Egyptian-born singer Chantal Chamandy is one of a handful of artists to have performed in front of the Pyramids at Giza. She talks about bridging cultures and why that show was so important to her.
Many artists might dream of performing with the Pyramids as a backdrop, but only a few have come close. Except for Chantal Chamandy.
The Egyptian-born singer, with Lebanese and Greek heritage, had the idea to perform in front of the Giza Pyramids many years before her dream became reality.
"I wanted to go back to my country and do a show of building bridges. I was kind of sick and tired of seeing the negative portrayal of the country on television with the war and the bombs, you never saw the other side of it," she said in a voice so sweet and soft you'd wonder how she can belt out those
songs the way she does.
I met up with the beautiful hot-pink clad Chamandy at the One&Only Royal Mirage this week. The singer was in Dubai to promote her new album Beladi — A Night At The Pyramids and the release of the DVD of her show, which she did last October at the Pyramids. The lead single You Want Me reached the number five spot on the UK dance charts.
Chamandy wrote the show and the music and did a month of casting in Egypt to find the right people. Chamandy performed alongside the Cairo Symphony Orchestra, dancers from the Egyptian National Ballet Company and tanoura dancers in front of a capacity audience of 5,000 people.
Her vision? To bridge cultures.
Bringing people together
"I wanted to give people a chance to see other sides of the Middle East," she said. "I just think that people have to see that there is more to the Middle East than that. And bring people together. People live very happily together. They do in Canada, they do here [in Dubai]," said Chamandy.
The singer, who grew up in Montreal, Canada, writes, composes and arranges all her music. She speaks five languages fluently: English, French, Spanish, Italian and Arabic, and sings in all of them, creating a unique fusion of sounds.
"I have a vision and a sound I know that I want," she said. And this is what she's explored in depth on her new album.
"This particular album is the first album since my comeback. I was doing dance music a long time ago. I want people to know what I have to say and the kind of music that I create and the blend of all the countries that are put together," she said. ‘fuse it up'
As an artist, Chamandy has been around for many years. She received formal training as a classical singer under the tutelage of singer Carmen Mehta and studied theatre and choreography. Now, even though her new album is in the middle of being released, she's ready for her next one.
"Oh we artists always work five to six albums in advance," she said. Not only that, but she's also ready to take on new types of genres and hopes to collaborate with the likes of Sting, Lenny Kravitz and Justin Timberlake.
"I want to do things that are a little bit of this and a little bit of that. Fuse it up," she said.
A magnificent show
At the base of the Pyramids on the Giza plateau in Egypt, singer-songwriter Chantal Chamandy realised her dream of returning to the country of her birth to sing at the feet of the Sphinx.
Accompanied by the Cairo Symphony Orchestra, the Montreal-based singer performed 18 songs in five languages before a dazzling light show that spotlighted the wonders of the ancient world.
Thousands of spectators attended this unique, historic performance, entitled Chantal Chamandy, Beladi, An Evening at the Pyramids.
"It was absolutely magical to be on this stage, at long last, surrounded by such a fantastic team. I had this crazy dream of singing at the feet of the Sphinx... I realised my dream, after all this work. It's unbelievable.
"I'm very privileged to have been able to perform here, so close to the Sphinx," said Chamandy. The show was recorded by a dozen cameras under the supervision of French director Gérard Pullicino.
Chamandy was backed up by dancers from Montreal, belly dancers and the principal dancer of the Cairo Opera House Ballet Company, Ahmad Nabeel also performed.
Chantal on fashion
"I'm a really jeans and white shirt type of girl. I do love fashion, but I'm not a slave to it. I like to go to vintage stores and pick up the odd ends. I'm very versatile. I love jewellery,"
Ask me!
Chantal Chamandy encourages people to visit her website www.chantalchamandy.com where they can ask her questions about anything, and yes, she's the one who
responds.
"People email me about matters of the heart. Thousands and thousands! I usually find time to reply at night time," she said.
Tip from Chantal
"I always tell people not to compromise in finding the perfect man, they shouldn't be compromising their artistic ideas, no matter what people say," she said.
The singer was very young when she met her husband. "He's my best friend. There aren't many people who can put up with girls in this business," she said laughing.
