiest Lebanese singers and her wealth is estimated to be nearly $25 million.

In early 2006, Elissa released her fifth studio effort, the album ''Bastanak'', which has sold nearly 3.2 million copies, according to Rotana. In 2006, Elissa again won the [[World Music Award]] for best-selling Middle Eastern artist from the album sales of "Bastanak", which she performed.

Tensions rose between the fans of Amr Diab and Elissa for the 2010 World Music Awards. Elissa was accused of having an unfair advantage since her album was released officially (never leaked). Many Elissa fans were even shocked at her win in comparison to Amr Diab's Wayah. Rotana submitted a statement "we are glad it was one of the artists under our label, however we were definitely expecting Amr Diab's Wayah". There is a feud going on between the Middle East to switch the results into Wayah winning. However these claims will most like not go through.

===Elissa's Most Famous awards===
*A Silver Medal over the course of 'Studio Al Fan' Show. 1992
*The Murex D'Or award – Best Female Artist of the Year. 2002
*Best Arabic Female Singer – Zahret El Khaleej Magazine. 2003
*Best Selling Album for a female singer in Egypt – Al Ahram Newspaper. 2004
*LG Music Festival Award. 2004
*AUST University Honoure – Lebanon. 2005
*World Music Award – Best selling Middle Eastern artist – '[[Ahla Donya]] album.' 2005
*The Murex D'Or award – Best Female Artist of the Year. 2005
*Best Arabic Female Singer In Al Aghani Radio Station – Egypt. 2005
*Best Character of the Year – Zahret El Khaleej Magazine. 2005
*Best Video Clip Award for the song 'Hobbak Waja'. 2005
*Best Female Artist of the Year Award. 2005
*World Music Award – Best selling Middle Eastern artist – '[[Bastanak]] album.' 2006
*An Honorable Award from the Professional Artists Union of Lebanon. 2007
*Middle East Music Award – Best Female Arab Artist. 2008
*Best dressing arabic artist – Zahrat El Khaleej Magazine 2008.
*Best Female Artist of the Year -Big Apple Music Award 2010
*World Music Award – Best selling Middle Eastern artist – '[[Tsadaq Bmein]] album.' 2010
*Celebrity Student Awards – Best Lebanese Singer 2010
*Celebrity Student Awards – Best Song 2010
*Celebrity Student Awards – Best Album 2010
*Celebrity Student Awards – Achievement Award 2010
*The Murex D'Or Award – Best Lebanese Singer 2010
*The Murex D'Or Award – Achievement Award 2010

==Discography==
{{Main|Elissa discography}}

===Studio albums===
*1999: ''[[Baddi Doub]]''
*2000: ''[[W'akherta Ma'ak]]''
*2002: ''[[Ayshalak]]''
*2004: ''[[Ahla Donya]]''
*2006: ''[[Bastanak]]''
*2007: ''[[Ayami Beek]]''
*2009: ''[[Tsadaq Bmein]]''

== Videography ==

{{Main|Elissa Videography}}
* ''Baddi Doub (1998)''
* ''W'akherta Ma'ak (2000)''
* ''Betghib Betrouh (2001)''
* ''Ayshalak (2002)''
* ''Ajmal Ehssas (2003)''
* ''Lebanese Night (2003)'': Duo with Irish artist Chris De Burgh
* ''Koli youm fi omry (2004)''
* ''Erga' Lel Sho2 (2004)''
* ''Hobak Wajaa (2005)''
* ''Bastanak (2006)''
* ''Law Te'rafoh (2007)''
* ''Betmoon (2008)''
* ''Awakher El Sheta (2009)''
* ''Ala Bali Habibi (2010)''

==References==
<references/>

==External links==
* [http://www.elissalb.com Elissa's Official Website]
*http://www.facebook.com/ElissaLover
* [http://www.elissalovers.net Elissa Lovers]

{{Arabic Pop}}

{{Persondata <!-- Metadata: see [[Wikipedia:Persondata]]. -->
| NAME =Elissa
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES =
| SHORT DESCRIPTION =
| DATE OF BIRTH =October 27, 1972
| PLACE OF BIRTH =
| DATE OF DEATH =
| PLACE OF DEATH =
}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Elissa}}
[[Category:1972 births]]
[[Category:Lebanese Maronites]]
[[Category:Lebanese female singers]]
[[Category:Arabic-language singers]]
[[Category:Lebanese musicians]]
[[Category:Rotana artists]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:World Music Awards winners]]
[[Category:Lebanese people of Syrian descent]]

[[ar:إليسا]]
[[bs:Elissa]]
[[cy:Elissa (cantores)]]
[[da:Elissa]]
[[de:Elissa (Sängerin)]]
[[et:Elissa]]
[[es:Elissa]]
[[fa:الیسا (خواننده)]]
[[fr:Elissa Khoury]]
[[ku:Elissa]]
[[ms:Elissa]]
[[no:Elissa]]
[[pt:Elissa]]
[[ru:Элисса (певица)]]
[[fi:Elissa]]
[[sv:Elissa]]
[[tr:Elissa Khoury]]
[[yi:עליסא]]

Revision as of 11:54, 31 October 2010

she is lebanese singer