Assala Nasri

Assala Nasri أصالة نصري
Assala Nasri in 2011
Background information
Birth name	Assala Mostafa Hatem Nasri
Born	15 May 1969
Origin	Damascus, Syria
Years active	1991 - present
Labels	Rotana, Farasan, EMI

Assala Mostafa Hatem Nasri (Arabic: أصالة مصطفى حاتم نصري‎ aka Asala, Asalah and Assalah; born 15 May 1969) is a Syrian musical artist.

Early life and career

Assala was born in Damascus, Syria^[1] to a middle class couple. Mostafa Nasri, Assala's father, was a revered Syrian composer and singer. Assala began her musical career by performing patriotic, religious, and children's songs when she was four years old. She sang the theme song "Qessas Al Sho'oub" (Arabic: قصص الشعوب), of the cartoon show, Hekayat Alamiyah (Arabic: حكايات عالمية). In 1986, Mostafa Nasri died after suffering from internal bleeding caused by a car accident. Aged 17 she helped care for her siblings, Reem, Amani, Ayman and Ayham with her mother.

Assala's commercial musical career debuted in 1991 with Law Ta'rafou (Arabic: لو تعرفو). The album had 4 songs in the oriental operatic tarab style. The album was an instant hit with heartbreaking songs like "Ya Sabra Yana" and "Samehtak Ketir". She quickly cemented her presence in a growing industry brimming with singers like Najwa Karam, Saber Rebaï, Angham, and Abdelmajeed Abdullah.

Television

Assala hosts a television program, Soula (Arabic: صولا‎), on Dubai TV.^[2] The show presents guest musicians as though they were visiting Assala in her home.^[3]

Personal life

Assala has four children, two from her first marriage to Ayman Al Dahabi, and twins from her second marriage to a Palestinian-American director Tarek Al Eryan. She currently has custody of both their children, Sham and Khaled. She was pregnant with Tarek's child in early 2007, but suffered a miscarriage halfway through the pregnancy. Assala is a Sunni Muslim. She was granted Bahraini citizenship by Bahraini King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa a few days after she gave a performance in the operetta Love and Loyalty in celebration of Bahrain’s Independence Day. Assala holds two citizenships; Syrian (primary nationality) and Bahraini (second nationality) .

Discography

Studio Albums

• Ya Sabra Yana (Patient Me) (1992)
• Assala Performs Umm Kulthum (1992)
• O'zorni (Forgive Me) (1991)
• Ghayar Awi (He's So Jealous) (1993)
• Taw'am Al Rouh (My Soul's Twin) (1994)
• Ighdab (Be Angry) (1994)
• Wala Tessadda' (Don't Believe It) (1995)
• Rahal (He Left) (1996)
• Erja' Laha (Return to Her) (1996)
• Al Mushtaka (The Complaint) (1997)
• Albi Biyertahlak (My Heart Is Comfortable For You) (1998)
• Ya Magnoun (O Madman) (1999)
• Moshtaqah (I'm Missing You) (2001)
• Ya Akhi Es'al (Ask About Me) (2002)
• Yamin Allah/Haqiqat Waqe'i (I Swear/My Reality) (2001)
• Ad El Horouf (As much as the number of letters) (2003)
• Awgat (Sometimes) (2004)
• Aadi (Ordinary) (2005)
• Hayati (My Life) (2006)
• Sawaha Galbi (My Heart Has Done It) (2007), debuted at number 1, stayed for 4 weeks at number 1 beating Amr Diab's new album on Rotana's PEPSI Top 5 Albums
• Nos Halah (Half State) (2008), debuted at #1 of Rotana's Top 5 albums on both Egypt and Lebanon, stayed in the charts the following week. In its third week it peaked back at number 1 at Egypt Top 5 albums charts. In the following weeks it peaked at number 2 on the Khaleeji, the making it the first album to be in the top 2 of all charts.
• Qanoun Kaifik (Law of your fancy) (2010)
• Shakhsiya Aneeda (A Stubborn Personality) (2012)
• "60 De'ee'a Hayah" (60 Minutes of Life) (2015)

Singles

• "Law Ta'rafou" (If You Know) from Law Ta'rafou
• "Ighdab" (Get Angry) from Ighdab
• "Al Mushtaka" (The Complainer) from Al Mushtaka
• "Alf Leila We Leila" (One Thousand and One Nights) from Al Mushtaka
• "Ya Magnoun" (O Madman) from Ya Magnoun
• "Ma Oultelish" (Why Didn't You Tell Me?) from Ya Magnoun
• "Moushta'a" (I'm Missing You) from Moushta'a
• "E'tef Habibi" (Have Mercy My Love) from Moushta'a
• "Mab'ash Ana" (I Haven't Lived Up to My Name if I Don't) from Moushta'a
• "Leih El Ghorour" (Why the Arrogance?) from Ya Akhi Es'al
• "Yamin Allah" (I Swear) from Yamin Allah/Waqe'i
• "Misheit Senin" (I Walked for Years) from Ad El Horouf
• "Tassawar" (Imagine) from Ad El Horouf
• "A'taz Bek" (I Am Proud of You) from Ad El Horouf
• "Gemarhom Kellohom" (You Are the Moon Among Them) from Awgat
• "Meta Ashoufek" (When Will I See You?) from Awgat
• "Fein Habibi" (Where is My Love?) from Aadi
• "Khalik Shiwaya" (Stay) from Aadi
• "Asfa" (I'm Sorry) from Aadi
• "Aktar" (More) from Hayati
• "Khaliha 'Ala Allah" (Leave It In God's Hands) [Ramadan Single]
• "Jarhi Fel Hawa" (My Injury in Love)
• "Allah Ya Omri Aleik" (You're Amazing)
• "Arod Leih" (Why Reply?) from Hayati
• "Bein Eideik" (In Your Hands) from Hayati
• "Alamtni" (You Taught Me) from Hayati
• "Hayati" (My Life) from Hayati
• "Egrab Gerrib" (Get Closer) from Sawaha Galbi
• "Sawaha Galbi" (My Heart Did It) from Sawaha Galbi
• "La Tekhaf" (Don't Be Afraid) from Sawaha Galbi (shot as a music video in 2009)
• "Wala Dary" (Doesn't Care), debuted on at #12 on Rotana's PEPSI Top 20 Charts; reached #2 the following week and maintained its spot for the following at #2
• "Sum wa 'Asal" (Poison and Honey) 2009 Single
• "Ah law hal korsy Bye7ki" (If this chair would talk) 2011 - this song is dedicated for the Syrian revolution against Bashar al-Assad. Assala composed this song, it's her first experience in composing.
• "Shakhseya Anida" (A Stubbborn Personality) 2012

References

1. "Assala Nasri - Syria". Fes Festival of World Sacred Music. 2013. Retrieved 24 September 2013.
2. "Soula TV Show".
3. "About Soula". Retrieved 11 December 2013.

External links

• Assala Nasri on Facebook
• Assala Nasri on Twitter
• Assala Nasri's channel on YouTube