After his first public music performance at the live musical show “Kas wa Metras” two years ago,
renowned Lebanese actor Badih Abou Chakra has just released his first song, “Sahet El Shuhada”, which
recalls the popular movements that have swept Beirut starting Oct. 17 2019, and sends out a clear
message of love, hope and freedom.
The song is inspired by "the longing of the Lebanese people for radical change” Abou Chakra stated.
While on set last March, the actor received a phone call from his long-time friend, director and producer
Zena Haddad. Feeling that Abou Chakra was overwhelmed by the political and economic crisis in his
home country, she suggested that he channels his anger in a musical work. “I was reluctant at first but
Zena succeeded in convincing me to go for it,” he said.
Having already worked with a variety of local and Arab musicians, Zena introduced Abou Chakra to
singer/songwriter Anthony Khoury, the front-man of Lebanese band “Adonis”, who the actor follows and
admires. The pair met in the studio shortly after, and, a few months later, 'Sahet El Shuhada' was born.
Originally set to be released in August, the song was put on hold for a few months after the tragic August
4 Beirut Port explosion.
“We wanted the visual of the song to flow as smoothly as the lyrics, that’s why we opted for an illustrated
lyrics video instead of a traditional music video” Haddad said. “The video is seen through the lens of the
Martyrs' Monument, which rotates 360 degrees around downtown Beirut,” she added.
Anthony from Adonis says “the song describes the unique dynamic between complete strangers who
gather at a protest to voice the same idea, the same demands.”
“It’s amazing to work with an artist who has such clarity about the ideas he wishes to channel through his
work,” he noted, in reference to his cooperation with Abou Chakra.
Abou Chakra, renowned around Lebanon for his vocal support of social causes, also noted that “the work
was very heartfelt. The three of us share the same vision for our country, and we did our best to express
that vision through music,” adding that this is the first time he ventures into music professionally, but that
the cause and the team he was working with were worth taking the challenge for.
“Sahet El Shouhada” is distributed by Watary, and available on all streaming platforms.
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