Saad Lamjarred

Saad Lamjarred (Arabic: سعد لمجرد‎; born April 7, 1985) is a Moroccan pop singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, dancer, record producer and actor. He grew up in an artist family and became famous after his songs broke YouTube audience records, making him a major figure in Arab Pop, and the first singer to popularize Pop Music in Moroccan Dialect considered the most difficult to understand in the Middle East.[1]

Saad Lamjarred
Lamjarred in 2015
Background information
Birth nameSaad Al-Bachir Lamjarred
سعد البشير لمجرد
Born (1985-04-07) April 7, 1985
Rabat, Morocco
Genres
Occupation(s)
  • Singer-songwriter
  • record producer
  • actor
Instruments
  • Vocals
  • piano
  • drums
Years active2007–present

Early life

Lamjarred was born to Bachir Abdou, a Moroccan classical singer, and Nezha Regragui, an actress and comedian.[2] From an early age, Lamjarred had a special interest in playing the piano, as well as singing as early as the age of four.

Lamjarred then went on to study at the Conservatory of Music in Rabat, where he studied music, art theory and dance. He would perform many productions wherein he would collaborate with his father.

Lamjarred moved to the US in 2001 and cites this as one of the main sources of inspiration for his music, crediting the experience for exposing him to western music and having a defining effect on his style and the type of artist he wanted to identify as.[2]

Career

In 2007, Lamjarred took part in Super Star, a widely popular Arab talent TV show, and was placed second[3] in season 4 of the series that was won by the Tunisian Marwan Ali. His participation earned him recognition.

In 2011, Lamjarred started his acting career, playing the male lead in Ahlam Nassim, a Moroccan soap opera. He released an album in 2013, titled Wala Aalik. That same year, he released two more EPs, namely Salina and Enty. The title song of the latter, "Enty" (Arabic: أنتي‎), became one of Lamjarred's biggest hits and earned him an award at the Méditel Morocco Music Awards 2014,[4][5][6] as well as a nomination for the Best Middle East Act at the 2014 MTV Europe Music Awards.[7]

Lamjarred was also nominated for the Best Middle East Act at the 2014 MTV Europe Music Awards.[7] He won the Murex d'Or in the category of "Best Arabic Song" for his 2014 song "Enty".

The music video for Lamjarred's 2015 hit single, "Lm3allem" (Arabic: لمعلم‎), earned a Guinness World Record achievement after garnering 700 million views on YouTube within three months of release.[8][9] As of November 2020, the video is the most viewed Arabic video on YouTube, garnering 868 million views.

A year later, Lamjarred released another single titled "Ana Machi Sahel" (Arabic: أنا ماشي ساهل‎), which he soon followed up with a black-and-white music video released on YouTube that features dozens of Lamjarred's fans, who have filmed themselves singing along to the song at home, in their cars and out and about.[10] Lamjarred didn't wait too long to release another single by the name of "Ghaltana" (Arabic: غلطانة‎) in the form of a video clip directed by Amr Rouani. The video caught eyes because of its Wild West, gritty feel, inspired by Rouani's childhood love of Mad Max films.[11]

Following this success, Lamjarred's music production took a brief gap while he was on trial in Paris for "sexual assault",[12] but soon made a come-back with his August 2017 comeback titled "Let Go". It was an immediate hit, it earned about half a million views on YouTube within an hour of its release.[13] Lamjarred later released new hit songs such as "Ghazali" (Arabic: غزالي‎), another big hit that earned more than half a million views only minutes after the video went live at an average of 50 thousand views every five minutes.[14] "Ghazali" was then succeeded by "Casablanca", in which Lamjarred sings in French.[15]

August 2018 saw Lamjarred incarcerated once more in Saint Tropez, halting his music career again until December 2018, in which he released another single, titled "Baddek Eih" (Arabic: بدك ايه‎). Within 4 hours of publication, the official music video received over a million views on YouTube.

In July 2019, Lamjarred performed and released a duet with Egyptian actor and fellow singer Mohamed Ramadan titled "Ensay" (Arabic: إنساي‎), which garnered over 100 million views within a month of publication.[16]

On June 10, 2020, Lamjarred reached 10 million subscribers on his official YouTube channel, and becoming the first Arab African singer to get the Diamond Button.

Personal life

Lamjarred leads a very private love life, but there were confirmed rumors that he was once married, and divorced around 2015. When asked about it by the media, he blamed jealousy, claiming that it could "really destroy lives", especially since he works in entertainment.[17]

Rape allegations and investigations

In February 2010 while visiting the United States, Saad Lamjarred was accused of beating and raping a woman from Brooklyn, New York. Lamjarred fled the U.S. after posting bail and was in risk of being arrested if he returned.[18] The case was dropped in 2016, after the accuser "stopped cooperating with prosecutors" and reached a settlement in a lawsuit.[19][20]

Lamjarred was arrested at the Marriott Champs Elysées at the 17th arrondissement of Paris on October 25, 2016, where he appeared before a French prosecutor to face the charges about an alleged sexual assault against a French woman.[18][21] He was scheduled to perform at the Palais des congrès de Paris on October 29, 2016. Lamjarred was released in April 2017, but still faced charges.[22] In early 2017, he was "prohibited from performing in public, traveling and speaking to media".[20] The King of Morocco, Mohammed VI, helped him cover his fees and hire a legal team.[19][23] In 2017, a French-Moroccan woman accused him of sexual misconduct and abuse at an apartment in Casablanca, Morocco, back in 2015.[19][23] She later withdrew the complaint "under pressure from her family".[23]

On August 26, 2018, he was once again arrested in Saint-Tropez on a new rape allegation in France. Lamjarred, who has denied the allegations, was released on a bail of 150,000 euros and could not leave France.[19][23] His release on bail was later appealed by the Parquet of Draguignan (public prosecutor). On September 18, 2018, he was incarcerated in France following a decision of the cour d'appel (court of appeal) from Aix-en-Provence.[24] On November 20, 2018, it was announced that he had been cleared of rape charges, but would be tried for "crimes of sexual assault and willful violence".[25] On December 6, 2018, it was announced that French authorities had released Lamjarred on a conditional release and that he was awaiting trial. His Moroccan passport was confiscated, he was not allowed to leave France and he had to report to the nearest precinct once a week.[26][27]

Following the third allegation, a campaign started on the social media with the hashtags "Lamjarred out" and "masaktach" (A Moroccan term expressing refusal to be silenced), with the users demanding that his songs being taken off the radio stations. 2M and Hit Radio were among the first to take his songs off the airways, with the latter saying that they would ask their listeners whether they should keep the ban permanent or not.[28]

In September 2018, after a campaign on social networks, some Moroccan media stopped their broadcast of Lamjarred's songs.[29] In December 2018, he was released from jail after serving his sentence, but was unable to leave France until August 2019.[30] In April 2019, the judge overseeing the case from October 2016 "redefined" the charges against him due to lack of evidence to prove him guilty and referred his case to the criminal court.[31][32] On December 18, 2019, he had his first public concert in Riyadh after three years. Days before the concert, a number of Saudi users on Twitter expressed their disapproval of Lamjarred's upcoming concert in the country's capital.[33]

In January 2020, the investigative chamber of the Paris Court of Appeal referred the case from October 2016 to the court of assizes.[31] In April 2020, The Paris Court of Cassation annulled the decision made by the investigative chamber as "the code of criminal procedure was not respected and referred the case back to the criminal court.[34][35]

On October 15, 2020, a concert that he was supposed to perform in Cairo was cancelled after a social media outcry over his accusations of rape.[36]

Discography

Albums
Title and details Notes
Wala Aalik (ولا عليك)
  • Type: Album
  • Released: 2013
No.TitleLength
1."Wana Mali (Club Edition) – وانا مالي ريميكس"3:11
2."Jiti Fe Bali – جيتي في بالي"3:41
3."Waadini – واعديني"3:52
4."Lemima – لميمة"3:55
5."Aziz Ou Ghali – عزيز وغالي"3:37
6."Salina – سالينا"4:37
7."Lemen Nechki – لمن نشكي"3:32
8."Wala Elik – ولا عليك"3:33
9."Wana Mali – وانا مالي"3:49
10."Katnadini – كتناديني"3:57
11."Chemaa – شمعة"3:45
12."Mal Habibi – مال حبيبي"3:15

Singles
  • 2009: "Waadini" (واعديني)
  • 2012: "Salina Salina" (سلينا سلينا)
  • 2014: "Enty" (أنتي)
  • 2015: "Lm3allem" (لمعلم)
  • 2016: "Ana Machi Sahel" (أنا ماشي ساهل)
  • 2016: "Ghaltana" (غلطانة)
  • 2017: "Let Go"
  • 2018: "Ghazali" (غزالي)
  • 2018: "Ya Allah" (يا الله)
  • 2018: "Casablanca"
  • 2018: "Baddek Eih" (بدك ايه)
  • 2019: "Njibek" (نجيبك)
  • 2019: "Ykhalik Lili" (يخليك للي)
  • 2019: "Salam" (سلام)
  • 2019: "Daba Tzian" (دابا تزيان)
  • 2020: "Adda Elkalam" (عدى الكلام)

Duets
  • 2012: "Aziz W Ghali" (عزيز وغالي) – feat. Bachir Abdou
  • 2012: "Sa'aa Saaida" (ساعة سعيدة) – feat. Sofia Mountassir
  • 2014: "Wana Ma'ak" (وأنا معاك) – feat. Asma Lamnawar
  • 2014: "Ya Ensan" (يا إنسان) – feat. Salah Alkurdi
  • 2019: "Ensay" (إنساي) – feat. Mohamed Ramadan
  • 2020: "Asef Habibi" (آسف حبيبي) – feat. Fnaïre
  • 2020: "Chidde W Betzul" (شدت وبتزول) – feat. Salah Kurdi
  • 2020: "Bab Alrajaa" (باب الرجاء) – feat. Mohamed Reda
  • 2021: "Lewjah Tani" (لوجه التاني) – feat. Zouhair Bahaoui

Awards and nominations
Year Awards Category Nominated work Result
2014MTV Europe Music AwardBest SongENTYNominated
2014 Morocco Music AwardsBest SongENTYWon
2015Murex d'orBest Arabic SongENTYWon
2015DearGuest AwardBest SongLm3allemWon
2016Murex d'orBest Male SingerSaad LamjarredNominated
2016Big Apple Music AwardsBest Male SingerSaad LamjarredNominated
2016MTV Africa Music AwardsListener's ChoiceSaad LamjarredNominated
2017AnghamiMore than 100 millions playsSaad LamjarredWon
2017Arab Nation Music Awards Best Moroccan SongGhaltanaWon
2017Arab Nation Music Awards Best Music Video On YouTubeAna Machi SahelWon
2017Arab Nation Music Awards Best Arabic SongGhaltanaWon
2017Murex d'orBest Arabic SongGhaltanaWon
2017Murex d'orThe People's Choice AwardSaad LamjarredWon
2017daf BAMA Music AwardsBest SongLET GOWon
2017HAPA Music AwardsBest African ArtistSaad LamjarredNominated
2017Morocco Music AwardsBest Music VideoLET GOWon
2018Africa Music AwardsBest Male Northern ArtistSaad LamjarredNominated
2018Arab Nation Music AwardsBest Singer in North AfricaLET GOWon

References
  1. Saad Lamjarred breaks the record in Middle East & North Africa with 100M views on YouTube in 3 months!
  2. "Saad Lamjarred finds success in simplicity". The National. Retrieved May 3, 2016.
  3. "The career of Moroccan pop star – Saad Lamjarred". Al-Arabiya. Retrieved May 3, 2016.
  4. "Découvre les gagnants au Méditel Morocco Music Awards #MMMA 2014 avec HIT RADIO". HIT RADIO. Retrieved May 3, 2016.
  5. "ENTY – Saad Lamjarred | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved May 3, 2016.
  6. "#BBCtrending: Why it's tough being a groupie in Kuwait". BBC News. Retrieved May 3, 2016.
  7. "Mohammed Assaf wins Best Middle East Act at the MTV European Music Awards". The National. Retrieved May 3, 2016.
  8. "Saad Lamjarred New Song Earns Guinness World Record Achievement". Morocco World News. May 27, 2015. Retrieved May 3, 2016.
  9. "Singer who hit it big after fleeing rape charge in US sued by accuser". New York Post.
  10. "Saad Lamjarred's parents, fans feature in his new music video!". Albawaba. July 13, 2016.
  11. Lake, Alison. "Singer Lamjarred Exports Moroccan Dialect to Arab World". Forbes.
  12. "Moroccan Singer Saad Lamjarred Arrested in Paris for 'Sexual Assault'". Morocco World News.
  13. "Morrocan star Lamjarred releases new song after serving prison time for rape". Al-Arabiya.
  14. Lamjarred, Saad. "AlArabiya 'Ghazali' report". Al-Arabiya. Retrieved December 11, 2018.
  15. Lamjarred, Saad. "MWN 'Ghazali' report". Morocco World News. Retrieved December 11, 2018.
  16. Marie, Mustafa (July 22, 2019). "Ramadan, Lamjarred's 'Ensay' tops YouTube videos". Egypt Today. Retrieved September 27, 2019.
  17. "Saad Lamjarred Talks About Divorce". Arabia Weddings. Retrieved January 7, 2019.
  18. "Moroccan star Saad Lamjarred facing 'sexual assault' charges in Paris". Al Arabiya.
  19. Breeden, Aurelien (August 29, 2018). "Moroccan Pop Star Faces 3rd Rape Charge in France". The New York Times. Retrieved August 30, 2018.
  20. Lake, Alison (June 5, 2018). "In the Middle East, It's Cool to 'Sing Moroccan'". Forbes. Retrieved August 30, 2018.
  21. "Isabella Lawliet, l'accusatrice de Saâd Lamjarred, sort de son silence…". PanoraPost (in French).
  22. "Saad Lamjarred Is 'Letting Go,' His Rape Accusations Not So Much". Morocco World News.
  23. "Saad Lamjarred: Moroccan singer faces third rape charge". BBC. August 28, 2018. Retrieved August 30, 2018.
  24. "Saad Lamjarred: France detains Moroccan star over rape charge". BBC. September 18, 2018. Retrieved September 21, 2018.
  25. "Court Allegedly Drops First Rape Charges Against Lamjarred". Morocco World News. November 20, 2018. Retrieved December 9, 2018.
  26. "Moroccan Singer Saad Lamjarred is Out of Jail, Again". Morocco World News. December 6, 2018. Retrieved December 9, 2018.
  27. "Saad Lamjarred Cleared of Rape Charges in France". Albawaba. December 6, 2018. Retrieved December 9, 2018.
  28. Dahan, Nadine (September 19, 2018). "Moroccans call for radio ban on Saad Lamjarred as he faces third rape allegation". Middle East Eye. Retrieved September 21, 2018.
  29. "Le chanteur Saad Lamjarred, écroué en France, banni des radios marocaines". Le Figaro.
  30. "Rape-Accused Saad Lamjarred Thanks Fans for Support After Release". Morocco World News. December 10, 2018. Retrieved December 19, 2019.
  31. Kasraoui, Safaa (January 22, 2020). "Moroccan Singer Saad Lamjarred to Re-appear in Court for Alleged Rape". Morocco World News. Retrieved August 18, 2020.
  32. Babas, Latifa (January 21, 2020). "Saad Lamjarred to appear in France's court of assizes for the alleged rape of Laura Prioul". yabiladi.com. Retrieved August 18, 2020.
  33. Hekking, Morgan (December 5, 2019). "Trending on Twitter: 'We do not want Saad Lamjarred in Riyadh'". Moroccan World News. Retrieved December 19, 2019.
  34. Kasraoui, Safaa (May 20, 2020). "French High Court Dismisses Saad Lamjarred Rape Case". Morocco World News. Retrieved August 19, 2020.
  35. Babas, Latifa (May 20, 2020). "Morocco's Saad Lamjarred has the decision referring his case to the Assize court annulled". yabiladi.com. Retrieved August 19, 2020.
  36. Farouk, Menna A. (October 15, 2020). "Egyptian outcry stops concert by singer accused of rape". Thomson Reuters Foundation. Retrieved January 13, 2021.
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