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| Maher Zain ماهر زين |
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| Background information | |
| Born | July 16, 1981 Tripoli, Lebanon |
| Origin | Sweden |
| Genres | R&B, Soul music, Pop music, World music, Acoustic music, Nasheed |
| Occupations | Singer, songwriter, musician, composer, music producer |
| Instruments | Guitar, piano, keyboard, percussion, synthesizers |
| Years active | 2009–present |
| Labels | Awakening Records Sony Music |
| Associated acts | Irfan Makki Mesut Kurtis |
| Website | www.maherzain.com |
Maher Zain (Arabic: ماهر زين ; born July 16, 1981[1] in Tripoli, Lebanon) is a Muslim Swedish R&B singer, songwriter and music producer of Lebanese origin. He released his debut album Thank You Allah, an internationally successful album with strong Muslim religious influences, in 2009. He released his follow-up album Forgive Me on April 2, 2012.
Beginnings
Maher Zain' Lebanese family immigrated to Sweden when he was eight.
He completed his schooling there, gaining a Bachelors degree in Aeronautical Engineering. After university he entered the music industry in Sweden and linked up with RedOne, the Moroccan-born Swedish producer in 2005.[2]
When RedOne moved to New York in 2006 Maher Zain followed soon after to
continue his music industry career in the USA producing for artists
such as Kat DeLuna.[3]
On returning home to Sweden, he became engaged once more with his
Islamic faith and decided to move away from a career as a music producer
to become a singer/songwriter of contemporary R&B music with a
strong Muslim religious influence.
Breakthrough success
In January 2009, Maher Zain began working on an album with Awakening Records. His debut album, Thank You Allah,
with 13 songs and two bonus tracks, was released on 1 November 2009
with percussion versions and French versions of some tracks released
shortly afterwards.[5]
Zain and Awakening Records successfully used new media such as Facebook, YouTube[6] and iTunes to promote tracks from the album.[7][8]
In early 2010 his music very quickly gathered a huge online following
in Arabic speaking and Islamic countries as well as among young Muslims
in western countries.[9] By the end of 2010 he was the most Googled celebrity in Malaysia for that year.[8] Malaysia and Indonesia have been the countries where he has had the most commercial success. The album Thank You Allah has been certified multiple platinum by Warner Music Malaysia and Sony Music Indonesia.[2] It became the highest selling album of 2010 in Malaysia.[10]
Zain sings mainly in English but has released some of his most
popular songs in other languages. The song "Insha Allah", for example,
is now available in English, French, Arabic, Turkish, Malay and
Indonesian versions. Another song, “Allahi Allah Kiya Karo”
(“Continuously Saying Allah”), is sung in Urdu and features the Pakistan born Canadian singer Irfan Makki.
Collaborations, appearances and awards
Maher Zain is very active in Muslim charities and has given many
concerts in collaboration with many charitable organizations including
Islamic Relief, Human Appeal International amongst others.
In January 2010, Maher Zain won Best Religious Song for 'Ya Nabi
Salam Alayka', on Nujoom FM, a major Middle East mainstream music
station, beating other prominent singers including Hussein Al-Jismi, Mohammed Mounir and Sami Yusuf.[11]
In March 2011, Maher Zain released "Freedom",[7] a song inspired by the events and the actions of the people taking part in the Arab Spring.
Maher Zain was chosen as a Muslim Star of 2011 in a competition organized by Onislam.net.[12] In July 2011 he featured on the cover of the UK Muslim lifestyle magazine Emel.[13]
Zain was featured on Irfan Makki's track "I Believe" from his debut studio album of the same name.[14] He was also featured on Mesut Kurtis' album, Beloved, in the track named "Never Forget".[citation needed]
Maher Zain has appeared in a 40-episode Indonesian TV drama, entitled Insya-Allah. The show was aired on Malaysian satellite TV channel, Astro Oasis and Mustika HD, starting from 17 July 2012, concurrent with the broadcasting of the show on Indonesia's SCTV.[15]
In 2013, he took part in the Colors of Peace project constituting songs based on works by Fethullah Gülen on the album Rise Up where Maher Zain performs the track "This Worldly Life".
Discography
Albums
| Year | Album details | Certifications (sales thresholds) |
|---|---|---|
| 2009 | Thank You Allah
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| 2012 | Forgive Me
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Videography
- 2009: "Palestine Will Be Free"
- 2010: "Insha Allah"
- 2010: "The Chosen One"
- 2011: "Freedom"
- 2011: "Ya Nabi Salam Alayka"
- 2011: "For the Rest of My Life"
- 2012: "Number One For Me"
- 2012: "So Soon"
- 2013: "Love Will Prevail"
- 2013: "This Worldly Life (Dunya)"
- 2013: "Ramadan"
- Featured in
- 2011: "I Believe" (Irfan Makki feat. Maher Zain) (in Irfan Makki's album "I Believe")
- 2011: "Never Forget" (Mesut Kurtis feat. Maher Zain) (in Mesut Kurtis' album "Beloved")
