Mohamed Mounir facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Mohamed Mounir
Official poster of Mohamed Mounir, known as The King.
Background information
Native name	محمد منير
Birth name	Mohamed Mounir
Also known as	The King
Born	(1954-10-10) October 10, 1954 (age 70) Aswan, Egypt
Origin	Egypt
Genres	Egyptian pop music Nubian classics blues jazz reggae
Occupation(s)	Singer, actor
Instruments	Vocals, bendir
Years active	1977–present
Labels	Sonar Sound of America Digitec FreeMusic Mirage Africana Alam El-Phan
Associated acts	The Wailers, Amira, Dalia, Anoushka, Hamid El Shairy, Hamid Baroudi

Mohamed Mounir (Arabic: محمد منير) is an Egyptian singer and actor. He was born on October 10, 1954. His music career has lasted for over forty years.

He mixes different music styles in his songs. These include classical Egyptian music, Nubian music, Blues, Jazz, and Reggae. People love his song lyrics because they are thoughtful. They also share strong ideas about society and politics. Fans lovingly call him "El King" (The King). This nickname comes from his album and play called "El Malek Howwa El Malek" (The King is The King). Mounir's family comes from Nubia, a region in Southern Aswan, Egypt.

In April 2021, he sang in the opening show for the Pharaohs' Golden Parade. He performed on an Egyptian boat on the lake in front of the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization.

Early Life and Music Beginnings

Mohamed Mounir was born into a Nubian family in Aswan. He spent his early childhood in a village called Manshyat Al Nubia. There, he shared his father's love for music and politics.

When he was a teenager, his family had to move to Cairo. This happened because his village was flooded after the Aswan Dam was built. In Cairo, he studied photography at Helwan University. During this time, he often sang for his friends and family at parties.

A lyricist named Abdel-Rehim Mansour noticed his singing voice. Mansour then introduced Mounir to the famous folk singer Ahmed Mounib.

Mohamed Mounir's Music Journey

After finishing college, Mounir joined the military in 1974. Even then, he kept singing professionally. He performed in many concerts. His first big concert was in 1975.

At first, some people didn't like that Mounir wore casual clothes. Most Egyptian singers at that time wore suits. But soon, fans grew to like his relaxed style.

First Albums and Popularity

After his military service, Mounir released his first solo album in 1977. It was called Alemony Eneeki. He released five more albums and one soundtrack album with the Sonar record label.

So far, Mounir has released 22 official albums. He has also been featured on six soundtrack albums. These were released with different record labels.

Song Controversies and Tours

One of Mounir's songs, "Maddad," caused some debate. Its lyrics could be seen as asking for help from Muhammad. Muslims have different ideas about whether Muhammad can help between God and his followers. Because of this, the music video was banned from Egyptian TV for a while. Mounir said that fighting against old ways of thinking helps you grow.

In 2003, he released "Ahmar Shafayef" (Red Lipstick). This album went back to his usual style of songs about everyday life. In the summer of 2003, Mounir toured Austria, Germany, and Switzerland. He performed with Austrian pop musician Hubert von Goisern. Later that year, they had a concert in Asyut.

In May 2004, he held a big concert at the pyramids of Giza. During this show, a fan attacked him. Even though he had minor injuries, he kept singing until the concert ended.

Later Albums and Social Messages

Mounir continued to make albums with social messages. These included Embareh Kan Omry Eshren (Yesterday I Was Twenty) in 2005. His 2008 album, Ta'm El Beyout (Taste of Homes), was praised for being creative. In 2012, Mounir released his album Ya Ahl El Arab we Tarab.

In 2008, Mounir postponed his New Year's Eve concert in Cairo. He did this to show support for Palestinians during the Gaza War. He said that delaying the concert was a message to the world to help the people in Gaza.

He was the main performer at the Liverpool Arabic Arts Festival in 2010. He performed on July 9 at the Liverpool Philharmonic Hall.

In February 2021, Mounir announced concerts in Jerusalem, Haifa, Ramallah, and Gaza City. He said he wanted to be a "peace delegate," like Sadat. However, he later said he would only tour the Palestinian cities of Ramallah and Gaza.

Mohamed Mounir's Acting Roles

Besides being a popular singer, Mounir is also an actor. He has appeared in 12 movies, 4 TV series, and 3 plays.

Movie Career Highlights

His movie career started in 1982. He acted in Youssef Chahine's film 'Hadouta Masreia (An Egyptian Story). He also sang on the movie's soundtrack. In 1997, he played a bard in another Youssef Chahine film. This was the French-Egyptian historical drama Al Maseer (Destiny). This movie was shown at the 1997 Cannes Film Festival.

In 2005, Mounir played Bashir, a blind poetry professor, in the film Dunia. The movie is about a belly dancer and poet named Dunia. When Dunia was shown at the 2005 Cairo International Film Festival, it caused different reactions. Some people supported the film's message about women's rights and other important social issues. Others did not like the main character's desire to dance or the scenes filmed in Cairo's poorer areas.

Mohamed Mounir's Music Albums

Official Albums

• Alemony Eneeki (Your Eyes Taught Me) – 1977
• Bnetweled (We Are Being Born) – 1978
• Shababeek (Windows) ^YKB – 1981
• Etkalemy (Speak) ^YKB – 1983
• Bareea(Innocent) ^YKB – 1986
• West El Dayra (In The Middle of The Circle) ^YKB – 1987
• Shokolata (Chocolate) – 1989
• Ya Eskenderia (O Alexandria) – 1990
• Meshwar (Trip) – 1991
• El Tool We El Loon We El Horya (The Length, Colour, and Freedom) – 1992
• Eftah Albak (Open Your Heart) – 1994
• Momken (Maybe) – 1995
• Men Awel Lamsa (From The First Touch) – 1996
• El Farha (The Joy) – 1999
• Fi Eshg El Banat (The Love of Girls) – 2000
• Ana Alby Masaken Shabya (My Heart is Public Housing) – 2001
• El Ard... El Salam (The Earth... Peace) – 2002
• Ahmar Shafayef (Lipsticks) – 2003
• Hawadeet (Stories) - 2004
• Embareh Kan Omry Eshren (Yesterday I Was Twenty) – 2005
• Ta'm El Beyout (Taste of Homes) – 2008
• Ahl El Arab Wel Tarab (People Of Arabs and Music) – 2012
• El-Rooh Lel-Rooh Dayman Bet'hen (Souls Always Long for Each Other) – 2017
• Watan (Homeland) – 2018
• Bab El Jamal (Door of Beauty) - 2021

YKB: Featuring Yahia Khalil's band

Mohamed Mounir's Filmography

Movies

Television Series

• Bakkar
• Ali Elewa
• Gomhoreyat Zefta (Republic of Zefta)
• Al Moghani (The Singer)

Theatre Plays

• El Malek; El Malek
• Al Shahateen
• Masa' Al Kheer Ya Masr

Awards and Recognitions

Mohamed Mounir has received many awards for his music and acting:

• He received the Peace Award from CNN for his album Earth Peace.
• He was given the Diamond Award from "Bama Awards".
• He won the Best Singer award in the July 2008 MEMA competition.
• The management of the Alexandria Film Festival honored him at the opening of its 30th session.
• He won the Platinum Award for the best Egyptian and Arab singer for his song "Yasmina". He sang this song with the international artist Adel Al-Taweel and the "Ich und Ich" team. This song sold 700,000 copies, making it the highest-selling song in Germany.
• For the same song, "Taht Al-Yasmina," he also won third place in a public vote in Germany.
• His song "El-leila Samra" won a BBC poll. It was chosen as one of the 50 best African songs of the twentieth century.
• He also received an Honorable Award in 2005 for his movie "Dunya".

See also

In Spanish: Mohamed Mounir para niños