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Mayssa Karaa

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Mayssa Karaa
Background information
Born1989
OriginBeirut, Lebanon
GenresIndie Pop, Alternative Rock, Arabic
Occupation(s)Singer, Songwriter
InstrumentVocals
Years active2010 – present
LabelsSony Classical
Websitemayssakaraa.com
Alma materBerklee College of Music

Mayssa Karaa, also known professionally as Mayssa (born in Beirut, Lebanon), is a Lebanese American singer-songwriter currently based in Los Angeles, California. She was the featured vocalist on the Arabic version of "White Rabbit" on the American Hustle Soundtrack.[1] which was nominated to the Grammy Awards as "Best Compilation Soundtrack" for Visual Media in 2015.[2]

Her song “Hayati” produced by Oscar-winner AR Rahman[3] hit #1 on Apple music India[4] while being featured on the soundtrack of the Indian film Chekka Chivantha Vaanam[5] (directed by Mani Ratnam).

She launched her first single, "Call Me a Stranger", and music video from her full-length English solo debut, Simple Cure, in June 2019.[6]

Early life

Mayssa Karaa was born in Beirut, Lebanon during a time of civil unrest in 1989, she is the daughter of Andre Karaa, a civil engineer and Najwa Karaa, who works with numerous charitable organizations to help people in need.  Mayssa has a younger sister named Rayya.

Mayssa began singing at the age of seven.   She attended the French Jesuit Catholic school “College Notre Dame do Jamhour”.  It was here that her love of performing blossomed when her choir director selected her out of 100 voices to solo at the year-end concert. Karaa went on to attend the Conservatory of Beirut, studying vocal performance, piano, and music theory. During this time, she also performed across Beirut, singing at events for non-profit charities, including Lions Club, UNESCO, the Red Cross and The Lebanese School of the Blind and Deaf.[7]

In 2006, Lebanon was again engaged in conflict, and Karaa and her family moved to Boston, Massachusetts. In Boston, Mayssa followed in her father's footsteps and studied civil engineering.  But, on the eve of graduating, her father encouraged her to pursue her vocal talent.  In 2008, she enrolled in the Berklee College of Music[8] where she  delved into different genres of music including pop, rock, middle Eastern, Eastern European music and classical opera. As a result, Mayssa performs in multiple languages including English, Arabic, Persian, Italian, French, Serbian, Bulgarian and Greek.[9][10][11][12]

Music career

2012-2014 Beginnings with Mayssa Karaa

Karaa began studying Arabic music under composer and instrumentalist Simon Shaheen while in her final year at Berklee, and soon became a guest vocalist in a few of his concerts in the United States and Canada.[13]

She was featured in a PBS special about the life of the great tenor “Enrico Caruso” filmed in Naples, Italy, titled “Enrico Caruso: His Life, His Music, His City” featuring Italian Tenor Pasquale Esposito[14][15] with whom she toured in the United States singing Italian Opera. The documentary also featured world-renowned singer Placido Domingo.[16]

She graduated Berklee in 2012, and that year joined the Berklee World Strings Orchestra to sing a Persian piece “The Passion of Rumi” by Hafez Nazeri, before touring with the group to a number of American cities.[17][18][19]

2014-18 Continued success and solo endeavors

Mayssa Karaa at the premier of American Hustle in Beirut

Karaa sang the Arabic version of "White Rabbit" on the American Hustle Soundtrack, which was released on Sony Classical in 2013,[20] a psychedelic song originally by The Great Society (recorded 1966) and made famous by American band Jefferson Airplane, who released it in 1967. Karaa was in Beirut at the time[21] without access to a studio, she recorded her audition on her iPhone.[22] A week after her audition Karaa flew to Los Angeles to record the track produced by Mark Batson.[23][24]

The song is used in the scene where Victor Tellegio (played by Robert DeNiro) reveals he can speak Arabic, and it is the only song recorded specifically for the film.[25] Heather Phares of Allmusic called Karaa's interpretation "otherworldly," stating that the track "is so striking that it's one of the finest songs on an album packed with big names."[26] The Los Angeles Times stated that her version “outdoes the original."[27]

American Hustle went on to win a Golden Globe and was nominated for several Oscar Awards. Mayssa performed the song at the film's premiere in several cities, including the Dubai International Film Festival, where it premiered in Dubai.[28] In February 2014, Lebanon’s Cultural Minister Gaby Layoun gave Lebanon's National Cultural Award to Karaa at the American Hustle premiere held in Beirut. Layoun stated, “She has created a significant artistic bridge between our culture and audiences around the world. She has made an impact both in Hollywood and as a role model for young women here and abroad. In a world filled with sad days, this is one that brings us great joy and pride for Lebanon.”[29]

International families might identify her with “The Arabic Alphabet Song” from Iftah Ya Simsim the first international co-production of the American children's television series Sesame Street created in the Arab world which generated 27 million YouTube views. She’s worked on 2 other songs with them “Children are the world” and “The four seasons.”[30][31][32]

Melding Arabic influences into Western music is MAYSSA’s forte: notable recordings in her catalog include a version of Pink Floyd’s “Comfortably Numb” accompanied by the band’s Scott Page.[33]

MAYSSA traveled to Detroit, Michigan to honor Rock & Roll Hall of Fame legend Bob Seger. Fronting a band organized by the distinguished producer Don Was, she performed a haunting version of Seger’s “Turn the Page” in both English and Arabic during the 22nd Annual “Concert Of Colors”in 2014 at the Orchestra Hall in Detroit, Michigan.[34][35][36]

2018-present, Simple Cure

In 2018, one of her original song, "Broken Lines" was included as a "up and coming" track on the NOW 66 compilation album distributed in the United States by Universal music USA.[37][38] The Knockturnal magazine said "the song finds cosmopolitan space somewhere between Florence Welch and Dua Lipa."[39] 

She's also had a Tamil song, "Hayati", featured in one of the biggest Tamil films in India Chekka Chivantha Vaanam's soundtrack produced by Oscar-winner AR Rahman which became a major hit in India.[40][5][4]

She launched her first single "Call Me a Stranger"[41][42] and music video of her full-length English solo debut, SIMPLE CURE to be released in June 2019.[43]

Discography

Singles

Incomplete list of songs featuring Mayssa Karaa
Year Song title Album Role Label
2013 "White Rabbit" (Arabic) American Hustle Soundtrack Vocals Sony Classical
2017 "Comfortably Numb (Middle Eastern Version) feat. Scott Page Comfortably Numb (Middle Eastern Version) feat. Scott Page[44] Vocals (Eponymous Label)
2018 Broken Lines NOW That’s What I Call Music, Vol.66 Vocals and co-writer Universal Music Group
2018 "Hayati" Chekka Chivantha Vaanam Soundtrack Vocals Sony Music India
2018 "Call me a stranger" Simple Cure Vocals and co-writer Soundrifft records

Further reading

  • "The Hustle in American Hustle Music: An Interview with Susan Jacobs". Huffington Post. December 25, 2013.
  • "Beyoncé defies expectations". Los Angeles Times. 15 January 2014. Retrieved 18 July 2019.
  • "Mayssa Karaa and A. R. Rahman Craft a Bollywood Hit | Berklee College of Music". www.berklee.edu. Retrieved 18 July 2019.
  • "Album Review: 'NOW What's Next 66'". theknockturnal.com. Retrieved 18 July 2019.
  • "How a Lebanese singer got a Hollywood gig singing 'White Rabbit' in 'American Hustle'". Public Radio International. Retrieved 18 July 2019.
  • "Mayssa Karaa | Berklee College of Music". www.berklee.edu. Retrieved 18 July 2019.
  • "Mayssa Karaa Alum Notes Berklee College of Music". www.berklee.edu. Retrieved 18 July 2019.
  • Video: Mayssa Karaa - "White Rabbit" (December 2013)
  • Video: Mayssa Karaa sings her version of "White Rabbit" NPR. (February 2014)

References

  1. ^ Maglio, Tony (5 December 2014). "Grammy Nominees: The Complete List". TheWrap. Retrieved 9 May 2019.
  2. ^ Weinreich, Regina; Poetics', 'Kerouac's Spontaneous (25 December 2013). "The Hustle in American Hustle Music: An Interview with Susan Jacobs". HuffPost. Retrieved 9 May 2019.
  3. ^ Mirisola, John. "Mayssa Karaa and A. R. Rahman Craft a Bollywood Hit | Berklee College of Music". www.berklee.edu. Retrieved 9 May 2019.
  4. ^ a b "NY RAPPER PENS AND PERFORMS BREAKOUT HIT FOR AR RAHMAN FILM". The Indian Panorama. 6 October 2018. Retrieved 9 May 2019.
  5. ^ a b "Lebanese-American Singer-Songwriter Mayssa Karaa Goes 'Hollywood to Bollywood' in her new song 'Hayati' with megastar AR Rahman". beiruting.com. Retrieved 9 May 2019.
  6. ^ Desk, BWW News. "Vocalist & Songwriter Mayssa Karaa's BROKEN LINES Featured As NOW Presents What's Next Track". BroadwayWorld.com. Retrieved 9 May 2019. {{cite news}}: |last1= has generic name (help)
  7. ^ Nasser, Zeina (21 January 2019). "NAYA| Mayssa Karaa's music breaks lines - Zeina Nasser". An-Nahar. Retrieved 9 May 2019.
  8. ^ Ashton, Kimberly (2014-02-25). "Alumna Mayssa Karaa Sings a Stirring Cover for 'American Hustle' | Berklee College of Music". www.berklee.edu. Retrieved 9 May 2019.
  9. ^ "My participation in Hollywood is a bright picture of Lebanon". www.alarabiya.net. Retrieved 9 May 2019.
  10. ^ "ميسا قرعة.. فنانة "شاملة"" (in Arabic). Retrieved 9 May 2019.
  11. ^ اليوم, دبي ـــ الإمارت (4 April 2015). "ميسا قرعة.. الموسيقى العربية بثوب عالمي". الإمارات اليوم (in Arabic). Retrieved 9 May 2019.
  12. ^ "لصوتها رهبة الكبار وشغف الشباب في آن ميسا قرعا ألهبت مسرح الكازينو فرحاً". An-Nahar. 8 May 2017. Retrieved 9 May 2019.
  13. ^ "MEET MAYSSA KARAA: 'AMERICAN HUSTLE'S' ARABIC RENDITION OF 'WHITE RABBIT' WINS AWARD | AMFM Magazine". 21 June 2018. Archived from the original on 21 June 2018. Retrieved 9 May 2019.
  14. ^ Robinson, Jennifer (2015-06-02). "Pasquale Esposito Celebrates Enrico Caruso". KPBS Public Media. Retrieved 9 May 2019.
  15. ^ "Pasquale Esposito Celebrates Italian Piazzas • Connecticut Public Television". Connecticut Public Television. 15 March 2018. Retrieved 9 May 2019.
  16. ^ "PASQUALE ESPOSITO CELEBRATES ENRICO CARUSO". International Media. Retrieved 9 May 2019.
  17. ^ "Berklee World Strings perform The Passion of Rumi". The Strad. Retrieved 9 May 2019.
  18. ^ Stoughton, India (11 April 2015). "Here's why Lebanese singer Mayssa Karaa's first album will be in English - Post". Arab America. The Daily Star. Retrieved 9 May 2019.
  19. ^ Tasnim, Tasnim (6 April 2015). "Rising Star Mayssa Karaa". Arab Hyphen. Retrieved 9 May 2019.
  20. ^ Recordings, Legacy. "Madison Gate Records & Legacy Recordings Announce the Worldwide Digital Release of American Hustle - Original Motion Picture Soundtrack, an Album of Music from the Upcoming Motion Picture, on Tuesday, December 10, 2013". www.prnewswire.com. Retrieved 9 May 2019.
  21. ^ Ashton, Kimberly (February 25, 2014). "Alumna Mayssa Karaa Sings a Stirring Cover for 'American Hustle'". Berklee College of Music. Retrieved 2014-05-25.
  22. ^ Peavey, April (February 14, 2014). "How a Lebanese singer got a Hollywood gig singing 'White Rabbit' in 'American Hustle'". PRI. Retrieved 2014-05-25.
  23. ^ "اللبنانية ميسا قرعة تقتحم الأوسكار". Laha Magazine. 3 March 2014. Retrieved 9 May 2019.
  24. ^ Peavey, April (2014-02-28). "How a Lebanese singer got a Hollywood gig singing 'White Rabbit' in 'American Hustle'". Public Radio International. Retrieved 9 May 2019.
  25. ^ Garnett, Abby (2013). "American Hustle". Tiny Mix Tapes. Retrieved 2014-05-21.
  26. ^ Phares, Heather (December 2013). "American Hustle [Original Motion Picture Soundtrack]". Allmusic. Retrieved 2014-05-21.
  27. ^ "Beyoncé defies expectations". Los Angeles Times. 15 January 2014. Retrieved 9 May 2019.
  28. ^ "Dubai International Film Festival". MovieBlogBuster. December 17, 2013. Retrieved 2013-03-12.
  29. ^ "اللبنانية ميسا قرعة سَحَرت هوليوود بصوتها القوي المتمكّن أول مشاركة غناء في أميركان هاسل وفيلم على الطريق". An-Nahar. 9 January 2014. Retrieved 9 May 2019.
  30. ^ "Iftah Ya Simsims revamped Album". Bidaya Media. Retrieved 9 May 2019.
  31. ^ "Mayssa Karaa | Berklee College of Music". www.berklee.edu. Retrieved 9 May 2019.
  32. ^ "A Comprehensive Guide of 41 Songs to Help You Learn Arabic". Arab America. 19 October 2016. Retrieved 9 May 2019.
  33. ^ "THE ANGEL OF COMFORTABLY NUMB". ENTERTAINMENT LA. Retrieved 9 May 2019.
  34. ^ Blitchok, Dustin. "REVIEW: Don Was, friends pay diverse tribute to Bob Seger at Concert of Colors". The Oakland Press. Retrieved 9 May 2019.
  35. ^ "Photo Friday: Don Was Detroit All-Star Revue 2014 Concert of Colors". The Wandering Photographer. Retrieved 9 May 2019.
  36. ^ "Detroit Concert of Colors 2014: Don Was All-Star Revue Tribute to Bob Seger's "Live Bullet"". Midwest Guest. Retrieved 9 May 2019.
  37. ^ GmbH, finanzen net. "NOW That's What I Call Music! Presents Today's Biggest Hits On 'NOW That's What I Call Music! 66' To Be Released Friday, May 4 | Markets Insider". markets.businessinsider.com. Retrieved 9 May 2019.
  38. ^ "Various - Now That's What I Call Music! 66". Discogs. Retrieved 9 May 2019.
  39. ^ "Album Review: 'NOW What's Next 66'". theknockturnal.com. Retrieved 9 May 2019.
  40. ^ "Mayssa Karaa and A. R. Rahman Craft a Bollywood Hit | Berklee College of Music". www.berklee.edu. Retrieved 9 May 2019.
  41. ^ "Mayssa Karaa | Berklee College of Music". www.berklee.edu. Retrieved 9 May 2019.
  42. ^ "Mayssa Karaa music, videos, stats, and photos". Last.fm. Retrieved 9 May 2019.
  43. ^ "Mayssa Karaa au Capitol Studios à Hollywood - C.T." L'Orient-Le Jour (in French). 12 December 2018. Retrieved 9 May 2019.
  44. ^ "Comfortably Numb (Middle Eastern Version) [feat. Scott Page]". Retrieved 9 May 2019.
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