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Palestine’s Omar Kamal Charms Audience in London Concert | ASHARQ AL-AWSAT English Archive 2005 -2017
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Palestinian singer Omar Kamal. (AFP)


London – Rising Palestinian singer Omar Kamal enchanted the audience during a concert he gave in London on Monday night.

For two hours, concertgoers at Cadogan Hall were treated to international and Arabic songs by Kamal, who charmed them with his charisma and emotional renditions of Frank Sinatra, Simon and Garfunkel, Elvis Presley and Michael Jackson songs.

He gave the songs a romantic and playful edge, distinguishing himself from other performers of the same songs, some of which have been around since the 1950s, to the adulation of the crowd.

The crowd’s excitement peaked even more when he performed his own renditions of famous Arabic songs, such as Abdul Halim Hafez’s “Ana laka ala toul il bal” and Fayrouz’s “Ya ana.”

Kamal added his own spin to the Lebanese singer’s song, telling the audience: “This song already has a famous western sound and Fayrouz added her own touch to it.”

“We then took the song and developed it our own way,” he stated before going on and singing it in English.

Performing in London was like a dream come true to the young singer, especially since he studied in Britain, telling the audience: “I see that several of my classmates are here. Thank you for coming.”

Kamal later told Asharq Al-Awsat: “It was my dream as a child to sing in London and it has come true. These are the songs that I used to sing to myself. It was a great experience.”

He later performed Fayrouz’s “Li Beirut”, dedicating it to his mother, followed by “Mawtini.”

At the end of the concert, the audience demanded an encore, which saw Kamal return to the stage to perform “Ya ana” and “Mawtini” one more time amid the applause.