Wael Kfoury is talented, charming and funny. With his love ballads and gifted voice he has won the hearts of many. But what kind of star is Waël? Nadia Khalifeh finds out...
His romantic nature has wooed the Arab World and his charming smile made him a renowned star in the Middle East. With an impeccable style and drop-dead gorgeous looks, Waël Kfoury has all it takes to be a superstar. However, he doesn't act like one.
In public, Kfoury exhibits a down-to-earth attitude and whenever possible he cracks a joke. He smiles at everybody and when he talks to you, he makes you feel as if you have known him for years. His behaviour makes us think that he doesn't take himself or his stardom too seriously.
Recently, e+ caught up with the stylish singer while he was in Dubai to celebrate his second partnership with renowned electronics brand LG and to promote their new phones – the KM335 and GM200.
"Music is my life, my everything," says Kfoury, who is dressed in an elegant black suit, [his sleek black hair framing his face].
Born Michel Emile Kfoury in 1974, Kfoury showed an indubitable passion for music from the beginning. In 1990 he tried his first shot at singing in LBC talent show, Studio Al Fan, the starting point for many Arab stars like Elissa, where he won the gold medal for best singer. His first record deal was with Music Box for the song Ma Wa'adtak Binjoom El Lail. He released several albums afterwards, the most notable were Hikayat Aasheq and Sa'alouni.
Kfoury then joined the army and disappeared from the music scene for a while only to make a great comeback with his album Omri Killo. In 2006, he produced his signature album Waël 2006 from which he released the pan-Arab World hit single Bhebbak Ana Ktir which he also performed with Elissa in 2007.
Kfoury has performed in North America, Australia, Europe and throughout the Arab World. What has made him famous and brought him this far? "It's the lyrics I write, the music I choose and all the hard work that I put in. These have enabled me to take my music to greater heights and for it to be appreciated worldwide," he says.
For a long time Kfoury's music and talent has been associated with the music production company, Rotana. Recently, however, he decided to wean himself and go it alone.
"I feel like I've reached a point in my life where I want to do whatever makes me happy and comfortable. And I wish them the best. Whatever happened, I came out as a winner," he says. And he really did. His latest song Law Hobna Ghalta was in fact produced by the talented singer himself, marking the end of his reign as a Rotana star.
Kfoury has many projects lined up for the future. One of them is the rumoured duet with superstar Nancy Ajram. Everyone wants to know if the duet will really take place, but Kfoury doesn't want to give away the game too soon. "I don't have any details as yet, but I'm so looking forward to this collaboration because I really like Nancy."
The prospect of a Kfoury-Ajram duet is creating great enthusiasm in the Arab world and great expectations among the fans of these famous musicians.
What sets Kfoury apart from other singers? Unlike his co-stars, he has been releasing albums every year since 1994 and continues to woo many with his music. He's also been able to stay at the top of the charts. Kfoury also tried his hand at the Arab cinema, in the movie Sea of Stars, which despite the star-studded cast, was a total flop at the box office. But Kfoury is not thinking about a career in Arab cinema, he'd rather stick to what he does best: singing love ballads. In the end he loves what he does and says, "I never get tired of it [singing]." But the singer has another passion – playing tennis.
He says, "Tennis is a bit like life. It's tough and tiring and you only have a few seconds to score and win. It's a sport that requires a lot of concentration. You always need to be ready to beat your opponent. I have been playing tennis for four years and I find it an amazing sport."
Could this new passion take over music? "No," he says. "They go together. Tennis will never take over my passion for music."
Just like on the tennis court, Kfoury has been collecting awards throughout his musical career. He won the Murex Lebanese Award for Best Male Singer in 2001 and Murex Best Artist and Best Single in 2004, followed the same year by the Golden Lion Award for Best Video Clip at the Cairo Festival against Egyptian singer Amr Diab. Kfoury also won the Best Artist Award at the Murex D'or 2006 for the forth time. At the recent Murex D'or 2009 he was again nominated for Best Lebanese Artist Award.
But what about hiss love life?
There was a lot of speculation about his relationship with the Queen of Romance Elissa whose song Betmoon won the Best Song of the Year Award at the Murex Awards. Are the two really an item? "For now we're just great friends," says Kfoury. "But nobody knows what might happen in the future."
More of Kfoury...
His talent didn't go unnoticed by the art community and advertisers.
In 2006 he signed a contract with Meyers Swiss Watches and became their brand ambassador. In the same year he also filmed an ad with Pepsi as part of the "Bahr Al Noujoum" campaign which saw him rise to fame and become an overnight sensation all over the Arab world. Kfoury has also been the brand ambassador for LG for two consecutive years and his mobile phones are a celebration of his talent and impeccable style. He is also often invited to prestigious events like the recent Club Cavalli inauguration, which he attended alongside Elissa.
Sign up for the Daily Briefing
Get the latest news and updates straight to your inbox
Network Links
GN StoreDownload our app
© Al Nisr Publishing LLC 2025. All rights reserved.