Lydia Canaan (; born December 2, 1967) is a Lebanese singer-songwriter. Canaan gained local recognition in Lebanon performing heavy metal cover songs during the

Lebanese Civil War The Lebanese Civil War ( ) was a multifaceted armed conflict that took place from 1975 to 1990. It resulted in an estimated 150,000 fatalities and led to the exodus of almost one million people from Lebanon. The religious diversity of the ...

despite the conflict.Chandran, Sudha. "An Angel's Song", '' The Gulf Today'', Sharjah, November 24, 2000. Canaan was one of the first

Middle Eastern The Middle East (term originally coined in English language) is a geopolitical region encompassing the Arabian Peninsula, the Levant, Turkey, Egypt, Iran, and Iraq. The term came into widespread usage by the United Kingdom and western Eur ...

artists to sing solely in English, and one of the first to have music videos played on

MTV Europe MTV Global (formerly MTV Europe) is the international version of the American TV channel MTV as 24-hour music video and entertainment pay television network officially launched on 1 August 1987 as part of the worldwide MTV network. Initia ...

, MTV Southeast Asia, MTV Russia, and MTV Middle East.Jubayli, Jinan. "'Angel' Canaan Brings it All Back Home", '' The Daily Star'', No. 10,735, Beirut, March 18, 2002.

Life and career

Early life and education

Born and raised in Brummana, Lebanon during the Lebanese Civil War to a

Greek Orthodox Greek Orthodox Church (, , ) is a term that can refer to any one of three classes of Christian Churches, each associated in some way with Greek Christianity, Levantine Arabic-speaking Christians or more broadly the rite used in the Eastern Rom ...

family, Canaan studied at

Brummana High School Brummana High School (BHS, ) is a private school in Lebanon. It is located in the village of Brummana, situated in Metn, Mount Lebanon, east of the capital city Beirut. This school was established in 1873, by the Quaker Theophilus Waldmeier ( ...

(BHS). From a young age singing, lyrical composition, and dancing served as an outlet and

catharsis Catharsis is from the Ancient Greek word , , meaning "purification" or "cleansing", commonly used to refer to the purification and purgation of thoughts and emotions by way of expressing them. The desired result is an emotional state of renewal an ...

for Canaan. Canaan's parents discouraged her from singing heavy metal and forbid her to have a musical education or formal training. As reported by the newspaper ''Campus'', "For Lydia Canaan's first gig, she had to throw her trademark short rockish black leather skirt and studs out of her bedroom window in Brummana, put on a long skirt, lie to her conservative father about where she was going, and, after changing into her leather gear, singing her teenage heart out as Angel with the band Equation".Livingstone, David. "A Beautiful Life; Or, How a Local Girl Ended Up With a Recording Contract in the UK and Who Has Ambitions in the U.S.", ''Campus'', No. 8, Beirut, February 1997.

Early career

In 1984, Canaan—under the stage name ''Angel''—joined the heavy metal band Equation, who until then had been intent on finding a male lead singer. Canaan's talent, personality, and stage presence gained her national popularity among Lebanese youth.Sinclair, David
"Global Music Pulse"
''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

'', New York, May 10, 1997. The same year, she donned what would become her trademark, trend-setting look: revealing, studded leather outfits with dramatic capes and hip-length blonde-streaked hair. Off stage, Canaan's Alma Mater,

(BHS), voted her "Best Dressed". On stage, her provocative costumes contributed to the perception of her as a

sex symbol A sex symbol or icon is a person or character widely considered sexually attractive and often synonymous with sexuality. Pam Cook, "The trouble with sex: Diana Dors and the Blonde bombshell phenomenon", In: Bruce Babinigton (ed.), ''British St ...

. '' The Daily Star'' wrote: "On stage, with her daring looks and style, Canaan became a role model". At the height of their success the band drew a crowd of over 15,000. Canaan's first original composition, "Why All The Hurt", a tribute to a deceased friend that she wrote as a teenager, was a No. 1 hit on the radio charts in Lebanon. Following Canaan's first concert with Equation, a '' The Gulf Today'' writer noted: "the first show produced a phenomenal reaction . . . It is incredible that amidst the state of civil war that existed in Lebanon at that time when most people had no idea if they would see another day she managed to keep her ambitions alive". ''Society'' magazine stated: "tickets were sold out but more teenagers stormed in to see the young Angel perform... To accommodate the crowd concert organizers had to stamp on each fan's hand as they ran out of tickets. It was... her first success".Habib, Hala. "Lydia Canaan: A Star is Born to ''The Sound of Love''", ''Society'', No. 3, Beirut, February 1997. Since her first public appearance, Canaan held over 25 sell-out concerts in the country from 1984 to 1988, and despite the risks and dangers of warring

militias A militia ( ) is a military or paramilitary force that comprises civilian members, as opposed to a professional standing army of regular, full-time military personnel. Militias may be raised in times of need to support regular troops or serve ...

and armies, recorded her songs for radio, and topped the charts in Lebanon. Her last concert with Equation was held in 1986.

Solo career

In 1987, Canaan embarked on a solo career, performing her original compositions, such as "To Oblivion and Back", "Does it Need Some Action", "A Hard Situation", "Hey Richie", and "The Christmas Wish", all which were radio hits. As Canaan's

music Music is the arrangement of sound to create some combination of Musical form, form, harmony, melody, rhythm, or otherwise Musical expression, expressive content. Music is generally agreed to be a cultural universal that is present in all hum ...

evolved, her local fame grew. With Lebanon under

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 ...

occupation, Canaan's concerts were held in East Beirut, Mount Lebanon, and the north of Lebanon. In Tripoli, the second largest city in Lebanon, Canaan performed in front of a sold-out crowd under tight security despite having received

death threats A death threat is a threat, often made Anonymity, anonymously, by one person or a group of people to kill another person or group of people. These threats are often designed to intimidate victims in order to Psychological manipulation, manipulat ...

. In 1987, Canaan performed to a crowd of 20,000 at the Beirut Rock Festival. In 1988, she held sell-out concerts for three consecutive nights at Casino du Liban,Khalife, Mireille. "Lydia Canaan Tells Her Story...and Launches Her English Songs Internationally from Lebanon", ''Al-Hayat'', No. 13,732, Beirut, October 16, 2000. the last performer to grace its stage until it resumed activity following the end of the

Liberation War Wars of national liberation, also called wars of independence or wars of liberation, are conflicts fought by nations to gain independence. The term is used in conjunction with wars against foreign powers (or at least those perceived as foreign) ...

in 1990. Canaan's local success and aspirations for international success were reported on by the

Arab Arabs (, , ; , , ) are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in West Asia and North Africa. A significant Arab diaspora is present in various parts of the world. Arabs have been in the Fertile Crescent for thousands of years ...

media,Hayek, George. "The Lebanese Singer Lydia Canaan Has Invaded the European Market With Her Ballads", ''

Al-Hayat ''Al-Hayat'' ( ''Life'') was an Arabic newspaper based in Beirut from its founding 28 January 1946 to 1976 and in London after its refounding in 1988. It was a pan-Arab newspaper owned by Saudi Prince Khalid bin Sultan, that had a circulation ...

'', No. 12,513, Beirut, June 3, 1997.Haddad, Viviane. "Lydia Canaan Shows Readiness to Hold Charity Concerts—The Only Lebanese Singer Who Performs in English and Has Toured the Major European Capitals", ''Asharq Al-Awsat'', Vol. 24, No. 8,477, London, February 12, 2002. ''

'' writing that she had " ... invaded the European market with her ballads". In 1989, she left Lebanon and settled in Zurich, Switzerland, where she became a naturalized

Swiss citizen The primary law governing nationality of Switzerland is the Federal Act on Swiss Citizenship, which came into force on 1 January 2018. Switzerland is a member state of the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) and the Schengen Area. All Swiss ...

.High, Claire. "With Her Debut Album, ''The Sound of Love'', Recorded in English, Lebanese Singer Lydia Canaan is Tipped to Be the First Middle-Eastern Female Singer to Break into the International Market", ''Arabian Woman'', No. 21, Saudi Arabia, September 2000. There she took vocal lessons with soprano Anita Monti. In 1990, she was interviewed by Radio Z in Zurich where her songs received airplay. In 1991, Canaan began working with record producer David Richards (producer of

Queen Queen most commonly refers to: * Queen regnant, a female monarch of a kingdom * Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king * Queen (band), a British rock band Queen or QUEEN may also refer to: Monarchy * Queen dowager, the widow of a king * Q ...

and

David Bowie David Robert Jones (8 January 194710 January 2016), known as David Bowie ( ), was an English singer, songwriter and actor. Regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century, Bowie was acclaimed by critics and musicians, pa ...

). The same year she gave a live interview for

NBC Europe NBC Europe (formerly Super Channel, and later NBC Channel) was a satellite television network based in the United Kingdom that broadcast across Europe, and it was picked up by various European cable television, cable systems where available. Th ...

. Also in 1991 Canaan signed a two-year contract with London-based production company Spinny Music (led by Queen manager Jim Beach) to write and record her original songs produced by David Richards at

Mountain Studios Mountain Studios was a commercial recording studio founded by American singer and composer Anita Kerr and her husband Alex Grob in 1975 within the Montreux Casino in Montreux, Switzerland. The studio was under the ownership of Queen (band), Q ...

Montreux Montreux (, ; ; ) is a Municipalities of Switzerland, Swiss municipality and List of towns in Switzerland, town on the shoreline of Lake Geneva at the foot of the Swiss Alps, Alps. It belongs to the Riviera-Pays-d'Enhaut (district), Riviera-Pays ...

, Switzerland. The same year she recorded the duet "Love and Lust" with Queen drummer Roger Taylor."Roger Taylor Collaborations". ''Ultimate Queen''. May 8, 2016. Retrieved January 24, 2017."Roger Plus". ''Queen Vault''. June 10, 2016. Retrieved January 24, 2017. The same year, she recorded the duet "Love and Lust" with Queen drummer Roger Taylor."Roger Taylor Collaborations". ''Ultimate Queen''. May 8, 2016. Retrieved January 24, 2017."Roger Plus". ''Queen Vault''. June 10, 2016. Retrieved January 24, 2017. In 1993, Canaan recorded songs "Libnan", "Fallin'", and her cover of

John Lennon John Winston Ono Lennon (born John Winston Lennon; 9 October 19408 December 1980) was an English singer-songwriter, musician and activist. He gained global fame as the founder, co-lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of the Beatles. Lennon's ...

's "Gimme Some Truth". In February 1995, Canaan, who had up until that time performed rock under the stage name Angel, dropped the moniker, and under the name Lydia Canaan presented the pop ballad "Beautiful Life""Lydia Canaan – Beautiful Life". ''Discogs''. January 25, 2017. Retrieved February 3, 2017. (produced by

Barry Blue Barry Blue (born Barry Ian Green; 4 December 1950) is an English singer, producer, and songwriter. As an artist, he is best known for his hit songs "Dancin' (on a Saturday Night)" and "Do You Wanna Dance" (both 1973). Blue has also been a pr ...

and The Rapino Brothers) at the Midem in

Cannes Cannes (, ; , ; ) is a city located on the French Riviera. It is a communes of France, commune located in the Alpes-Maritimes departments of France, department, and host city of the annual Cannes Film Festival, Midem, and Cannes Lions Internatio ...

, France. That Spring, Canaan's international release of the single "Beautiful Life" by London-based Pulse-8 Records gained her international critical acclaim,Sexton, Paul. "New Artist File", ''Music Monitor'', London, April 21, 1995. the buzz culminating in a promo tour in England and radio airplay in the UK, Europe, South Africa, and the Middle East. Canaan performed "Beautiful Life" at the launch of MTV Europe held in

Beirut Beirut ( ; ) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Lebanon. , Greater Beirut has a population of 2.5 million, just under half of Lebanon's population, which makes it the List of largest cities in the Levant region by populatio ...

on May 12, 1995.Daniel, Judith. MTV Europe press release, Beirut, May 12, 1995.“Blitz Press Release”, Beirut, May 12, 1995. In promoting the event, MTV Europe billed her as "the diva from the Middle East". During the press conference, President of MTV Europe Peter Einstein stated: "MTV is proud and privileged to play Lydia's videos on Music-Non-Stop Show... All at MTV have fallen in love with Lydia, her songs, and her performance." Canaan's second single, "The Sound of Love", produced by Barry Blue and The Rapino Brothers and recorded at Maison Rouge Studios in London, was released in 1997. In 1998, Canaan's recordings made in New York City at Jay Ward's Dogbrain Music were exhibited on billboardtalentnet.com and appeared on its RadioBTN top 10 chart.''Billboard TalentNet RadioBTN Top 50'', p.30 New York December 25 Canaan's never-released studio album ''The Sound of Love'' was completed in the summer of 2000. Recorded in London and New York City, it included the track "Right on the Verge", featuring Bryan Adams' keyboardist Tommy Mandel. The album was distributed by SIDI/XEMA in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, UAE, Bahrain, Qatar, Oman, Egypt, Jordan, and Lebanon. In support of the album release, Canaan performed at various venues in Beirut, Jumeira Beach Hotel in Dubai, and Savage Garden Club and Rifaa Golf Club in Manama, Bahrain."Charity Golf Drive Opens", ''

Gulf Daily News The ''Gulf Daily News'' is an English-language local newspaper published in the Kingdom of Bahrain by Dar Akhbar Al Khaleej. The paper, which is one of six daily newspapers in Bahrain, calls itself "The Voice of Bahrain". History The ''Gulf ...

'', Vol. XXIV, No. 220, Bahrain, October 26, 2001. In 2004, "Libnan" was chosen as the title song of the advertisement "Rediscover Lebanon", produced and broadcast by

CNN Cable News Network (CNN) is a multinational news organization operating, most notably, a website and a TV channel headquartered in Atlanta. Founded in 1980 by American media proprietor Ted Turner and Reese Schonfeld as a 24-hour cable ne ...

and commissioned by the Lebanese Ministry of Economy & Trade to promote Lebanon as a tourist destination. In 2014, Canaan was named a semi-finalist by the UK Songwriting Contest for her song "Never Set You Free"."UK Songwriting Contest 2014 Results". ''UK Songwriting Contest''. September 9, 2016. Retrieved August 18, 2017.

Public speaking and advocacy performances

Lydia Canaan gave talks at the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) in Geneva, Switzerland, on seven occasions between 2014 and 2017,Canaan, Lydia. "Islamophobia and Art". ''

HuffPost ''HuffPost'' (''The Huffington Post'' until 2017, itself often abbreviated as ''HPo'') is an American progressive news website, with localized and international editions. The site offers news, satire, blogs, and original content, and covers p ...

''. January 2, 2017. Retrieved February 27, 2017. and reportedly spoke at Casino du Liban in Beirut in 2014."ACS Speaker of the Month Program Welcomes Singer Lydia Canaan", ''ACS Newsletter'', Vol. III, No. 5, Beirut, February 2001. In 2001, she spoke at the American Community School in Beirut, Lebanon, performed at the United Nations International Volunteers Day,The Celebration of the International Volunteer Day (IVD) and the Wrap Up of IYV2001 in Lebanon
. ''UNDP Lebanon''. February 17, 2017. Retrieved February 26, 2017. and was awarded for her humanitarianism. She participated in the Arab International Forum in Solidarity With Palestinian Prisoners in 2014 and the International Forum for Justice in Palestine in 2015, both held in Beirut. In 2015, she performed at a rally in solidarity with Cardinal Patriarch Bechara Boutros Al-Rahi's call to elect a president of Lebanon.

Literature

American author Robert W. McGee mentioned Canaan's songs "So Much To Give" and "Never Set You Free" in his two novels ''Justifiable Homicide'' (2014)McGee, Robert W. (2014). ''Justifiable Homicide'', Fayetteville. . and ''Annie and the Senator'' (2015);McGee, Robert W. (2015). ''Annie and the Senator'', Fayetteville. Canaan and her songs "Shine", "Fallin'", and "Libnan" were referenced in all three volumes of McGee's ''The Iraqi Girl Trilogy'' (2015).McGee, Robert W. (2015). ''The Iraqi Girl: Trilogy Book 1'', Fayetteville.McGee, Robert W. (2015). ''The Iraqi Girl: Trilogy Book 2'', Fayetteville. McGee's characters often risk their lives to listen to Lydia Canaan's music. In 2017, Canaan was featured in British journalist for ''

Newsweek ''Newsweek'' is an American weekly news magazine based in New York City. Founded as a weekly print magazine in 1933, it was widely distributed during the 20th century and has had many notable editors-in-chief. It is currently co-owned by Dev P ...

'' Orlando Crowcroft's book ''Rock in a Hard Place: Music and Mayhem in the Middle East'', about the dangers she faced and obstacles she overcame as a rock music pioneer in Lebanon.Crowcroft, Orlando. (2017). ''Rock in a Hard Place: Music and Mayhem in the Middle East'', London:

Zed Books Zed Books is a non-fiction publishing company based in London, UK. It was founded in 1977 under the name Zed Press by Roger van Zwanenberg. Zed publishes books for an international audience of both general and academic readers, covering areas ...

. .

Honors and awards

Honors

On January 16, 2002, President Emile Lahoud thanked Lydia Canaan for her services to Lebanon. The First Lady, Andree Lahoud, expressed admiration for Canaan's positive representation of Lebanon and invited her to give a short

a capella Music performed a cappella ( , , ; ), less commonly spelled acapella in English, is music performed by a singer or a singing group without instrumental accompaniment. The term ''a cappella'' was originally intended to differentiate between Rena ...

performance at the Presidential Palace on January 28 and February 15. On March 21, 2002, Canaan again gave a brief performance a capella at a presidential ceremony honoring the wives of fallen Republican Guard Officers."Pop Star Brings 'Beautiful Life' to Baabda Palace"
'' The Daily Star'', No. 10,711, Beirut, February 15, 2002.

Awards

* 1988: Scoop d'Or Award by Scoop magazine. Reference: * 1997: Lebanese International Success Award by Lebanese Ministry of Tourism. Reference: * 2001: International Year of Volunteers Award by United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). Reference: * 2003: Association pour la Promotion Feminine Award by Association pour la Promotion Feminine. Reference: "Association To Promote Women", ''Mondanite'', No. 75, Beirut, April 2003. * 2005: Caritas Award by Caritas. Reference: "A Gala Dinner In Support Of Caritas Medical Action", ''Caritas Info'', Beirut, March 2005. * 2014: Lebanese Army Award by Lebanese Armed Force. * 2014: UK Songwriting Contest Semi-finalist Award by UK Songwriting Contest. Reference: * 2016: Silver Medal for Outstanding Achievement by Global Music Awards. Reference: Global Music Awards: Winners—June 2016
. Global Music Awards. January 17, 2017. Retrieved February 26, 2017.

Videography

Music videos

* Hey Richie (1988): Broadcast by LBCI and NBC Europe. * Beautiful Life (1995): Filmed at Canalot Studios and Syon House, London, England. * The Sound of Love (1997): Filmed at the palace of Sir Francis Dashwood in West Wycombe, England.

Concerts

* Live in Concert at Casino du Liban (1988): Lydia Canaan performing as Angel live in concert at Casino du Liban. References:

Oration

* Hostage to Injustice (2014): Delivered at the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) in Geneva, Switzerland. * Fighting Terrorism Without Violating Human Rights (2016): Delivered at the UNHRC in Geneva. * Global Effects of the Persecution of Religious Minorities in the Middle East (2017): Delivered at the UNHRC in Geneva.

Discography

Studio album

''The Sound of Love''
Label: None
Released: Unreleased
Format: Compact disc (CD)
Track listing:
* Beautiful Life by Barry Blue & Marco Sabiu (4:17) * Right On The Verge (Tommy Mandel Mix) by Noel Cohen & Daryl Hair (4:37) * The Sound of Love by Barry Blue & Marco Sabiu (4:10) * A Love That Shines by Noel Cohen & Keith Plex Barnhart (4:42) * The Hurt Won't Hurt (No More) by Barry Blue (3:51) * Every Goodbye Ain't Gone by Geena Breedlove, Noel Cohen & Daryl Hair (4:07) * Without You by Sandy Wilbur & Keith Barnhart (4:32) * Somewhere in the Night by Barry Blue (4:24) * Right On the Verge (Original Mix) by Noel Cohen & Daryl Hair (4:28) * Fade Away by Noel Cohen & Keith Barnhart (4:30)

Singles

* 1985: The Sound of Equation – Lydia Canaan (Unreleased) * 1986: Why All the Hurt? – Lydia Canaan (Unreleased) * 1986: To Oblivion and Back – Lydia Canaan (Unreleased) * 1987: The Hope Song – Lydia Canaan (Unreleased) * 1987: Does It Need Some Action? – Lydia Canaan (Unreleased) * 1987: A Hard Situation – Lydia Canaan (Unreleased) * 1988: And You Call Me – Lydia Canaan (Unreleased) * 1988: Hey Richie – Lydia Canaan (Unreleased) * 1989: The Christmas Wish – Lydia Canaan (Unreleased) * 1989: Me and Little Andy – Dolly Parton cover (Unreleased) * 1995: Beautiful Life – Barry Blue (Unreleased) * 1997: The Sound of Love – Barry Blue (Unreleased) * 2004: Libnan – Lydia Canaan (Unreleased) * 2014: Shine – Lydia Canaan (Unreleased) * 2014: Fallin' Remix – Lydia Canaan (Unreleased) * 2014: Love – Lydia Canaan (Unreleased) * 2014: So Much to Give – Lydia Canaan (Unreleased) * 2014: Gimme Some Truth – John Lennon cover (Unreleased) * 2014: Never Set You Free – Lydia Canaan (Unreleased) * 2017: Desire – Lydia Canaan (Unreleased) * 2017: Never Never Never – Alberto Testa & Tony Renis cover (Unreleased) * 2017: Fallin' – Lydia Canaan (Unreleased) * 2017: Love is Blind – Lydia Canaan (Unreleased) * 2017: Everybody's Running After a Dream – Lydia Canaan (Unreleased) * 2017: Wish I Could Fly – Lydia Canaan (Unreleased)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Canaan, Lydia Living people 1967 births Singers with a three-octave vocal range Women singer-songwriters English-language singers from Lebanon Ballad musicians Greek Orthodox Christians from Lebanon 20th-century Lebanese women singers