Farrah Yousef () (born July 20, 1989) is a

Syrian Syrians () are the majority inhabitants of Syria, indigenous to the Levant, most of whom have Arabic, especially its Levantine and Mesopotamian dialects, as a mother tongue. The cultural and linguistic heritage of the Syrian people is a blend ...

singer who was the first runner-up on the second season of the television program ''

Arab Idol ''Arab Idol'' is an Arabic television show, based on the popular British show ''Pop Idol'' created by Simon Fuller's 19 Entertainment and developed by Fremantle Media and recorded in Beirut, Lebanon. The first season premiered on 9 December 201 ...

'' in 2013.Arab Idol finalists share what they've learnt in the competition
Saeed Saeed June 19, 2013 The National

Biography

Early life and early career

Farrah Yousef was born on July 20, 1989, in

Tartus Tartus ( / ALA-LC: ''Ṭarṭūs''; known in the County of Tripoli as Tortosa and also transliterated from French language, French Tartous) is a major port city on the Mediterranean coast of Syria. It is the second largest port city in Syria (af ...

, a city on the Mediterranean coast of

Syria Syria, officially the Syrian Arab Republic, is a country in West Asia located in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Levant. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the west, Turkey to Syria–Turkey border, the north, Iraq to Iraq–Syria border, t ...

.MBC.net
Her first performance on stage was at the age of seven at the

Abu Dhabi Abu Dhabi is the capital city of the United Arab Emirates. The city is the seat of the Abu Dhabi Central Capital District, the capital city of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, and the UAE's List of cities in the United Arab Emirates, second-most popu ...

Cultural Center, where she sang "Sit Al Hbayib" in the presence of a large crowd of diplomats and the presence of Sheikh Zayed's wife Sheikha Fatima. Farrah won the applause of the audience, and since then she has aspired to become an artist. After graduation from high school, Farrah gained a scholarship to study medicine in Italy, where she gained experience in western styles of singing and learned to sing in English, French and Italian. In 2011 Yousef had the chance to perform the theme song of a Syrian series, "Wilada Mina Al Khassira". In 2012 she performed the theme song for two series, "Bet Amer" and "Al Amemy".

''Arab Idol''

Following the success of the first season of

, MBC launched the second season on March 8, 2013. Back in Syria, the

civil war A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...

was affecting the whole country, resulting in Yousef being hesitant to audition. She was encouraged by her friends and family to achieve her dream. She said that watching the program inspired her to give it a try. She almost failed to leave Syria as her car was caught in the middle of a shootout as she left Damascus to audition in Beirut. Television viewers first saw Yousef during the audition episodes at the beginning of ''Arab Idol''s second season. The show's judges included

Ragheb Alama Ragheb Alama ( born 7 June 1962) is a Lebanon, Lebanese music artist and television personality. Alama began his career in the 1980s when he appeared as a contestant on the talent show broadcast Studio El Fan, on which he received the Platinum Aw ...

Nancy Ajram Nancy Nabil Ajram (, ; born May 16, 1983) is a Lebanese singer, television personality, and businesswoman, dubbed by Spotify as the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Queen of Arab Pop". With the support of her father, she began performing ...

, Ahlam and Hassan El Shafei. Farrah performed "Ifrah Ya Albi" by

Umm Kulthum Umm Kulthum (; 31 December 1898 – 3 February 1975) was an Egyptians, Egyptian singer and film actress active from the 1920s to the 1970s. She was given the honorific title (). Immensely popular throughout the Middle East and beyond, Umm Kul ...

and got accepted to the next round. In Beirut, where the competition was held, outdoor cafes put up big screens and the sound of Yousef's voice drifted down streets.Region's woes take center stage as refugee becomes Arab Idol
Al Arabiya Yousef said her performance mirrored the way she feels when singing on stage when she often thinks of her family. She has said that she feels a sense of responsibility to the audience and that there is always that deep happiness mixed with fear. She says that she tries to make people love one another again using the healing power of music. Yousef performed many kinds of music during the competition, including Arabic pop songs and Classic songs by great Arabic singers like Umm Kulthum,

Fairuz Nouhad Wadie Haddad (, ; born November 20, 1934 or November 21, 1935), known as Fairuz (, ), is a Lebanese singer. She is widely considered an iconic vocalist and one of the most celebrated singers in the history of the Arab world. She is pop ...

Asmahan Amal al-Atrash ( ', North Levantine ; November 25, 1912 – July 14, 1944),

and

Najwa Karam Najwa Karam (; ; born 26 February 1966) is a Lebanon, Lebanese singer, songwriter, producer, fashion icon, and television personality. She has sold over 60 million records worldwide and was recognized as the highest-selling Lebanese people, Leba ...

, and also Someone Like You by

Adele Adele Laurie Blue Adkins (; born 5 May 1988) is an English singer-songwriter. Regarded as a British cultural icon, icon, she is known for her mezzo-soprano vocals and sentimental songwriting. List of awards and nominations received by Adele, ...

''Songs''

''Arab Idol'' performances

References

External links

Official Facebook page
{{DEFAULTSORT:Yousef, Farrah 1989 births Living people Singers who perform in Classical Arabic Syrian Alawites People from Tartus 21st-century Syrian women singers Contestants from Arabic singing competitions Arabic-language singers of Syria