Ah W Noss

Ah W Noss (Arabic: آه ونص‎, English: ahh, and a half) is the fourth studio album by Lebanese singer Nancy Ajram. It was released on April 14, 2004 by Relax-In and Megastar Records. This was the follow-up project to 2003's Ya Salam. In 2003, the album launched Ajram to the heights of music, thanks to a string of hit singles which have become part of pop culture today. The Egyptian flavoured album received a massive commercial success in Egypt, especially the Egyptian hit song "Ah w Noss". Serving as executive producer, Ajram's manager, Jiji Lamara enlisted a wide range of producers including Tarek Madkour, Jean-Marie Riachi, Tony Saba, and Adel Ayash. Recording sessions for the album began in mid 2003 and took place at several recording studios throughout Lebanon and Egypt. Musically, the album represents a continuity for her previous effort Ya Salam, which contained Egyptian bellydance songs, pop rock, ballad. The album also explores other genres, such as khaliji (Gulf music).

Ah W Noss
آه ونص
Studio album by
Nancy Ajram
ReleasedApril 14, 2004 (2004-04-14)
Recorded2003–2004
Studio
Genre
Length53:13
Label
  • Relax-In
  • Megastar
Producer
  • Jiji Lamara (exec.)
  • Tarek Madkour
  • Jean-Marie Riachi
  • Tony Saba
  • Adel Ayash
  • Tarek Aakef
  • Mohammed Mustafa
  • Midhat Khamis
Nancy Ajram chronology
Ya Salam
(2003)		 Ah W Noss
آه ونص
(2004)		 Ya Tabtab...Wa Dallaa
(2006)
Collector's Edition cover
Cover for 2-disc Collector's Edition
Singles from Ah W Noss
  1. "Ah W Noss"
    Released: April 11, 2004
  2. "Lawn Ouyounak"
    Released: November, 2004
  3. "Oul Tani Keda [Coke Single]"
    Released: March 5, 2005
  4. "Inta Eyh"
    Released: May 19, 2005

Ah W Noss received positive reviews from music critics. The lead single, "Ah W Noss", went on to achieve massive airplay and video time on the major music channels, commanding the top spot for several weeks. The album was a big hit, on the strength of the lead single. Summer 2004 saw Ajram launch a major world tour on the strength of her new single. With the record, Ajram received several awards, including Murex d'Or, Arabian Music Award and Dear Guest Award. In late 2004, Ajram became the Middle Eastern face of Coca-Cola, which opened a whole new promotional phase for the young starlet. Ajram was also chosen by Newsweek as one of the most influential people in the Arab world in May 2005. The album was reissued in 2006, packaged with both audio and visual discs and a different artwork.

Background and release

Ajram's previous album Ya Salam (2003) was a commercial success and received generally positive reviews from most music critics. The album featured three top ten hits, including other international breakthrough Egyptian single "Akhasmak Ah". After filming the final single of Ya Salam, "Yay" in September 2003, Ajram announced that she began working on the follow-up album to be released in early 2004.[1] With the success of her last album, Ajram wanted to make sure that she didn't fall into one sound or vibe. However, her manager Jiji Lamara described the album as a whole as "supernatural record", stating that the album is different from her past works and contains new collaborations including Lebanese composer Tarek Abou Jaoude and Egyptian producer Mohammed Rahim.[2]

Billboards featuring the album cover filled the streets of Lebanese and Egyptian cities in late March. Ah W Noss was officially released on April 14, 2004 in the Middle East.

Collector's Edition

The album was re-released on July 16, 2006 by EMI Music Arabia for the Middle Eastern and European markets.[3] It's re-packaged as Ah W Noss: Collector's Edition with the audio and visual discs and a different artwork created by photographer Fares El Jammal. The audio disc is a digitally remastered version of the album which also contains mobile wallpapers, the visual disc contains three music videos and other two live performances.[4]

Recording and composition

Ajram began recording songs for the album in mid 2003. The recording sessions for the album took place at Leila, Hot Spot, M. Sound and Sout El Musiqiyyin Studios in Cairo, Egypt, Saba and JMR Studios in Beirut, Lebanon. Ajram worked with several different songwriters and producers on the album, including previous album collaborations such as Tarek Madkour, Mohammed Saad, Samir Sfeir, Tony Saba and Adel Ayash, along with new collaborations with Tarek Abou Jaoude, Walid Saad, Mohammed Rahim, Samir Nakhle, Ayman Bahgat Amar, Mahmoud Khayami, Ahmed Shatta, Mustafa Moursi, Medhat Khamis, Tarek Aakef, Sheikh Sabah Nasser Al Sabah and others.

Ah W Noss features more ballad and belly dance tone than Ajram's previous albums. Primarily a pop and maksoum album, it also incorporates musical elements of pop rock and gulf. The album's production is typified by an oriental sound intertwining guitar licks, bass beats, minor-key melodies, and polyrhythmic vocal harmonies. The lyrical content of the album features generally mixed views on love and boastful lyrics concerning excitement, teasing and adversity.

During recording the album, a song entitled "Ya Si El Sayed" was stolen from the studio after Ajram finished recording it. No information is given about what happened exactly, whether it was due to the neglect of the recording studio or the record label. Fortunately, Ajram had the copyrights of the song so nobody could use it illegally. However the song was re-produced by Tarek Madkour and was released in the follow-up album Ya Tabtab...Wa Dallaa (2006).[5]

Singles
  • "Ah W Noss" was released as the album's lead single on April 11, 2004. The song was sent to Arabic radio stations on the same day. It received positive reviews from music critics, who praised its chorus and thunderous dance beats. The song reached number one on Arabic music charts including Lebanon and Egypt, becoming one of her best charting songs to date. The official music video was filmed by Lebanese director Nadine Labaki in Sidon, Lebanon, Ajram plays a role of an Egyptian villager who escapes her stalker.[6]
  • "Lawn Ouyounak" was released as the album's second single. Music critics praised the song as some of Ajram's best Lebanese vocal work to date, noting the romantic nature of the song. The song peaked at number one on numerous music charts in the Arab world, giving Ajram her fifth number-one on charts. Its Music video, which was also directed by Labaki, is a sequel to the video of "Yay", Ajram plays a bride role in a traditional Lebanese wedding. Traditional wedding beats and chants added at the beginning of the song.[7]
  • "Oul Tani Keda" served as the album's third single and Coca-Cola campaign first single, having its TV premiere on March 5, 2005. The single was a big success, topping several music charts in the Middle East. The music video was filmed with the international Italian director Luca Tomassini, it was made of footage of backstage scenes from Ajram's first Coke commercial.[5]
  • "Inta Eyh" was released as the fourth and final single from the album on May 19, 2005. The song reached the top five of many countries in the MENA region. The song's accompanying music video was directed by Labaki as the sixth collaboration with the singer, in which Ajram portrays a sad wife who discovers that her husband is cheating on her with her best friend. Ajram wakes up at dawn and cries in the bathroom recalling events.[8]

Track listing
Standard edition
No.TitleLyricsMusicProducerLength
1."Ah W Noss" (Yes, I Mean It)Ayman Bahgat AmarTarek MadkourTarek Madkour4:40
2."Badallaa Aleyk" (Flirting With You)Ahmed ShattaMahmoud KhayamiJean-Marie Riachi4:36
3."Lawn Ouyounak" (The Color of Your Eyes)Samir NakhleTarek Abou JaoudeTony Saba3:58
4."Oul Tani Keda" (Say That Again?)Sultan SalahMohammed SaadTarek Madkour4:07
5."Taala Ya" (Come Here)Ahmed ShattaKhaled JnaidAdel Ayash4:48
6."Sana Wara Sana" (Year After Year)Mahmoud SaadFadi SaadTony Saba4:38
7."Inta Eyh" (What Are You?)Mustafa MoursiSamir SfeirTarek Madkour5:05
8."Gayinn You'Ouluoli" (They Came To Tell Me)Mustafa MoursiSamir SfeirTarek Aakef5:24
9."Ana Leyh" (Why Do I)Ikram El AssiMohammed RahimMohammed Mustafa5:29
10."Hobbak Liya" (Your Love is Mine)Mustafa MoursiWalid SaadMedhat Khamis5:17
11."La Teloum" (Don't Blame)Sheikh Sabah Nasser Al SabahSamir SfeirTarek Aakef5:09
Total length:53:13
Ah W Noss – Collector's Edition featuring DVD (Disc 2)
No.TitleLength
1."Ah W Noss"4:40
2."Lawn Ouyounak"3:58
3."Inta Eyh"5:05
4."Badallaa Aleyk" (Live)10:39
5."Oul Tani Keda" (Live)6:46

Personnel

Adapted from the album liner notes.[9]

  • Mohammed Sakr – sound engineer
  • Nash'at Nasr Eldeen – sound engineer
  • Amir Mahrous – sound engineer
  • Elie Saba – sound engineer
  • Jean-Marie Riachi – producer; sound engineer
  • Tony Haddad – digital mastering
  • David Abdallah – photography
  • Fares El Jammal – photography
  • Georges Yucef – graphic design

Awards and nominations
Year Award Nominated Category Result Ref.
2004 Murex d'Or Nancy Ajram Best Female Lebanese Singer Won [10]
Arabian Music Awards Nancy Ajram Best Female Arab Singer Won [11]
Zahrat Al Khaleej Magazine Nancy Ajram Best Female Arab Singer Won [12]
"Lawn Ouyounak" Best Music Video Won
2005 Newsweek Nancy Ajram Most Influential Arab Personalities Won [13]
Dear Guest Awards Nancy Ajram Best Female Arab Artist Won [14]
Opera House of Egypt Nancy Ajram Honor Won [15]

Cover versions of some songs
  • In 2008, four years after the release of this album, the Turkish singer Lara included a song entitled "İhanetin Bekçisi" in her 2008 album Yadigar, which is actually a cover of Nancy Ajram's "Inta Eih".[16]

References
  1. "نانسي عجرم تنتهي من تصوير "سحر عيونو"". Asharq Alawsat (in Arabic).
  2. "نانسي عجرم تحيي عيد الأضحى في دبي والكويت!". Asharq Alawsat (in Arabic).
  3. "Ah W Noss Collector's Edition". Amazon.
  4. "آه ونص.. بالصوت والصورة". Elaph (in Arabic).
  5. "نانسي وال'كوكا كولا'..!". Farfesh (in Arabic).
  6. "ابتداء من اليوم عرض 'آه ونص' لنانسي على التلفزيون". Farfesh (in Arabic).
  7. "عيون نانسي عجرم". Al Jazirah (in Arabic).
  8. ""نانسي عجرم - لا أرضى أن يخونني رجل أحبه"". Al Arabiya (in Arabic).
  9. Nancy Ajram (2004). Ah W Noss (Media notes). Relax-In/Megastar. 7243 576650 2 5.
  10. "Nancy Nabil Ajram". Welcome Qatar.
  11. "شكوى من فوضى تنظيمية ضاربة في حفل جوائز الموسيقى العربية بدبي". Asharq Alawsat (in Arabic).
  12. "هذه هي جوائز نانسي عجرم". Paparazzi. Archived from the original on 2017-09-15. Retrieved 2017-09-24.
  13. "نانسي اقتحمت الأروقة السياسية بوجه طفولي وجلابية شعبية". Asharq Alawsat (in Arabic).
  14. "Dear Guest Festival 2005". Dear Guest Festival.
  15. "رئيس مهرجان القاهرة للأغنية يدافع عن تكريم نانسي عجرم". Alwatan (in Arabic).
  16. Lara - İhanetin Bekcisi, retrieved 2020-02-02
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