Massari
Massari | |
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File:Massari.jpg | |
Background information | |
Birth name | Sari Abboud |
Born | Beirut, Lebanon | December 10, 1980
Origin | Montreal, Quebec |
Genres | R&B, pop, hip hop |
Occupation(s) | Singer, songwriter |
Years active | 2001–present |
Labels | Universal Music / SAL&CO |
Website | www |
Sari Abboud (Template:Lang-ar; born December 10, 1980),[1] better known by his stage name Massari ( /məˈsɑːri/ mə-SAH-ree),[2] is a Lebanese Canadian R&B/pop singer.[1] His music combines Middle Eastern culture with western culture. He started his musical career in 2001–2002, and has released three albums, Massari in 2005, Forever Massari in 2009 and Beirut in 2017. He has had a number of hit singles in Canada, his home country of Lebanon, the Middle East, Europe, and internationally. He is managed by SAL&CO.
Early life and education
Born in Beirut, his family relocated to Montreal, Quebec when he was 11 years old. At the age of 13, he and his younger brothers moved to Ottawa, Ontario, where he attended Hillcrest High School.[1]
Musical career
He started his musical career in 2001-2002[2] adopting the stage name Massari, which in Lebanese Arabic, Massari (مساري maṣāri ) means "money".[3] The chosen name is also reminiscent of his birth name Sari. His cultural and social upbringing shaped his musical style very early in his music career.[4] He released his first song "Spitfire" (2002) which was aired on Ottawa radio stations.[3] Since then, Massari has been steadily writing and developing his sound.
2005-2007: Debut self-titled album and success with CP Records
After three years of preparation, he released a self-titled album Massari on CP Records. His debut album resulted in four singles, receiving Gold certification in Canada, and he continued to have international success in Europe, Asia, the Middle East.[5] Two of his early singles "Be Easy" and "Real Love" besides being two of his major hits in Canada, cracking the Canadian Top 10, they also charted notably in the German Singles Chart. Based on his initial success, Massari signed a record deal with independent record label, CP Records, becoming the prominent successful performing artist for the record company alongside Belly (rapper).[2] On November 14, 2007, Massari and his record label, CP Records, came to a mutual agreement to end their relationship.[6]
2009-2010: Forever Massari and signing with Universal
During 2009, he released two tracks from the forthcoming album, namely "Bad Girl" and "Body Body". The album itself Forever Massari was officially released on Universal Records Canada on 10 November 2009. It included songs by writers and producers like Rupert Gayle, Alex Greggs, Derek Brin, Rob Wells and Justin Forsley.
2011-2013: Signing again with CP
In summer of 2011, Massari signed again with CP Records, after five years of his departure from the label. On June 20, 2012, Massari realized there was money to be made off of the Middle Eastern ethnic audience, and released a free single called "Full Circle" featuring Belly as introduction for his new project. Massari's first single for the third album called "Brand New Day" was released on July 1, 2012 (Canada Day).[2] Massari shot the video in Miami with Canadian director RT!. On January 2013, "Brand New Day" went Gold in Canada. It also charted on the Austrian Ö3 Austria Top 40, German Media Control Charts and Swiss Hitparade. The second single from the album, "Shisha" features French Montana. It was released on May 21, 2013.
2017-Present: New Music and BEIRUT
On March 24, 2017, Massari released a brand new song "So Long" along with a music video featuring former Miss Universe Pia Wurtzbach.[7] It was the first single from his upcoming album BEIRUT, named after the capital city of Lebanon where Massari was born. The new album will contain features from Tory Lanez, Beenie Man, Shaggy, Afrojack and producer DaHeala. On March 31, 2017, a follow-up single "Done Da Da" was released along with a music video which received over 7.2 million views within 3 weeks on Vevo.[8]
Artistry
Influences
Massari is fluent in English, Arabic, and French. He has been exposed to a wide variety of music styles. He says his biggest influence is George Wassouf[9] Massari says, "I sing from my heart and George Wassouf taught me to do that."[10]
Many of Massari's songs are influenced by his Middle-Eastern origins. Most of his songs contain Middle-Eastern Arabic melodies.[3] Massari says, "Because of my background, my music is heavily influenced with Middle-Eastern melodies. Over the past few years so many artists are trying to bring Arabic styles into their music, but mine is authentic."[2] Massari sings and raps about women. "My music is made for the ladies because that's where I get my inspiration. You'll notice a lot of the music is upbeat and positive. Women give off so much energy; it's hard not to be inspired by them."[2]
Music style
Massari is known for his music and repping Parasuco (purchased from well-known Ontario clothing store International Clothiers) in his low-to-mid budget music videos.[2] A large portion of Massari's work incorporates elements of both singing and rapping, depending on whether or not another artist is featured on the track. Overall, Massari incorporates elements of R&B, hip hop, and pop in his music.[2]
Discography
Studio albums
Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | Certifications |
---|---|---|---|
CAN | |||
Massari |
|
29 | |
Forever Massari |
|
— | |
Beirut[12] |
|
— |
Singles
Year | Title | Peak chart positions | Certifications | Album | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
CAN [13][14] |
AUT [15] |
GER [16] |
POR [17] |
SUI [18] |
ROM [19] |
LEB [20] | ||||
2005 | "Smile for Me" (feat. Loon) | 18 | — | — | 12 | — | — | — | Massari | |
"Be Easy" | 4 | — | 70 | 16 | — | — | — | |||
2006 | "Real Love" | 9 | — | 48 | 48 | — | — | — | ||
"Rush the Floor" (feat. Belly) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
2008 | "Say You Love Me" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | non-album singles | |
"In Love Again" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
2009 | "Bad Girl" | 77 | — | — | — | — | — | — | Forever Massari | |
"Body Body" | 81 | — | — | 81 | — | — | — | |||
2011 | "Dance for Your Life" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | non-album singles | |
2012 | "Full Circle" (feat. Belly) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
"Brand New Day" | 41 | 26 | 29 | 24 | 24 | — | — | |||
2013 | "Shisha" (feat. French Montana) | 37 | — | — | 37 | — | — | — |
| |
2014 | "What About the Love" (feat. Mia Martina)[21] | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
2017 | "So Long" | — | — | — | — | — | — | 7 | Beirut | |
"Done Da Da" | — | — | — | 21 | — | 15 | 15 | |||
"Number One" (feat. Tory Lanez) | — | — | — | — | — | — | 20 |
Guest appearances
Title | Year | Album |
---|---|---|
"Soul on Fire" (KMC feat. Beenie Man & Massari) |
2006 | Soul on Fire |
"Ya Dunya" (Belly feat. Massari) |
2007 | The Revolution |
"Latin Moon" (Mia Martina feat. Massari) |
2011 | Devotion |
"That Kinda Love" (Sol City feat. Massari) |
— |
Awards/nominations
- 2005: Much Music Video Awards : Best Independent Video (Nominated)
- 2005: Much Vibe Best Rap Video (Nominated)
- 2005: Canadian Urban Music Awards : Best New Artist and R&B/Soul Recording of the Year (Nominated)
- 2006: Much Music Award : Best Director (Nominated)
- 2006: Best Cinematography (Nominated)
- 2006: Best Pop Video "Be easy" (Won)
- 2006: Best Independent Video "Be Easy" (Nominated)
- 2006: People's Choice Favorite Canadian Artist (Nominated)
- 2006: Juno Award R&B/Soul Recording of the Year (Nominated)
- 2012: Miss Arab USA Pageant Honors Award
- 2013: SIRIUSXM Indie Awards Dance Artist of the Year (Won)
- 2014: Murex d'Or Award Best International Arabian Artist (Won)
Citations
- Ottawa Citizen: "Back with a splash: Rebuilding the Massari empire"[dead link]
- BlackBeatsFM Interview with Massari (German)
- Metro News Toronto: Forever or nothing[permanent dead link]
- Star Phoenix: Rebuilding Massari empire[dead link]
- PlanetUrban (Australia) interview with Massari
- Naked Eye video interview with Massari
References
- ^ a b c "Massari biography". imdb.com. Retrieved 9 January 2011.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Waly, Amr (26 February 2007). "Massari's Life Story". Retrieved 16 August 2012.
- ^ a b c "Massari Biography". LetsSingIt. 5 July 2009.
- ^ "Massari and CP Records Part Ways". Newsblaze.com. 2007-11-19. Archived from the original on 2013-02-06. Retrieved 2012-08-20.
{{cite web}}
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suggested) (help) - ^ "Massari and CP Records Part Ways". News Blaze. 19 November 2007. Archived from the original (Newspaper article) on 6 February 2013. Retrieved 16 August 2012.
{{cite web}}
: Unknown parameter|deadurl=
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suggested) (help) - ^ "Massari". Tube Lyrics. Retrieved 16 August 2012.
- ^ "Singer Massari Delivers 'So Long' Video Starring Former Miss Universe Pia Wurtzbach". Billboard. Retrieved 2017-05-05.
- ^ "Massari Debuts 'Done Da Da' Video, Talks Middle Eastern Roots & Forthcoming U.S. Debut 'BEIRUT'". Billboard. Retrieved 2017-05-05.
- ^ "Massari". Massari | American Music Channel. American Music Channel. 2012. Archived from the original on 9 December 2011. Retrieved 15 August 2012.
{{cite web}}
: Unknown parameter|deadurl=
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suggested) (help) - ^ "Massari". Jackhouse. URBNET. 2012. Archived from the original on 2 December 2013. Retrieved 15 August 2012.
{{cite web}}
: Unknown parameter|deadurl=
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suggested) (help) - ^ a b c https://musiccanada.com/gold-platinum/?fwp_gp_search=massari
- ^ Massari Debuts 'Done Da Da' Video, Talks Middle Eastern Roots & Forthcoming U.S. Debut 'BEIRUT'
- ^ "Massari Album & Song Chat History". Billboard charts. Retrieved 11 December 2011.
- ^ Billboard - Massari page
- ^ Austrian Singles Chart peaks: Massari page Archived January 29, 2016, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ German peaks
- ^ aCharts.com Massari discography
- ^ Swiss Hitparade peaks: Massari page
- ^ http://romanianchart.blogspot.ca/
- ^ http://www.olt20.com/Massari#fragment-2&panel1-3
- ^ https://itunes.apple.com/ca/album/what-about-love-feat.-mia/id829478186