Amr Diab facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Amr Diab
عمرو دياب
Amr Diab in 2009
Born	Amr Abdel Basset Abdel Azeez Diab عمرو عبد الباسط عبد العزيز دياب (1961-10-11) 11 October 1961 (age 63) Port Said, Egypt
Other names	El Hadaba ("The Plateau", "The Hill")
Occupation	Singer composer actor
Years active	1983–present
Spouse(s)	Shereen Reda [ar] ​ ​ (m. 1989; div. 1992)​ Zeina Ashour ​ ​ (m. 1994; div. 2018)​ Dina El Sherbiny [ar] ​ ​ (m. 2018; separated 2020)​
Children	4
Musical career
Genres	Arabic pop dance-pop
Instruments	Vocals guitar oud piano
Labels	Delta Sound (1984–1998) Alam El Phan (1996–2003) Rotana (2004–2015) Nay for Media (2016–2024) Sony Music (2024–present)

Amr Diab (born 11 October 1961) is a famous Egyptian singer, composer, and actor. He is known around the world for his music. Amr Diab holds a Guinness World Record and is the best-selling artist from the Middle East. He has won the World Music Awards seven times and Platinum Records five times.

Early Life

Amr Diab was born in Port Said, Egypt, on October 11, 1961. His family was from the countryside of Menia Elamh in Sharqia Governorate. He studied music and graduated from the Cairo Academy of Arts in 1986.

Music Career

Amr Diab released his first album, Ya Tareeq, in 1983. After that, he released many more albums with Delta Sound, like Ghanny Men Albak (1984) and Mayyal (1988).

By 1992, he became the first artist from Egypt and the Middle East to create high-tech music videos.

In 1996, Diab released Nour El Ain with Alam El Phan. This album was a huge international hit. It helped him become famous outside the Arabic-speaking world. He won his first World Music Award for this album. He also worked with other artists like Khaled and Angela Dimitriou.

Experts say that Diab created a special music style with his song "Nour El Ain". This style is called "Mediterranean music." It mixes Western and Middle Eastern sounds.

In 2004, Diab joined Rotana Records and released Leily Nahary. He followed this with successful albums like Kammel Kalamak (2005) and El Lilady (2007).

His album Wayah came out in 2009. In October 2009, he won four African Music Awards for best artist, album, vocalist, and song for "Wayah".

In 2011, Diab released his hit song Masr Allet ("Egypt spoke"). Later that year, his album Banadeek Taala was released. In 2012, he hosted the first Google Hangout in the Middle East from Dubai.

In 2014, his album Shoft El Ayam became the best-selling album in Egypt on iTunes. It also reached No. 1 on the Billboard World Albums Charts. This made him the first Egyptian and Middle Eastern artist to do so.

He continued to release popular albums like Ahla w Ahla (2016) and Maadi el Nas (2017). In 2018, he released Kol Hayaty. He also released a mini-album Ana Gheir in 2019. In 2020, he released his 30th album, Sahran, and another album, Ya Ana Ya La.

From 2021 to 2023, Amr Diab released many singles that topped music charts. In 2022, Anghami announced that Diab's music would be available only on their platform. In December 2023, he released the album “Makanak” with 12 songs, also exclusively on Anghami.

In April 2024, Rolling Stone magazine named his song "Tamally Maak" as one of the best Arabic pop songs of the 21st century.

Musical Style

Amr Diab is often called the "father of Mediterranean music." His music blends Western and Middle Eastern rhythms. He is also a talented composer, having written more than 97 of his own songs.

Music Videos

Diab was one of the first singers to make music videos popular in the MENA region. He was the first Egyptian singer to appear in music videos.

Film Career

Amr Diab also tried acting in movies. He played himself in his first film, El Afareet, in 1989. His second film, Ice Cream in Gleam (Ays Krim fi Glym), came out in 1992. This movie was chosen as one of the best Egyptian musical films by the University of California, Los Angeles.

His third movie, Deahk We La'ab (Laughter and Fun), was released in 1993. He acted alongside famous Egyptian actor Omar Sharif. However, Diab's film career was not as successful as his music career. Since 1993, he has mostly focused on singing.

Amr Diab's Songs in Movies

Some of Amr Diab's songs have been used in different films:

• "Wala Ala Baloh" in Divine Intervention (2002) and The Dictator (2012)
• "Awedouni" in The Dancer Upstairs (2002)
• "El Alem Alah" and "Nour El Ain" in O Clone (2001)
• "Nafs El Makan" in Double Whammy (2001)
• "Tamally Ma'ak" and "Nour El Ain" in Coco (2009)

Egyptian Revolution

During the 2011 uprising, some people criticized Diab for being quiet and leaving Egypt. After former President Hosni Mubarak stepped down, Diab wrote and sang a song called "Masr A'let" (Egypt Said). This song honored those who died in the uprising. He also started a charity campaign called "Masry Begad" ("Truly Egyptian").

Personal Life

Amr Diab has four children. He has been married to Egyptian actress Shereen Reda and Saudi businesswoman Zeina Ashour. He later married Egyptian actress Dina El Sherbiny, but they separated in 2020.

Discography

Main Studio Albums

Awards

Amr Diab has won many awards for his music.

• He won the World Music Award for Best Selling Middle Eastern Artist four times: in 1996, 2001, 2007, and 2013.
• In 2014, he also won Best Egyptian Artist, Best Male Arab Artist, and World's Best Arab Male Artist Voted Online at the World Music Awards.
• He is the only Middle Eastern artist to have received 7 World Music Awards.
• Five of his albums have reached the top 10 on Billboard's World Albums chart. His album Shoft El Ayam reached No. 1 in 2014, which was a first for an Arabic performer.
• In 2016, Diab earned a Guinness World Records title for "Most World Music Awards for Best Selling Middle Eastern Artist."

List of Awards Received by Amr Diab

• Seven World Music Awards (1997, 2001, 2007, 2014)
• Six African Music Awards (2009, 2010)
• Two All Africa Music Awards (2016, 2017)
• Guinness World Record (2016)

Images for kids

• 

  Amr Diab in 2009

See also

In Spanish: Amr Diab para niños