Syrian singer George Wassouf made a remarkable appearance on New Year’s Eve at the Trio Arabic Night which was organized by the Saudi Entertainment Authority in Riyadh.
An exceptional evening was enjoyed by the Riyadh audience which included a large number of the most prominent Arab stars at the Mohammed Abdo Arena Theater at the Trio Arabic Night concert in Riyadh on New Year's Eve 2023.
Wassouf, who was clearly happy during the presentation of his singing segment, performed as a trio together with Lebanese singer Nancy Ajram and Tunisian singer Latifa and sang "Kalam al-Nas," which is considered one of George's most famous songs. They were accompanied by Lebanese singer Nawal Al Zoghbi and Tunisian singer Saber Al Rebai.
Wassouf, 61, has had a long career spanning four decades during which he released more than 30 albums for a significantly large audience of fans throughout the Arab world.
Wassouf is dubbed the Sultan of El-Tarab, having sold over 60 million records worldwide.
Wassouf was born into a family of five children in the Syrian village of Al-Kafroun. His beginning in the arts was at the age of fourteen, when he became famous in Syria through his singing Mawal “Hasbaya.”
He moved to Damascus to sing in the Green Garden Restaurant, but the Musicians Syndicate issued a decision banning him from singing because he was not eighteen years old.
However, an admirer of his talent intervened and allowed him to sing on the pretext that his voice was older than his age.
After his fame grew locally, he moved to Lebanon when he was not yet sixteen years old. The artist George Yazbek and the artist Wadih Al-Safi sponsored him artistically.
He collaborated with composers such as Sayed Makkawi, Shaker Al-Muji and Baligh Hamdi, and he presented many works with them. His song Al-Hawa Sultan became famous, as a result of which he received the title “Sultan El-Tarab.” He participated in the amateur program “Studio El Fan” in 1980.
He met his wife, Shalimar, while performing at a party when he was nearly 21 years old. The civil marriage took place in Paris because her family rejected the match. In other words, when he proposed to her, her family refused him, so he married her without their knowledge.
His second marriage was with the Qatari-Palestinian rally champion, Nada Zaidan. She revealed that she met Wassouf at Aspetar Hospital in Qatar, where she works as the head of the Players Affairs Department.
