Lara Scandar
Lara Scandar as she appeared in "Journey" by Out of the Blue, 2017
Lara Scandar as she appeared in "Journey" by Out of the Blue, 2017
Background information
Born (1990-12-18) December 18, 1990
Santa Monica, California, U.S.
GenresPop
Occupation(s)singer, songwriter, model
Years active2009–present
LabelsJMR Studios
Websitelarascandar.com

Lara Scandar (Arabic: لارا إسكندر; born 18 December 1990) is an Egyptian singer and songwriter who rose to fame in 2009 after winning the finals in the Pan Arab talent show, Star Academy.[1]

Life and career

Early life

Scandar was born on December 18, 1990, in Santa Monica, California to an Egyptian-Italian father and a Lebanese mother, and she is a Christian.[2] Her family moved back to Cairo, Egypt right after her birth. Scandar grew up in a music-loving family where both her father and grandfather enjoyed singing as a hobby. She and her sister Tamara were always encouraged to perform in school plays and musicals as well as out-of-school activities.

Scandar’s parents enrolled her in ballet classes at the age of 4, which she continued to study until the age of 15. At age 6, she began modeling in catwalks for kids’ clothing brands as well as TV and print ads. She continued to model until the age of 17, right before her admission to Star Academy.

Star Academy

After graduating from high school, Scandar auditioned for Star Academy, a Pan-Arab talent show based in Lebanon that brings together young talents from all over the Arab world who have to live together and compete for the "Star" title. She was one of three Egyptians chosen to represent her country on the sixth season of the show, which debuted in February 2009. Scandar stood out by singing in several languages (English, French, Spanish, and Italian). She was the last Egyptian remaining in the competition and reached the semi-finals.

Post-Star Academy

After Scandar's popularity in Star Academy 6, award-winning Lebanese producer and composer Jean-Marie Riachi approached her, and they have worked together since then. She released her first single "Mission Is You" on February 3, 2010, for which she won the MEMA (Middle East Music Award) for the Encouragement Award given to rising artists with evident potential to succeed. Her second and third singles followed within the next year.

Herbal Essences

In 2011, it was announced that Scandar had been chosen to be the face of Herbal Essences Arabia. She wrote her third single, "See The Beauty", specifically for the brand’s advertising campaign.

About A Girl

In 2012, Scandar released her first studio album About A Girl, which included three songs written by her, one Arabic track, a dance cover of Toto Cutugno’s "L'Italiano" and six other tracks. The success of her single "Taalou Ghannou Maaya" (Toto Cutugno’s cover) garnered a larger Arabic-speaking audience and helped gain more recognition in the Arab world as well as several other music awards and nominations.

2014–present

Scandar teamed up with Herbal Essences Arabia for the first online interactive concert in the Middle East, covering popular Egyptian classics as well as originals and other covers in English. The concert allowed fans to interact with the musician during the concert and be the first to listen to her new single "Love Birds".

Scandar is currently working on her new album. She released "Khalas Khalas", her first Lebanese single, in April 2017 and its video clip in May 2017.

Discography

Single Year Peak chart positions Album
LEB
"Mission Is You" 2010 19 About A Girl
"Chains" 2011 12[3]
"See The Beauty" 2011 18[4]
"Falling Out Of Love" 2012 11[5]
"Taalou Ghannou Maaya (تعالوا غنّوا معاي׳)" 2012 4
"—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that territory.
Album Year Peak chart positions
LEBANON EGYPT DUBAI
"About a Girl" 2012 1[6] 1 1[7]

As featured artist

Song
"White Christmas" (on Castana)[8]

Awards

YearAwardCategoryResults
2010MEMA AwardsEncouragement AwardWon[9]
2011Dear Guest FestivalBest Rising Female ArtistWon[10]
2012Murex D'or AwardsBest Rising Female StarNominated[11]
2012Dear Guest FestivalBest Female Youth SingerWon[12]
2013Murex D'or AwardsBest Promising Female SingerWon[13]
2013MTV EMA AwardBest Middle East ActNominated
2013Esquire Magazine AwardsWoman We LoveWon[14]

References

  1. ↑ "Lovely Lara's on a mission". 7days. February 23, 2010. Retrieved May 28, 2010.
  2. ↑ "لارا اسكندر: أنا مسيحية ولكن شهر رمضان يمثلني". gololy.com. 14 July 2013. Retrieved 27 June 2023.
  3. ↑ "NRJ Top 20: Leaders 30 Seconds To Mars Coming To Town! « Beirut The Only Way It Should Be, NightLife, Clubbing, Events, DineOut, Concerts, Festivals, Clubs, Pubs, Bars, Hotels, Restaurants, Lifestyle, Music, Fashion". Beirutnightlife.com. 11 July 2011. Retrieved December 30, 2012.
  4. ↑ "NRJ Radio Lebanon's Top 20 Chart: Avril Takes Over the Number One Spot « Beirut The Only Way It Should Be, NightLife, Clubbing, Events, DineOut, Concerts, Festivals, Clubs, Pubs, Bars, Hotels, Restaurants, Lifestyle, Music, Fashion". Beirutnightlife.com. December 20, 2011. Retrieved December 30, 2012.
  5. ↑ "NRJ Radio Lebanon's Top 20 Chart: Jason Derulo 9 Weeks on the Chart « Beirut The Only Way It Should Be, NightLife, Clubbing, Events, DineOut, Concerts, Festivals, Clubs, Pubs, Bars, Hotels, Restaurants, Lifestyle, Music, Fashion". Beirutnightlife.com. March 27, 2012. Retrieved December 30, 2012.
  6. ↑ Ray Kazan [@raykazan] (March 17, 2012). "@LaraCScandar number 1 @VirginLeb :D awesome album!!" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  7. ↑ "Twitter post". Archived from the original on 2018-07-24. Retrieved 2012-06-09.
  8. ↑ "iTunes - Music - Castana (Cosy Christmas Wishes) by Jean Marie Riachi and Guests". Itunes.apple.com. 2 January 2012. Retrieved December 30, 2012.
  9. ↑ "Lara Scander at the MEMA 2009 Ceremony". Waleg.com. June 2, 2010. Archived from the original on June 22, 2013. Retrieved December 30, 2012.
  10. ↑ "Lara Scandar and Ahmad Ezzat: Best Rising Artists at Dear Guest in Pictures". Wikeez.com. Archived from the original on May 24, 2012. Retrieved December 30, 2012.
  11. ↑ "Lara Scandar nominated for a 2012 Murex D'or award". Youtube.com. June 3, 2012. Archived from the original on 2014-05-12. Retrieved December 30, 2012.
  12. ↑ "DG Festival News - Dear Guest Festival, DG Festival, Egypt Festival, Egyptian Festival, Egypt Survey". Dgfest.com. Retrieved December 30, 2012.
  13. ↑ "Lara Scandar won a 2013 Murex D'or award". {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |url= (help)
  14. ↑ "Esquire". {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |url= (help)
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