Assi el-Helani

“Since I first started singing until now I’ve been influenced by the traditional folklore of my hometown Baalbek. Our folklore is very rich.

All the songs I’ve performed have been taken from Baalbek’s heritage. I fuse it with modern music. But always trying to preserve the traditional folklore.

My family is also influenced by our heritage. This is the environment to which we belong.

I always say that our homeland is: heritage, land and people. If we don’t protect our heritage, land and people, there’ll be no homeland.

Heritage is an inevitable part of life for the people of Baalbek and all the Lebanese.   

I’m really happy to take part in this festival. Last year I performed with the Caracalla dance troupe at the Baalbek festival. We put on a play called Opera Al-Daiaa and it was successful.

This year I’m pleased to take part in another international festival in Lebanon in Tyre. This city is a symbol of endurance, resistance and people’s loyalty to their land.

We want to let the Israeli enemy know that despite their brutal attacks on our people in the south and throughout all of Lebanon we will continue resisting because Lebanon is a country of great culture, art and tourism. No-one can weaken our strong will or make us lose hope.

We will stay in Lebanon. This year Lebanon has been stable. This is due to the many Arab and foreign tourists as well as Lebanese expatriates who return and revive their country. 

Nowadays music in the Arab world has developed. We have classy music. But at the same time some people are presented as singers though they don’t have a good voice.

I believe that there’s good and bad music.

I believe singers of today should unite and fight this wave of bad singing. I blame some TV channels, radio stations and newspapers that encourage this phenomenon.

We must put an end to this wave of bad singing and monitor the voices and the music shown on Arab media.”

Next Music Station airs at the following times GMT each week: Tuesday: 2000; Wednesday: 1200; Thursday: 0100; Friday: 0600; Saturday: 2000; Sunday: 1200; Monday: 0100; Tuesday: 0600. Click here for more on the series.