Ajram was born on May 16th, 1983 to Nabil Ajram and Rimonda Oun, as the eldest of two siblings, Nadine Nariman Ajram and Nabil Ajram Jr. She started singing at the age of eight, when she appeared for the first time in 1991 at a singing contest for kids on national television in Lebanon. In 1995, at the age of twelve, Nancy Ajram took part in the entertainment show, Noujoum Al-Moustakbal, ("Stars of the Future"), a Lebanese television musical competition, winning a gold medal in the Tarab category after singing a song by Umm Kulthum.
Ajram studied music following her early success with renowned Lebanese musicians and although she was less than 18 years old, the syndicate of professional artists in Lebanon accepted her as a member because they found her to be an exceptional talent and deserved to be qualified as a professional artist. Shortly afterwards Nancy released her first album, Mihtagalak ("I Need You') in 1998, with most of its songs holding a pure Tarab style, thus starting her music career at the age of 15. It was followed by Sheel Oyoonak Anni ("Take Your Eyes Off Of Me") in 2000, which achieved more success.
Awards:
1995 Nojoom Al Mustaqbal Golden Award - (Nancy's most significant pre-stardom award)
2003 Murex D'or Award - Best Female Lebanese Singer of the year, Beirut
2003 Murex D'or Award - Best Video of the Year: Ya Salam - Nadine Labaki, Beirut
2003 The Golden Lion Award Egypt
2003 LG Music Award
2003-2004 Zahrat elKhaleej Magazine - Best Female Arab Singer, Dubai
2004 Zahrat elKhaleej - Best Music Video of the Year, Dubai
2004 Arabian Music Awards - Best Female Arab Singer of the year, Dubai
2004 Murex D'or Award - Best Female Lebanese Singer of the year, Beirut
2005 Zahrat elKhaleej Magazine - Best Female Arab Singer, Dubai
2005 Newsweek - Most Influential Arab Personalities, Kuwait
2005 - Honor from the Opera House of Egypt
2006 Murex D'or Award - Best Female Lebanese Artist of the year, Beirut
2006 Murex D'or Award - Best Video of the Year: Ehsas Jdeed - Said elMarouk, Beirut
2007 LG Music Award , Abu Dhabi
2007 Certificate from the Pope of Rome
2007 Middle East Music Awards (Mobinil) - Best Female Arab Singer of the year, Cairo
2007 Arabian Business - Most Influential Contemporary Female Singer in 2007
2007 Arabian Business - Most Powerful Arab Singers
2007 Kol elArab Survey - Best Arabic Star of the year 2007
2008 Annual Doha Festival - Honor Award, Doha
2008 World Music Award - World's Best-Selling Middle-Eastern Artist, Monaco
2008 Student Choice Award - [College Student Survey]: Best Album of the Year 2008, Beirut
Discography:
1998: Mihtagalak
2001: Sheel Oyoonak Anni
2002: Ya Salam
2004: Ah W Noss
2006: Ya Tabtab...Wa Dallaa
2007: [Children's Album] Shakhbat Shakhabit
2008: Betfakkar Fi Eih?!
Sallem Aleha Ya Hawa
Nancy Ajram Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
كان الهوى يحكي معي ... بطل يحاكيني الهوى
سلّم عليها . عليها
سلّم عليها . عليها
سلّم عليها ياهوى
سلّم عليها وانحني ... وبرموش عينيها اعتني
لاتنكر الماضي الهني ... وأيام عشناها سوا
كان الهوى يحكي معي ... بطل يحاكيني الهوى
سلّم عليها . عليها
سلّم عليها . عيها
سلّم عليها ياهوى
In this song, Nancy Ajram addresses her lover, asking him to greet and speak to her heart. She describes how she used to communicate with her heart through love, but now the communication has stopped. She hopes that her lover can bring the magic back by expressing his love to her. She asks him to acknowledge their happy past and cherish the memories they had together. Finally, she repeats the refrain "Sallem Aleha Ya Hawa" which means "Greet her, oh love" throughout the song, as if reminding her lover of his duty to express his love.
The lyrics of the song reflect a common theme in Arabic love songs, where the lover is depicted as a mediator between two separated hearts. The song expresses the longing for the return of the passion and the spark of love that used to exist between the couple. By asking her lover to acknowledge the past, the singer hopes to reignite the feelings and love that existed between them.
Line by Line Meaning
سلِّم عليها يا هوى
Say hello to her, my love
واحكي لها قلبي هوى
And tell her my heart loves her
كان الهوى يحكي معي
Love used to talk with me
بطل يحاكيني الهوى
But it stopped answering me
سلّم عليها . عليها
Say hello to her, to her
سلّم عليها وانحني
Say hello to her and bow down
وبرموش عينيها اعتني
Take care of her eyelashes
لاتنكر الماضي الهني
Don't deny our happy past
وأيام عشناها سوا
And the days we spent together
سلِّم عليها يا هوى
Say hello to her, my love
واحكي لها قلبي هوى
And tell her my heart loves her
كان الهوى يحكي معي
Love used to talk with me
بطل يحاكيني الهوى
But it stopped answering me
سلّم عليها . عليها
Say hello to her, to her
سلّم عليها . عيها
Say hello to her, her eyes
سلّم عليها ياهوى
Say hello to her, my love
Contributed by Noah A. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Asmahan Zgheib
Beautiful