For the first time, a new musical play in London will dive into the life and artistry of one of the Arab world’s most famous singers of the 20th century, the Syrian icon Asmahan. The blue-eyed, black-haired beauty rose to prominence in the 1930s and 1940s in Egypt, where she established her short-lived yet productive career in singing and acting. The star of the musical is renowned Syrian-Armenian singer Lena Chamamyan, and although she was approached to play the lead character a year ago, preparing for this role was unknowingly in the making for years.
Chamamyan grew up in a cultured Damascus household where the classical melodies of Fairuz and Majida El Roumi were playing around the house. It was her mother who discovered her voice, but her maternal grandmother (who was a huge devotee of Asmahan) nurtured it. “When I was young, I remember every Thursday night we watched black-and-white movies,” Chamamyan told Vogue Arabia. “My grandmother let me wear pretty dresses and powder my face and together we watched Asmahan’s movies so that I could become her. She helped me memorise her songs. . . Sometimes what we wish for can happen in strange ways.”
Landing the role, as Chamamyan says, came as a “surprise” for the singer, who became famous nearly two decades ago with the release of her debut album, Hal Asmar Ellon, reinterpreting classical Arabic songs in a modern, jazzy way. “The musical’s producer Ali Matar called me and told me, “Get ready – you’re playing Asmahan next year,” and I was like, “What?” In the beginning I was hesitant, because Asmahan’s singing style is far from my own. But, slowly, I accepted it.” For Chamamyan, playing the role is a responsibility and has its own challenges, mostly a lack of information published about Asmahan, who was rumoured to be a spy during the Second World War and died in…
