Printer-friendly VersionBy Mariwan Faydullah Salihi
the Kurdish Globe
Some spending as high as US$1,000 to attend the upcoming Elissa concert at Erbil's International Fairground.
Renowned Arab singer Elissa will hold a packed concert in Iraq's Kurdistan Region capital on Friday, February 19, organizers of the event revealed to "The Kurdish Globe."
"Arab superstar Elissa will be here in Iraq for the first time ever to entertain her fans," announced May Saad, director of the Lebanese International Tourism Festivals Committee (LITFC), event organizers.
The price tag of attending the concert, held for the first time at the Erbil International Fairground, is not cheap.
Prices per person start from US$200 to US$300, and go as high as US$1,000 for the Royal area. The Royal area-reserved for the night--is a table for 10 people, each of whom pays the tremendous price of US$ 1,000.
"I bought four tickets for the VIP area, each costing US$500," said Abdullah Barzenji, 28. "I only do this because it's the only chance to see her live in concert in Iraq?and I am her biggest fan," claimed the excited Barzenji while showing off his tickets.
Elissa is "expensive"
For other Elissa fans, attending the concert was impossible because of the hefty price tag. Some even mentioned that the ticket prices are as high as their monthly wages.
"My monthly salary is 300,000 Iraqi Dinar [around US$250]," said Salar Ali, 24, an Erbil taxi driver. According to him, only rich people can attend these lavish events.
"They should hold these concerts at the Francois Hariri International Stadium, because it can seat more than 25,000 people. More people can come and prices will be much lower, just like the concerts of Jamshid and Moein in September 2009," said Rezan Hamad, 20, referring to the concert held for the two popular Iranian pop stars in Erbil last year.
Linking Kurdistan and Lebanon
The Lebanese organizers of the event say that the Elissa concert is a Lebanese initiative toward linking Iraq's Kurdistan Region and their country through culture and arts.
"Kurdistan Region is extremely important for Lebanon and the Lebanese people. We want to stimulate more tourism and highlight this important sector in this area of Iraq. Nothing is better than starting with cultural and artistic events," said Saad.
According to her, Elissa has many fans in Iraq and Kurdistan, prompting her to go along with the concert. "Elissa is even aware of the good security situation here," she added. Her entertainment company is planning to organize more concerts for renowned Arab singers in Kurdistan Region, in addition to opening a branch in Erbil.
Elissa (Elissar Zakaria Khoury) is a 38-year-old singer born in Lebanon. Regarded as one of the most popular female artists in the Arab World, she has a large fan base around the world, including Kurdistan Region. The diva was the first Lebanese musician to win the prestigious World Music Award (WMA) in 2005 and 2006 for best-selling albums in the Middle East.
Her Erbil concert will start at 8 p.m. and end after midnight. The show will also include traditional Eastern performances by the Lebanese folkloric group Afraah.
Haifa Wahbi "too busy" for Kurdistan
Last week, Kurdish media heavily reported on the visit of popular Lebanese diva Haifa Wahbi to Erbil during Newroz (the Kurdish New Year that begins March 21).
According to news reports, the Erbil-based entertainment company Babylon Media would fly Wahbi to Kurdistan together with Lebanese male singer Fares Karam to hold concerts in Erbil and Sulaimaniyah.
"The Kurdish Globe" learned exclusively through Wahbi's public relations office in Beirut that the singer is heading to Dubai for her flight to the United States for work purposes involved around her contract with Rotana [her record company]."
"There's definitely no Iraq concert planned for this season. Who has come up with these rumors? Haifa is too busy for any concerts in Kurdistan right now?but she's thinking about going somewhere in that region this year," stated Georgina Haddad, a person intimately familiar with Wahbi, via phone. "In fact, even Fares Karam will escort Haifa to the U.S. for concerts, staring the end of February through March," concluded Haddad.
The Globe tried unsuccessfully to reach Babylon Media numerous times for comment.
Haifa fans are disappointed
Some Haifa Wahbi fans in Erbil were upset when they heard the artist is not coming to Kurdistan Region during the Newroz celebrations.
"I was planning to ask my dad for money so that I could attend Haifa's concert," said a disappointed Shireen Abdullah, 18, a high-school student. "I already couldn't believe that Haifa was coming here?but knowing it was a rumor, I am not really surprised now," answered her friend, Lana Masoud, 17. "Sooner or later, Haifa will come to Kurdistan?most artists will eventually dream to hold concerts here," Masoud hoped.
Haifa Wahbi, a former model and runner up for Miss Lebanon, is often called the "Arab sex bomb" by Middle Eastern men because of her beauty and revealing outfits. She was ranked 49 in the 2006 Edition of the Top 99 Most Desirable Women by the popular men's website Askmen.com. Wahbi is one of the few Middle Eastern pop singers who appeared with famous Western singers and bands, including Shaggy and 50 Cent.
This is not the first time that Kurdistan Region organizes gigs for foreign singers. In September 2009, famous exiled Iranian artists Moein and Jamshid flew in from the U.S. for around 15,000 people at Francois Hariri International Stadium. Many Iranians from around the world came to Erbil to attend the successful concert.
In December 2009, renowned Lebanese diva Najwa Karam held two concerts here for fans in Iraq, the first by the popular Arab singer in the country for more than a decade. Karam was brought by Babylon Media Company to Erbil and Sulaimaniyah.
Shakira coming to Kurdistan?
There are also rumors in the Kurdish media that Colombian sensation Shakira will hold a large concert in Erbil. No confirmation has been given by any side regarding the subject.