May Matar

May Matar is an Arabic singer, composer, and director. She was born in Kfaraakka, Lebanon, on October 8, 1987. Her debut single and music video "El Kawn Zghir" was released in 2007 and won an award from the Belarusian Academy in 2008. The same year, she released "Eh Gharali", which she composed and recorded alone. The song was well received and exceeded the success of her debut, reaching Melody's Top 20. "Ma fi Hada," written by Nizar Francis and composed by Samir Sfeir was released in 2009, and reached number one. The following year, she released "Metlak Mesh Ayzin", which was directed by Ziad Najjar. This song won the Best Social Song and Video Clip Award.

In 2018, after her husband's death, May performed a live concert at Gemmayze, where she released her first live-recorded album Kel shi bi zakerni fik on the label Anghami. She donated the proceeds from the concert to the Kids First Association. After taking a five-year break from video making, Matar published a single titled " Bla7za w Yawm", which was directed by Elie Berbary and reached the top five.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Matar released her music video "Wahidi", which was directed by Valentina El khawand. "Wahidi" reached number one in Lebanon, Jordan, Palestine and Australia, and was one of the top hits in seven countries in the MENA region.

Personal life May Matar was born into a Lebanese family on October 8, 1987, in Kfaraakka, Koura, northern Lebanon. She is the eldest child of Maurice Matar and Zeina Sarraf, and has one sibling. On September 7, 2013, after a long relationship, Matar married George Badawi, a former Basketball player, in Beirut. Their duet "Osetna" was played as their first dance at their wedding. On January 19, 2016, Matar gave birth to twins Giorgio and Giovanni. During the same year, she released a song called "Alba Lal Mama", the music video for which was filmed and the couple's residence. On May 8, 2017, her husband George died from a sudden pulmonary embolism.

Career

May Matar lived her first 18 years in Saudi Arabia, where her father worked. At the age of six, Matar started attending private piano and keyboard; three years later, after learning the piano basics, she began songwriting and composing. From the age of 14, Matar formed an oriental band AMA, which consisted of three members and became known for playing in local restaurants and events. Three years later, May ended AMA and planned to return to Lebanon to study.

In early 2006, Matar officially started considering a career in music. On 8 October 2007, "El Kawan Zghir", Matar's first single, was her birthday gift from her father. It was written and composed by Elie Zgheib, and got her an award from the Bielourussia Academy which recognized her as the most promising new coming artist of the year. Her second single "Eh Gharali" reached Melody's top 20. The video, which features the Lebanese actor Majdi Mashmoushi, reached high rankings on Arab television stations. Shortly after its release, May's third single and music clip "Ma Fi Hada" reached number one on the Lebanese pop charts. The song is a romantic ballad written by Nizar Francis and composed by Samir Sfeir. The video was directed by Bassem Moghniye and Matar.

Sports

May Matar likes playing squash, and is a member of the Squash Federation in Lebanon. Matar participated in several local and international competitions, and in 2019 she won the awards "Lebanese Championship of Squash" and "Bahrain National Championship of Squash".

Songs

Kawn Zghir (2007) Eh Garali (2008) Mafi Hada (2009) Bahebak Aktar (2009) Metlak Mesh A'yzin (2010) Hayda Howwi (2011) Kent Hebbak w Battalt (2012) La Ya Albi (2012) Ya Aghla Men Dammi (2014) Layali Hazini (2015) Alba Lal Mama (2016) Zekrayat (2017) Bla7za W Yawm (2019) Akh Ya Deni (2020) Wahidi (2020) Ne7na (2020) Bel Mabda2 (2021)