Belime
| Belime | |
|---|---|
|
Belime at the Pop Revolution Tour – May 2011 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Charbel Toufic Ghanime |
| Born |
28 December 1991 Beirut, Lebanon |
| Origin | Beirut, Lebanon |
| Genres | Pop, rock, electronic |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, singer-songwriter, record producer |
| Instruments | Vocals, keyboards, piano |
| Years active | 2010–present |
| Labels | New Wave Productions |
| Website | BelimeMusic.com |
Belime /ˈbəˈlaɪm/ (often bolded as BELIME; born Charbel Ghanime ;[1][2] Arabic: شربل غنيمة; born 28 December 1991) is a Lebanon-born singer-songwriter, pop musician and music producer.
In September 2010, Belime released the earliest copies of his debut album Trap, spawning the song "This Is Reality" which was featured on MTV Arabia, Orbit MusicNow, and NRJ Lebanon.
Early life
Belime was born in the district of Achrafieh in Beirut, the youngest of three children.[3] He is the son of Afaf, a former English teacher, and Toufic Ghanime, an interior designer. He has two elder sisters, Jessica and Sharon.
Belime grew up between Lebanon and Saudi Arabia and has family in Canada. He attended Sagesse High School, a local Catholic school, where he was actively involved in school projects, including being Student Council president in his senior year.
For some time, Belime's two elder sisters learned the piano at home. As a child, Belime showcased his musical potential by learning how to play the piano by ear. He still plays at this self-taught level to this day. Belime composes most of his songs on the piano. He first showed his potential as a musician in his pre-teen years, when he gained an interest in rap music. He even performed a rap song at a school talent show at age 12.[4]
Career
Early career
In his early teen years, Belime discovered rock music, punk rock in particular, and was part of four different bands, performing mainly pop punk songs. He began songwriting at that time, and by the time he turned 17, Belime had penned a catalogue of over 30 songs he had written over the years. Belime failed at putting together numerous bands to perform his songs, and always faced problems with members who weren't serious enough. After accidentally listening to "War'a Bayda", a song by Star Academy's Maya Nehme, Belime was struck by the arrangement. It was at that time that Belime contacted Walid Al Massih, who immediately saw the talent Belime had and signed the young artist to his production company, New Wave Productions.
Now working solo, Belime improved on his compositions and spent his time trying to find his sound as a solo artist, after being used to being a part of bands. While working with Walid Al Massih, Belime took part in a song titled "Let's Fight for Change" for awareness about HIV/AIDs through Y-PEER Lebanon of the UNFPA. Belime helped write the song and sings the recurring chorus in it. The song was choreographed and danced to by members of Y-PEER Lebanon as part of the 2009 Jeux de la Francophonie which took place that year.
2010: Trap
Soon after signing with Walid al-Masish and the release of "Let's Fight for Change", Belime confirmed his solo album was expected to be released in February 2010. Belime would later announce that the album was to be put on hold as he stated to have been dissatisfied with the preliminary results and that he will only release the album when he feels he is ready to release his debut record.
In June 2010, Belime officially announced the beginning of his album promotions, beginning with a debut performance at one of Beirut's clubs "Palais by Crystal",[5] to which he received rave reviews. That same month, Belime performed at the Music Festival (Fête de la Musique)[6] in Downtown Beirut to numerous spectators. Towards the end of June, Belime officially released his debut single "This Is Reality" digitally via YouTube. The video was directed by Lebanese director Jimmy Keyrouz and filmed in and around the city of Jounieh north of Beirut.
In September 2010, Belime would announce that he will be selling rare pre-launch copies of the album at the Hamra Streets Festival on 11 and 12 September. During his two shows at the Hamra Streets Festival, Belime introduced "The Belime Girls", four female hip-hop dancers who would join him in all of his future performances. Upon the release of the album, the pre-launch copies were sold massively and at every event that Belime performed at. The album was given 4 out of 6 stars by Time Out Beirut, placing ahead of Katy Perry's Teenage Dream, which was given two out of six stars.[7][8]
Present: Pop Revolution Tour and work on second album
In April 2011, Belime announced on his Facebook page that he will be touring Lebanon as of May 2011, with his first concert being at the Tripoli International Half Marathon 2011, where he headlined along with Michel Azzi and Brigitte Yaghi. The tour was themed after the revolutions that occurred around the Middle East not long before the beginning of his tour. During the tour, Belime introduced a new track into his repertoire titled "Dice" which he has announced will be the first single off his next album.
Criticism
In a live interview with MTV Lebanon's show @MTV, Belime was faced with criticisms about singing in the English language rather than in Arabic. Belime was accused of promoting the English language over Arabic as part of Lebanese tradition. In response, Belime said:
We all speak Arabic, I am now speaking Arabic, but we also pride ourselves as Lebanese in speaking three languages. When someone comes to Lebanon, we don't tell them that we only speak Arabic here, but that we greet each other by saying "Hi, Kifak, Ca va?". So yes, as a Lebanese, I believe I should sing in English, because while it is not part of our traditions, it is very much a part of our culture.[9]— Belime, MTV Lebanon
Discography
- 2010: Trap
References
- ↑ Douaihy, Hamid (14 December 2010). "Belime: From Saint to Star". HAUS DIGITAL. Retrieved 2010-12-14.
- ↑ Abi Saab, Karen (18 February 2011). "Belime – A New Kind of Beat". Shuhra.com. Retrieved 2011-02-22.
- ↑ Douaihy, Hamid (14 December 2010). "Belime: From Saint to Star". HAUS DIGITAL. Retrieved 2010-12-14.
- ↑ "BELIME". Facebook. Retrieved 2011-05-09.
- ↑ Kheir, Mahmoud (15 June 2010). "Pump it up at Palais with Clash of the Titans". Star Scene. Retrieved 2011-05-09.
- ↑ "Fete de la Musique". Time Out Beirut. Retrieved 2011-05-09.
- ↑ Merat, Aaron (1 October 2010). "Belime". Time Out Beirut. Retrieved 2011-05-09.
- ↑ Merat, Aaron (1 October 2010). "Katy Perry". Time Out Beirut. Retrieved 2011-05-13.
- ↑ "MTV Lebanon – At MTV 28 Apr". MTV Lebanon. Retrieved 13 May 2011.