Iraqi singer Sattar Sa’ad has been crowned the winner of the second season of singing reality show The Voice Arabia. Sa’ad, who caps a three-month long journey with the win, walks away with a brand new car and a recording contract with Universal Music Group.
The finale, held in Beirut and broadcast simultaneously across the Middle East on MBC1 and MBC Masr, also saw pop star Ricky Martin take the stage to perform his new songs Andrenalina and Come With Me. Martin is also a coach on The Voice Australia.
The singing reality show, which has versions in many countries, sees aspiring singers being coached by professional musicians. The singers then compete against each other and are then voted on by TV viewers, with contestants eliminated week after week.
Sa’ad was coached on the show by Iraqi singer Kadim Al Saher. Following his crowning, he expressed his joy, thanked his supporters and coach who he said believed in his talent from the start.
“The Voice witnessed high viewership ratings and was a very engaging programme for all age groups, especially youngsters, which was reflected by the voting and the social media platforms in the Arab world,” said Mazen Hayek, official spokesman of broadcaster MBC, who confirmed that Season 3 of the show would return next year.