Whoever followed the media in the 1970s and 1980s, the late broadcaster Hikmat Wehbe must have left a mark on his memory. It constituted a milestone in the journey of audio media on Radio Monte Carlo for 17 years. He was a brilliant communicator, a funny singer, and a different actor. He left an impact on the memory of an entire generation, which still feels joy whenever they watch a video clip of him or listen to one of his songs.
On the 34th anniversary of his passing, those who lived through his time remember him through the song “Tamara,” which was recently released in the voice of his son Jad. With her, his fans, especially the Lebanese, recalled beautiful memories that Hikmat Wehbe’s works still revive in their minds.
“Tamara” is the second musical work launched by the “Modzika” company as part of its project aimed at reviving a group of old songs, as it previously presented the song “Betunisia Peak” by the late Warda Al-Jazairia, with the voice of Angie Shea.
In an interview with Asharq Al-Awsat, Jad Wehbe pointed out that the re-presentation of this song stems mainly from people’s love for it. He continues: “The idea translates this loyalty to Hikmat Wehbe, and the love that many still have for him, despite the passage of 3 decades since his passing. Since I started working on radio, many people have asked me about the possibility of releasing a song for him in my voice.”
He adds: “This work is the result of cooperation between me and the owner of the company (Modzika), Bassem Saeed. He is one of my close friends and an accomplished musician, and his artistic project aims to renew old songs that have gained wide fame. He was excited to re-present “Tamara” in an updated version without losing its original spirit.”
He believes that the time was appropriate to release the song on the 34th anniversary of his father’s passing. What he did with Bassem Saeed's participation was to present it with a new musical combination. He explains: “We made changes in the rhythms, mixed different musical styles, and also introduced a rap clip to keep the song in line with our times. It is included in the list of old Oldies songs that are still sung in restaurants and nightlife venues to this day. We did not make any fundamental changes to it, but rather colored it with instruments and musical styles that increased its elegance.”
Jad, who works in the radio field, is he close to entering the world of singing? Is he thinking of submitting another song for his father? He replies: “No, never.” I will not enter this field and I will not become a singer one day. The whole thing is that I had a singing experience on the anniversary of my father’s passing. Even Hikmat Wehbe was not classified as a singer. It is true that he performed some songs, but as a hobby and diversification, not professionally.
The song was officially released, with the voice of Jad Wehbe, and a video clip was filmed for it, which became available on digital platforms and television screens. He comments: “It was filmed spontaneously while recording it at Modzica studios.” I can only consider this work as a tribute to a journalist who left a significant mark in his professional career. He created a different radio style, in his conversations with his guests or in his humor while imitating artists. I believe that he brought about a shift in radio work, as there was the time of Hikmat Wehbe and before and after, just like the late Riad Sharara, who left his mark on television.”
As for whether he was influenced by his father’s performance when he sang “Tamara,” which is one of the words and melodies of the late Elias Rahbani, he responds: “My father’s performance has haunted me since childhood, and genetics also have a role. There is a remarkable similarity between my voice and his that we cannot deny. I wanted us to bring some change to the performance, which we achieved in the musical combination. So we came up with a work that brings together my father and me in terms of combination, not performance.”
He confirms that re-presenting his father's song is difficult and easy at the same time. He continues: “Responsibility is what made the task difficult, in terms of the necessity of presenting what befits his memory. The easy thing is that the song quickly found its way into people's hearts, because they still remember it. As for building a bridge that introduces the new generation to my father, that is the difficult thing in this equation.”
He explains: “The younger generation does not know him, and may not have heard of him. But it is our duty to shed light again on the name of Hikmat Wehbe. This is what our people did with us, when they introduced us to the generation of giants and beautiful art. Otherwise, we would not have heard of Sayyed Darwish, Umm Kulthum, Muhammad Abdel Wahab, and others, because we, the generation of the eighties and nineties, did not keep up with their artistic achievements.”
He concludes: “It can be said that my father was distinguished by his honesty at work and his closeness to people. Therefore, when I meet people from the old generation, they treat me as if they knew him closely.”
British musician Rick Wakeman has played to audiences around the world, but he recently performed for an audience he had never encountered before: 150 bears inside a reserve in Vietnam.
According to “The Guardian”, the former pianist in the “Yes” band, who later continued a busy solo musical career, sat in front of his instrument to give an exceptional concert for the bears that were rescued from captivity. He said jokingly before the concert: “Before you ask, I will not play (Teddy Bears’ Picnic).”
The British musician is known for his support of animal welfare issues, and owns dogs and cats that were rescued from difficult circumstances. His concert aims to draw attention to the suffering of moon bears held in harsh conditions to extract their bile.
He expressed his concern about the extreme heat expected, saying: “Do you remember the heat wave we witnessed in England? The heat here is double. “They offered to install a fan, but I thought that would only move more hot air.”
The ceremony was held on a Yamaha grand piano, which was placed in the bear sanctuary of the Animals Asia organization, inside Tam Dao National Park. Wakeman had composed new pieces, especially for bears that had been rescued from captivity.
When asked if the bears would enjoy the music, he replied: “They don't have much of a choice, really. It is known that all animals respond to music, especially calm, melodic music. “So I will play melodic pieces on the piano, and I hope you will come closer to the outskirts of the reserve and listen.”
Wakeman has been caring for rescued bears since 2016, and he recently adopted a new bear. “He is only 20 months old, and he is a huge bear,” he said. I went to see him today and he came up to the edge and stood on his hind legs and just kept staring at me. "That was wonderful."
Bile is extracted from bears for use in traditional Chinese medicine, by inserting a needle into the gallbladder and withdrawing its contents. These animals are kept in poor conditions in countries including China and Vietnam, where bile extraction has been banned, but bears still live in cramped cages.
According to the report, the bear bile trade is the fourth largest illegal wildlife trade market in East Asia. It has contributed to the decline in the number of Asian black bears in Vietnam, while estimates indicate that about a third of the number of these bears around the world will be lost within 30 years.
“Seeing these bears being rehabilitated and living a life they never knew before is moving,” said Wakeman, who visited the reserve this week. Some have never set foot on grass before. It's so amazing that it's almost unbelievable what we do to animals. Before that, she was chained in cages, sometimes for 10 or 20 years, in conditions where she could not even turn around.
He hopes that the concert will contribute to highlighting the bears that are still being held in Vietnam, and urging the authorities to release them. He said: “We have 150 bears in the reserve, but there are still 125 bears stuck in cages inside the old bile extraction farms, and 4 of them die every month. We have to get her out quickly and move her to the reserve.”
At his home in the British county of Suffolk, Wakeman used to play for his rescued dogs and cats. He recounted: “I had a cat that used to jump on top of the grand piano. If I stopped playing, she would insert her paw between the strings and move them until I returned to playing. I know my dogs will get up and leave if they don't like the music, and my cats don't like metal, grunge, or rap. “She wants a melody.”
Wakeman spends hours watching the bears. “If you see them, you'll have a hard time finding words to describe them,” he says. She is almost human in the way she looks at you. You can't help but be affected. She is not a pet, but she is very safe and happy; Play, jump and have fun. I saw two of them today jumping into a tub full of bubbles and playing. "They got their lives back."
For her part, the founder and CEO of Animals Asia, Dr. Jill Robinson, said: “We are fortunate to have Rick’s support for the organization and for the bears. His love for her knew no bounds, and could be heard in the captivating music he composed for her. We are all excited to hear his performance outdoors within our reserve, amidst the stunning landscape of Tam Dao National Park. "I can't wait to see how the bears react."
Wakeman concluded: “I hope you sit back and listen, it will make my day.” “I will be smiling broadly.”
Guinness World Records recorded a new achievement in the name of the artist Amr Diab, after he topped the “Billboard Arab” list of the 100 best artists for the largest number of 69 weeks.
This honor represents the second Guinness title in Amr Diab’s career, and is added to an exceptional artistic record that spanned more than four decades, during which he maintained his presence at the forefront of the Arab music scene, and brought his works to successive generations.
Amr Diab stressed that this achievement is primarily due to his fans, indicating that every work he presents always aims to make them happy, and that their love and support constitute the primary motivation behind his continuity.
He added: “I am always keen for my music to develop and diversify with my audience, and I am interested with every new work to know how it receives and interacts with it,” continuing: “My audience and their satisfaction with what I present are the first and most important achievement for me.”
Juhaina Khalidiya, Executive Editor-in-Chief of Billboard Arabia, said: “Today we celebrate an Arab and international artist who created his own formula for success. He not only kept up with the times, but preceded them in many milestones, and the title is an extension of a career that created a large part of our musical memory,” expressing their pride that “this historic achievement was achieved on our lists that document the success of Arabic music.”
The new title is added to Amr Diab's record-breaking record, and confirms the continuity of his influence in the Arab music scene, and his ability to maintain his position with every new stage of his artistic career.
Throughout his career, Amr Diab presented a collection of songs that achieved widespread public success and accompanied successive generations, most notably “Nour El Ain,” which was released nearly three decades ago and continues to enjoy Arab and international spread, passing through works such as “Tamli Maak” and “Qamarain,” arriving at his recent successes, including “Baba,” “Kidnafoni,” and “Lula Al-Banat.” This expansion reflects his ability to combine an established musical archive with new works that maintain his presence in the country. The forefront of the scene.
“Billboard Arabia” is issued by the Saudi Research and Media Group (SRMG), the largest integrated media group in the Middle East and North Africa region, in partnership with Billboard International, the most influential media brand in the world of music in the world. “Billboard Arabia” is a platform specialized in Arab music and culture, highlighting Arab artists, their works and stories, and enhancing its presence regionally and globally.
Guinness is the official global reference for documenting and verifying records and celebrating exceptional achievements from around the world.
