Lebanese Musician and Actress Carole Samaha

Originally from Khonchara – Lebanon, Carole Samaha grew up surrounded with a warm artistic mood in her house: Her father Antoine, who always dreamt of witnessing the birth of a real artist in his family, unfortunately had only a glimpse at what his only daughter was capable of before he passed away. Unlike many artists, Carole had to fight her way to stardom alone! In fact, she is one of the few who created their own opportunities in the challenging world of fame.

Carole’s passion for art started showing at a very early age when she used to write scripts for plays, gather her friends at school, and play the role of the director. In addition to that, she participated in many talent shows for kids, and everybody noticed her singing aptitude back then.

When the time came to choose her career, art was an inevitable choice, especially when obvious talent and family support coexisted. Therefore, Carole majored in Acting and Directing and obtained a Master’s degree from IESAV Beirut in 1999.

At the university, Carole captured her teachers’ attention in acting, so she was given hard main roles to perform, such as the famous “Bernarda Alba” in 1996, in which she played the role of a 61 years old woman. Drama Theater was therefore Carole’s first step into the real world of fame.

Carole’s success in that area never seemed to be enough for her, she had a bigger aim: combining both singing and acting. This is when she moved to the next step: the Rahbanis Musical Theater! With a lot of confidence in her skills, Carole presented herself to the masters of the game and instantly grabbed both their eyes and their ears. Her first role “Theodora” in “The Last Days of Socrates” in 1998 left a huge impact on the audience, and her performance received a standing ovation from the very first opening night. For the next few years, Carole gained more and more attention in the Musical Theater and participated in three other plays with the Rahbanis.

Away from theater, Carole’s acting skills also showed in many TV series, both local and regional.

In 2000, Carole’s career witnessed a major turning point. She sang “Bi Sabah el Alf el Talet” (Enta Meen) that represented a huge hit in Lebanon and moved Carole up the ladder very quickly while she had barely started her singing career. At that moment, she realized her ultimate goal was not only theater; it was time for her to focus on music and allow her voice to conquer the entire Arab world. On another level, since theater didn’t give her the expansion she was looking for, Carole found it best to accomplish her aim through singing.

As a result, 2003 was when Carole officially started her singing career. She launched her first album “Helm” and immediately stormed the Arab market with her hit Lebanese song “Etallaa Fiyi” that got her the Best New Arab Female Singer award in Dubai in 2004. Although this new journey was a big challenge to her, she skillfully released two other albums and gained a lot of different awards.

Carole’s fan base grew intensely with every album release especially that she had a lot to offer and particularly her strong voice. In fact, many experts in the field acknowledge her having a very rare powerful and sensual voice, which allows her to sing different styles of music, like combining Oriental and Western which is a unique trait for a singer.

One other thing that distinguishes Carole from other artists is her appealing stage presence that conquers all boundaries with the audience and makes each concert a unique experience. Indeed, in a short period, she toured almost all the Arab countries, participated in renowned festivals and stood on the most prestigious stages of the world such as Rosemont Theater in Chicago, Detroit Opera house, Las Vegas Casino… and she was the first Arabic female artist to perform at the Windsor Caesars palace in Canada in 2008.

In addition, Carole’s trademark in the field is the fact that she is always a pioneer when it comes to new ideas, especially in her video clips, music styles and the exotic topics of the songs she chooses. This made of her a singer for all age groups and societies.

In 2007, the great Mansoor Rahbani wrote an epic play especially for Carole, which motivated her to go back to theater after five years. So for the first time, Carole played a sole female leading role in “Zenobia” that represented a challenging task which she pulled off gracefully and left critics praising her for many months. It was unquestionably her ultimate achievement in the Musical Theater!

It isn’t very weird for Carole to be nicknamed “The Chameleon”. She could switch smoothly from one character to another and indulge her audience in the process. A multi-talented artist! Her voice, dancing and acting skills simply mesmerize the crowd. The relationship she built with the stage couldn’t be described with words: It was and still is an eternal passionate love story!

Finally, Carole’s sense of self reliance also showed in another area. In 2009, having anticipated the market change in the musical industry, she established her own production company “LaCarma” and its first project was her forth album “Hdoudi el Sama”, launched in December 2009. And the best is yet to come…

Posted in: arabic