Asia League Ice Hockey

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Sport	Ice hockey
Founded	2003
Commissioner	Iwao Nakajima
No. of teams	7
Country(ies)	China  Japan  South Korea
Continent	Asia (East Asia)
Most recent champion(s)	Oji Eagles
Most titles	Nippon Paper Cranes (3)
TV partner(s)	JPN: Ex Sports KOR: SBS ESPN
Official website	alhockey.com

Asia League Ice Hockey (ALH) is an association which operates a professional ice hockey league based in East Asia, with seven teams from Japan, China, and South Korea. The league is headquartered in Japan. At the end of the playoffs every year the winner is awarded The Championship Trophy.^[1]

The league was formed in 2003 due to declining popularity in the Japan Ice Hockey League^[2] and the folding of the Korea Ice Hockey League.^[3] It was formed with the goal of promoting hockey and developing players' skills.^[4] The league initially comprised five teams in two countries.^[5] It expanded to highs of four countries (2004–05 season)^[6] and nine teams (2005–06 season)^[7] although it is currently made up of seven teams from three countries.^[8]

The league draws most of its players from the home countries of its teams. However, to help build skill and raise the level of competitiveness the league allows each team a certain number of foreign imports on their roster.^[9]

History[link]

2003 - 2008[link]

The league was formed after the collapse of the Korean ice hockey league and dissolution of the Japanese league. It was started with the goal of promoting hockey in Asia as well as helping the various participating countries develop their hockey programs and increase their showing in the Olympics.^[4] The first season was a shortened season of only five teams, and played as a tournament rather than a regular season. Four Japanese teams and a Korean team participated. The tournament lasted just two months and each team played four games, two at home and two away, against each other. Due to the shortened tournament format there were no playoffs and the winner was declared from the point tally. The Nippon Paper Cranes won the tournament with 39 points.^[5] and Joel Prpic from Kokudo was the assist and points leader with 25 assists and 33 points. Ryan Haruo Kuwabara, of the Cranes, was the scoring leader with 15 goals.^[10]

The 2004–05 season was the first full season for the league, and seen by some to be the inaugural season.^[11] Before the season began, there was already interest by the National Hockey League (NHL) in China's hockey program.^[12] In addition to the five teams which took part in the tournament the year before, the league added Golden Amur from Russia as well as Harbin and Qiqihar from China.^[13] The first season had a schedule of 42 games. Teams played each other six times during the season. In December 2004 there was speculation by the South Korean media that North Korea could potentially field a team in the league, but that never materialized.^[14] The league also had an all-star game which took place on January 22 and 23, 2005 in Kushiro. The league was broken up into two teams, the Blue Orion and Red Antares. Fans voted on their favorite players and coaches. The most popular vote was for the forward position on the Blue Orion which received over 45,000 votes. Masatoshi Ito received the most votes with 9741.^[15] The skill competition and game were both won by the Blue Orion.^[16][17] The regular season finished with the Nippon Paper Cranes and Kokudo both having 98 points. After applying the league's tie-breaking procedure,^[18] the Nippon Paper Cranes were ranked first.^[6] The Nippon Paper Cranes also won the points race holding the top three spots in goals scored with Masatoshi Ito taking top honours at 33 goals. Darcy Mitani, also from the Cranes, took top spot in assists with 44 and points with 69.^[19] The playoffs saw the top four teams advance. The Golden Amur were swept in three games by Kokudo and the Cranes beat the Oji Paper in a close series, three games to one. The final was between the Cranes and Kokudo. While the Cranes won the first game, Kokudo won three games straight and won the playoffs.^[20] Chris Yule of Kokudo acquired ten points in the playoffs to lead the league while Chris Lindberg of the Cranes led the league in goals scored with six. Several players from Kokudo and the Cranes all had five assists.^[21] The 2005 ALH Awards were held in Tokyo and announced in April. Among the awards Kikuchi Naoya a goaltender for Kokudo was voted Most Valuable Player (MVP) and Matsuda Keisuke of the Nikkō Ice Bucks was voted Young Guy of the Year.^[22]

Masahito Nishiwaki was awarded "Young Guy of the Year" in 2006. In 2009 he helped lead his team to a championship with 12 goals in the playoffs

The 2005–06 season saw a number of changes to the make-up of Asia League. In the off-season the Golden Amur withdrew from the league due to financial trouble. At the same time it was announced that Kangwon Land was showing interest in entering a team in the league.^[23] However, only a few weeks later, they withdrew their application because it was felt their team wasn't strong enough to enter the league.^[24] The league also revised the limits on the number of imports some teams were allowed to have. Halla and the Ice Bucks were both allowed to carry an additional import player while the two Chinese teams were permitted two more import players.^[9] It was announced in July, 2005 that Anyang Halla Winia would change their name to Anyang Halla.^[25] In late July, the league announced that Kangwon Land had acquired some imports and strengthened the team. They had applied again and were expected to enter the league that season. As well another new team, the Nordic Vikings, was expected to join the league. The Nordic Vikings were a Swedish/Chinese joint venture that saw the team based out of Beijing. As part of the venture Swedish players were also sent to the two existing Chinese teams.^[26][27] This brought the league to its high point of nine teams. Even though there were more teams than in the previous season the league reduced the number of games from 42 to 38. This resulted in an uneven schedule. For example the Korean teams played nine games against each other, while playing four games against the teams from Japan and China except the Nordic Vikings who they played five times. At the end of the regular season the Nippon Paper Cranes had captured first place for a second year in a row with 95 points.^[7] While the Cranes had a very strong showing in the point rankings, the top goal scorer was Song Dong-hwan from Anyang Halla with 31. Derek Plante led in assists with 47 and overall points with 75.^[28] The top six teams advanced to the playoffs with the top two teams, the Cranes and Halla, receiving a bye to the semi-finals. In the first round Kokudo swept the Ice Bucks while Oji Paper defeated the Vikings three games to one. In the second round Kokudo faced Halla who was making their playoff debut. Kokudo won that series three games to one. On the other side the Cranes faced off against Oji Paper and swept them in three games. The final was again the Cranes vs Kokudo and once again Kokudo emerged victorious claiming the title for the second year in a row.^[29] Kokudo had three players claiming the three top points spots for the playoffs. Joel Prpic was the top goal scorer with nine, Kiyoshi Fujita had the most assists with 12 and Takahito Suzuki had the most points with 18.^[30] Kikuchi Naoya won MVP of the year for the second time and Young Guy of the Year went to Masahito Nishiwaki of the Cranes.^[31]

Further changes were seen in the league in the 2006–07 season. After the last season The Nordic Vikings were looking for sponsors for the team.^[32] However, they failed to find sufficient sponsorship and left the league due to financial trouble.^[33] Harbin moved their home rink to Beijing and changed their name to Hosa to reflect this. Qiqihar acquired a new sponsor and changed their name to Changchun Fuao. Kokudo also changed their name to the Seibu Prince Rabbits.^[34] With eight teams, the league further reduced the number of games played to 34, which again resulted in an uneven play schedule. The Chinese based teams, for example, played each other and the Korean teams each six times but only played the Japanese teams four times. The Paper Cranes easily won the regular season again finishing first with 86 points.^[35] With the previous year's goal leader not participating the scoring race went to Tim Smith of Kangwon Land. He led the league with 30 goals. Patrik Martinec of Halla led the league with 53 assists and 71 points.^[36] The playoffs followed the same format as the year before and six teams advanced. Kangwon Land swept Halla in three games and Oji Paper beat the Ice Bucks three games to one. While it was inevitable with two Korean teams facing each other, it marks the first time a non-Japanese team won a playoff series in Asia League. The second round was over quickly as the Cranes and Rabbits who both had byes swept their opponents in three games each. For the third year in a row the final was between the Paper Cranes and the Rabbits. The Cranes took the series in four games.^[37] Joel Prpic won himself another scoring title as he led the playoffs in goals, 8, and points, 17. Kengo Itoh for the Cranes had the most assists with 13.^[38] At the awards ceremony Itoh also took the award for MVP of the Year while Jun Tonosaki received the award for Young Guy of the Year.^[39]

During his time in the league Patrik Martinec consistently found himself around the top of the points ranking, including winning four titles and an MVP award.

The 2007–08 season started with a further reduction in teams. Harbin and Qiqihar combined into a single team and became owned and operated by the San Jose Sharks. They took the name of their new owner and became the China Sharks.^[40][41] Kangwon Land renamed to High1.^[42] With only seven teams the league reduced the amount of games played to their lowest at just 30 games. The league continued with an unbalanced schedule and the Korean and Chinese teams played each other more than the Japanese teams did. After three years of dominance the Nippon Paper Cranes slipped to fourth place and the regular season was won by the Prince Rabbits.^[43] Alex Kim, playing for High1, recorded the most goals with 23 and most points with 51. Joel Prpic continued to find himself on top of the pack with 30 assists.^[44] With six of seven teams going to the playoffs the Sharks were the only team that didn't find themselves in a playoff spot. The first round was over quickly as the Cranes swept Halla in three games and Oji did the same to the Ice Bucks. Nippon faced their rivals, the Rabbits, in the second round and defeated them three to one. High1 couldn't repeat their success from the previous year by winning a series and were swept by Oji in three games. For the first time the final series was not between the Cranes and Rabbits. Oji continued to roll over their opponents and swept the Cranes, marking the only time a team in Asia League had swept its way through three rounds.^[45] Due to their dominance on the ice, the point race was also swept by Oji. Takeshi Saito led the playoffs with nine assists and 15 points, while Shane Endicott had the most goals with 6.^[46] Kunihiko Sakurai, also from Oji, won the MVP of the Year and Eum Hyun-Seung, from High1, won the Young Guy of the Year award.^[47]

2008 - present[link]

After several years of many changes to the teams, the 2008–09 season came with only one change. Oji Paper renamed themselves to Oji Eagles in July 2008.^[48] The league increased China's allowance to seven import players to help their competitiveness.^[41] Prior to the start of the regular season a series of exhibition games, dubbed "Anyang Cup 2008" was held in Anyang.^[49] Five of the seven teams in the league participated with the Ice Bucks and Rabbits sitting out. Oji won the exhibition tournament without losing a game.^[50] The league increased the amount of games played to 36 and balanced the schedule by having all teams play each other an equal amount. Early in the season the Halla coach, Shim Eui-sik was suspended for refusal to play after a disputed goal against High1.^[51] Halla was forced to forfeit the game, but at the end of the regular season they had finished in first place with 76 points, becoming the first non-Japanese team to do so.^[52] Brock Radunske of Halla finished first in goals and points with 29 and 57 respectively. Kunihiko Sakurai, a previous MVP, finished on top with 40 assists in the regular season.^[53] The league reduced the number of teams making the playoffs and only five teams advanced. The first round saw a short three games series between the Cranes and High1. The Cranes swept High1 in two games. The second round found the regular season winners, Halla, facing the Cranes and Oji facing the Rabbits. Halla and the Cranes took it to seven games, but Halla lost on home ice. After the previous year's record setting playoff run, Oji found themselves swept by the Rabbits in four games. For the fourth time in five years the final was between the Rabbits and Cranes. The Cranes won for the second time.^[54] The Cranes swept the playoffs point race with Kengo Itoh taking the lead with 16 assists and 21 points. Masahito Nishiwaki led with 12 goals.^[55] Brock Radunske took the award for MVP of the Year marking the first time the award has gone to an import player. Young Guy of the Year went to Kim Ki-sung, also from Halla.^[56]

After a season with little change to the make-up of the league, the 2009–2010 saw further change. The San Jose Sharks ended their association with the Chinese team. They pulled out all coaches and players they had sent. The Chinese Ice Hockey Association took over the team and brought in new import players and coaches to replace those lost. The team also changed its name from China Sharks to China Dragon.^[33] Mid-way through the previous season the Seibu Prince Rabbits announced that due to financial difficulties they would withdraw from the league at the end of the 2008–09 season.^[57] They were unable to find a buyer and the team folded. However, another team from Japan joined the league in the off-season. The Tohoku Free Blades were able to hire enough players and imports to join the league in time for the beginning of the season.^[33] This again left the league with seven teams.^[8] The league left the amount of games played at 36, marking the first time that the league didn't adjust the schedule from the previous year.^[58] The league also introduced a couple of rules changes. All face-offs will take place on one of the nine face-off dots as well teams will no longer be allowed to change after an icing.^[33] Anyang Halla repeated as the regular season champions finishing with 79 points and 23 wins. The team also set the record for the most goals by a team in a 36 game season with 180.^[59] Alex Kim and Tim Smith lead the points race. Both finished with 75 points on the season, with Kim taking the goal scoring race with 29 and Smith taking the assists race with 48.^[60] The League further reduced the amount of teams making the playoffs to only four. As well they brought in referees from outside the league to assist in officiating. The two Korean teams faced each other in one semi-final guaranteeing for the first time that a Korean team would appear in the final. Halla defeated High1 in four games after a loss on home ice. The Cranes similarly defeated the Eagles in four games. The final was a close series, needing all five games and with four of the five games only being decided by a single goal. In the final game, Halla tied the game with 17 seconds remaining and in over-time the team captain, Kim Woo-jae scored to give Halla a victory and mark the first time a non-Japanese team had won the cup.^[61][62][63] In the play-offs Brock Radunske led with six goals and 13 points overall while Darcy Takeshi Mitani led with 8 assists.^[64] Patrik Martinec took regular season MVP honors, and Cho Min-ho, also from Halla, was named Young Guy of the Year.^[65]

The 2010-2011 season saw virtually no change to the structure of the season or league. All teams from the previous season remained in the league, and the amount of games remained at 36. The regular season ran from September 18, 2010 to February 20, 2011. After two years of leading the league, Halla slipped to fourth place and Oji Eagles took the regular season honors with 76 points.^[66] Shunhei Kuji of Oji lead the league with 24 goals, while his teammate Yosuke Kon led with 45 assists. However, with a couple of second place finishes, Go Tanaka of the Free Blades led the overall points race with 59.^[67] The League also maintained the number of play-off teams at four. Anyang faced Oji while Nippon faced Tohoku. Halla managed to take two of three in Japan and defeat Oji on home ice to advance. The Free Blades needed all five games to defeat the Cranes but the team came back with two straight wins to advance to the final for the first time in their short time in the league. However, a 9.0 magnitude earthquake near the Free Blades hometown forced the League to cancel the finals. Halla had already in Japan just an hour before the disaster struck the area. Fortunately, both teams survived, but the League felt the final could not go on. On March 22, 2011 the League declared that both Halla and the Free Blades would be declared co-champions.^[68][69] Though shortened, Masato Domeki of Oji led the playoffs with four goals, Bruce Mulherin led with six assists and fellow Free Blade Brad Farynuk had eights points overall.^[70]

Game[link]

Each Asia League Ice Hockey regulation game is an ice hockey game played between two teams and is 60 minutes long. The game comprises three 20-minute periods separated by two 15 minute intermissions.^[71] While some teams have television broadcast contracts, they do not take television time-outs like the NHL. At the end of the 60 minute game, the team with the most goals wins. If the game is tied at the end of 60 minutes, the teams play an overtime period. Overtime is five minutes, with four skaters on each team. If the game remains tied after five minutes, then the teams partake in a three player shoot-out, until one team comes out ahead.^[33] Prior to the 2008–09 season these games ended in a tie with no shoot-out. In a playoff game the league doesn't use the shoot-out and instead the teams play continual overtime periods of 20 minutes until one team scores.

Imports[link]

Asia League was created primarily for the development of hockey in Asia. The league allows teams to hire a small number of imports to play on the team in order to even out strength as well as increase the level of competitiveness in the league. Playing against more skilled foreign players will allow players from the participating countries to increase their skills and benefit from having some more experienced players on their teams. China is allowed the most imports while the experienced Japanese teams are allowed the fewest.^[9] As part of some sponsorship deals China was provided western players from the San Jose Sharks, and the two Chinese teams were provided Swedish players when the Nordic Vikings were active in the league.

Several National Hockey League players have played in the league, including Greg Parks, Esa Tikkanen, Chris Lindberg, Tavis Hansen, Shjon Podein, Jason Podollan, Derek Plante, Steve McKenna, Jarrod Skalde, Joel Prpic, Tyson Nash, Jamie McLennan, Shane Endicott, Wade Flaherty, Kelly Fairchild, Brad Tiley, Ricard Persson, Bryan Young, Claude Lemieux, Brad Fast, Ric Jackman and Cole Jarrett.

Teams[link]

Early in its existence the league hoped to quickly expand to 12 teams^[11] but due to some teams having financial difficulties they didn't attain it. In its 2010–11 season, Asia League Hockey has 7 teams, including 4 teams from Japan; 2 teams from South Korea; and 1 from China.^[8]

Team	City/Area	Arena	Founded	Joined ALIH
Anyang Halla	Anyang	Anyang Stadium	1994	2003
China Dragon	Shanghai	Songjiang Stadium	2007
High1	Chuncheon	Eui Am Ice Rink/Goyang SPART Complex	2004	2005
Nikkō Ice Bucks	Nikkō	Nikkō Kirifuri Ice Arena	1999	2003
Nippon Paper Cranes	Kushiro	Kushiro Ice Arena	1949	2003
Oji Eagles	Tomakomai	Hakucho Arena	1925	2003
Tohoku Free Blades	Hachinohe	Niida Indoor Rink	2008	2009

Season structure[link]

Asia League Ice Hockey season is divided into three parts. The late summer and early autumn comprise training camps and exhibition play. After that the regular season takes place, which lasts for several months dependent on the schedule. Finally several teams advance to a post-season playoff. This is an elimination tournament where teams play a "best-of" format to advance through the rounds. The final remaining team is crowned the champion for the year.

The regular season has been changed in almost every season that Asia League has been in operation. The first full season mirrors the two most recent seasons in which all teams play all other teams six times. With the amount of teams changing from season to season in the first few years the league adjusted the schedule each year which often included an unbalanced schedule. Under the current schedule all teams make an away visit to each other team's home rink for a three game series and also play a three game series against that team at their own home rink. In order to minimize travel, teams traveling to other countries will stay there for two weeks and play two teams, except in the case of China who only has one team. Teams going to Japan will play against the Cranes and Eagles on the same trip as they are geographically close together, then in another trip play against the Free Blades and Ice Bucks.^[58]

The league ranks the teams by points. A regulation time win is worth three points. If the teams are tied at the end of regulation, both teams receive one point. The team which is victorious either in the overtime period or overtime shoot-out receives an additional point. A regulation time loss is worth zero points.^[33]

At the end of the regular season the team which has the most points is awarded the title of regular season champion. The league in the past generally takes a several week break between the regular season and postseason. As with the regular season, the format of the playoffs has varied from year to year. In the 2009–10 season the top four teams advanced to the playoffs and play two best-of-five rounds. The league scheduled the end of the regular season and postseason around the Olympic break. In each round the higher ranked team from the regular season will receive a home-ice advantage and the series will begin play and have the majority of games play in their rink.^[33]

Awards[link]

The Championship Trophy and gold medals given to the winning team

Asia League awards several awards each season in addition to The Championship Trophy. Prior to the 2008–09 season the awards were issued after the postseason but in that season they were issued during the break between the regular season and postseason. The league presents awards for Most Valuable Player, Young Guy of the Year, Best Goaltender, Best Offensive Defenceman, Best Defensive Defenceman, Best Offensive Forward, Best Defensive Forward, Best Playmaking Forward, Best Hockey Town, as well as points ranking awards for most goals, most assists, most points, and best save percentage for goaltenders. All of the awards, except for Best Hockey Town, are sponsored by an organization or individual.^[56]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Asia League Ice Hockey – Official site
• Japan Ice Hockey Federation
• Chinese Ice Hockey association
• Korea Ice Hockey association

This biographical article needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. (June 2010)

Mariel Rodriguez-Padilla (born Maria Erlinda Lucille Suazon Termulo in 1984) is a Filipino commercial model, endorser, TV host, former MTV VJ and actress. She first started as an MTV VJ. Currently, she co-hosts the noontime variety show Happy Yipee Yehey!. During its run, she has also been a host for the reality franchise Pinoy Big Brother and the now defunct noontime show Wowowee.

Starting her career as a model for Clean&Clear facials and became a VJ on MTV Pilipinas, she was brought in by GMA-7. Later she moved to station ABS-CBN Network to host the noon-time program Wowowee and Pinoy Big Brother. On September 2011, she resigned on ABS-CBN and moved to TV5.^[1]

Other than hosting jobs on TV, Rodriguez-Padilla acted in the Bud Brothers Series played as Betsey (Betchay), Varga series and several films.

Biography[link]

Born as Maria Erlina Lucille Sazon Termulo, she was known by the nickname 'Mariel' as a child.

Rodriguez studied at De La Salle Zobel in grade school and high school. She graduated at De La Salle University with a Bachelor of Arts in Organizational Communication

Her sister, Kaye Rodriguez-Garcia is a model and a designer.

Career[link]

She started her career at the age of 15, modeling for commercials and ads. Her big break came when she was cast in MTV Asia's TV show Rouge. Introducing herself through the webcam, she flew to Singapore for an audition and got the part. Her role in the show caught the eye of MTV Philippines executives and was made an VJ in December 2004. She left MTV in April 2006.

GMA-7 signed her as one of their stars. While in the network, she became one of the regular hosts of Extra Challenge. She has also appeared on several shows, such as Love to Love. In 2005, she moved to ABS-CBN.

She became host of Pinoy Big Brother and co-host to the noon time show Happy Yipee Yehey. She used to be co-host of Wowowee and Pilipinas Win na Win.

She has endorsed many products and clothing lines, such as Meg Clothing, Zen Zest, Hot Pink Lingerie, Close-Up, Rexona, Clean&Clear, and Pizza Hut

She is one of the former original main-hosts of ABS-CBN's noontime show entitled Happy Yipee Yehey!.

Several months later after hosting Happy Yipee Yehey! she left the show and the network to transfer to TV5 and will reunite with Willie Revillame to co-host Wiltime Bigtime Starting October 15, 2011.

Personal life[link]

She previously dated Filipino-actor, Zanjoe Marudo, the two began dating after Pinoy Big Brother: Celebrity Edition and decided to split up early 2010. Then she met Robin Padilla on a game show where she was a co-host, Wowowee when Robin temporarily became the host of the said show. She married Robin on August 19, 2010 in Taj Mahal, India.

Movies[link]

TV shows[link]

References[link]

Alla Pugacheva (Алла Пугачёва)
Alla Pugacheva in Berlin, 28 April 1976
Background information
Birth name	Alla Borisovna Pugacheva
Born	(1949-04-15) 15 April 1949 (age 63)
Origin	Moscow, Russia
Genres	Pop, Russian pop, Soviet music
Occupations	Singer, Actress
Years active	1965– present
Labels	Melodiya, World Record Music
Associated acts	Valery Leontiev, Philipp Kirkorov, Kristina Orbakaite, Maxim Galkin, Igor Nikolayev, Vladimir Kuzmin

Alla Borisovna Pugacheva (Russian: Алла Борисовна Пугачёва) or Pugachova (more accurately reflecting Russian pronunciation: [ˌpuɡɐˈtɕovə]), born 15 April 1949), is а Soviet and Russian musical performer. Her career started in 1965 and continues to this day. For her "clear mezzosoprano and a full display of sincere emotions",^[1] she enjoys an iconic status across the former Soviet Union as the most successful Soviet performer^[2][3] in terms of record sales and popularity.^[4] She became a Meritorious Artist of the Russian SFSR in 1980, People's Artist of the Russian SFSR in 1985 and People's Artist of the USSR in 1991.

Professional biography[link]

Pugacheva was born to her mother Zinaida Arkhipovna Odegova and father Boris Mikhailovich Pugachëv in Moscow, on 15 April 1949.^[5] In 1956, she enrolled in music school №31, and attended the Ippolitov-Ivanov music college. She went on to study at school №496, finishing her studies there in 1964. She then studied in the choral-conducting department of the college. Pugacheva recorded her first track "Robot" in 1965, for a state radio morning programme.

Pugacheva finished college in 1966 and subsequently toured with the group Yunost' (Youth) in Western Siberia. The following year she began working as a piano accompanist at the State Circus Musical college. She provided the leading vocals to a number of bands, including Novy Elektron (New Electron), part of the Lipetsk State Philharmonic Society, in 1966, Moskvichi (Muscovites) in 1971, Oleg Lundstrem's band in 1972–73, and Vesyolye Rebyata (Merry Folks) in 1974-75. She also recorded songs throughout that period for numerous movies. In 1974, she came in 3rd place in the All-Union competition of musicians, which was somewhat of a disappointment for her. In 1975, she received the Grand Prix of the international contest "Golden Orpheus" performing the song "Harlequin". The Amiga label released her winning song as a single in East Germany. Subsequently in Bulgaria, the Balkanton label released the live recording of "Harlequin" from the festival as a single. One year later, Pugacheva returned to the "Golden Orpheus" to perform a concert outside the competition. The Balkanton released the live tracks as Pugacheva's first album Zolotoy Orfey 76. In that same year, Pugacheva recorded a number of songs for the musical drama-comedy The Irony of Fate as the singing voice of Nadja, the female protagonist.

	"Zhenshchina, kotoraya poët" noicon Sample from "Zhenshchina, kotoraya poët" (The Woman Who Sings), title track of Pugacheva's most popular musical film
Problems listening to this file? See media help.

The Woman Who Sings[link]

Pugacheva went on to work on the musical film Zhenshchina, kotoraya poyot (The Woman Who Sings) in cooperation with the band Ritm (Rhythm) in 1977. She played the leading lady, a famous pop singer who sacrifices her personal life for her career. The soundtrack, which was co-written by Pugacheva and composed of pop songs, culminated with the dramatic title ballad "Zhenshchina, kotoraya poyot". The Soviet audience, regarding the film as autobiographical,^[6] brought the soundtrack to reach record audience of the year in 1979, as it was bought by 55 million people.^[7] The soundtrack was first released in 1977 as part of the double album Zerkalo dushi (Mirror of Soul), which was a collection of her songs from 1975–77. The Victor label released a collection album Alla Pugacheva in the same year in Japan. In 1978, performing the song "Vsyo mogut koroli" ("Kings Can Do Anything"), Pugacheva received the Amber Nightingale prize at the Sopot International Song Festival which at the time meant automatically winning the Grand Prix of the Intervision Song Contest.^[8] In 1980, the Kansan label of Finland released her above listed works as the compilation album Huipulla (At the Top). Tonbandausnahmenkompanie Bayer GmbH did the same in West Germany releasing Alla Pugachova.

Stockholm (1983–1985)[link]

During the 1980s, Pugacheva was a frequent visitor to Stockholm. She started out with multiple guest appearances on the popular Swedish radio show Galaxen conducted by Jacob Dahlin, and later frequently appeared on his TV-show Jacobs Stege (Jacob's Ladder). Dahlin and Pugacheva used to perform duets, such as "Superman" where Dahlin sings as the title character. In Stockholm, Pugacheva recorded an album in English, released by the World Record Music label in Sweden as Watch Out and by the Melodiya label in the Soviet Union as Alla Pugacheva in Stockholm.

Today[link]

After the collapse of the Soviet Union, Pugacheva expanded her ventures, launching a magazine, a radio station, a line of perfume all called Alla, and the Alla Pugachova shoe line. She also received further awards from the government, which were presented by President Boris Yeltsin, including the Government Award for Achievement in Literature and Arts in 1990, and the highest civilian decoration of the Russian Federation (2nd Class Order For The Service To The Motherland) in 1999. In 1994, Pugacheva also received a plate with her name at Square of Stars in the city of Yalta in Ukraine. In 1997, she represented Russia at the Eurovision Song Contest in Dublin and finished 15th with the song "Primadonna". She dedicated her performance to the memory of Jacob Dahlin.

In recent years, Pugacheva has co-produced the popular television reality talent show Star Factory, the Russian version of the show Star Academy. On 5 March 2009, she announced her retirement from singing after her 60th birthday, citing health reasons as the primary cause stopping her from touring. Additionally, her voice worsened following a series of operations and is no longer capable of "expressing the feelings and intonations as it used to". Pugacheva has announced to her audience a massive goodbye tour across the CIS, Europe and America, entitled "Sny o Lubvi (Dreams about Love)".

Artistry[link]

In the late 1970s, Pugacheva became one of Russia's most beloved artists for her clear mezzosoprano and a full display of genuine emotions.^[9][10]

President Dmitry Medvedev awarded the 3rd Degree Order of Merit for the Fatherland to Pugacheva on her birthday, 2009.

Legacy[link]

Pugacheva's most notable title is "People's Artist of the USSR", the highest honour that could be bestowed to a musical artist in the state, awarded to her in 1991. While the lesser titles of "Accomplished Artist of the Russian SFSR", and "People's Artist of the Russian SFSR" had been already awarded to her in 1980 and 1985 respectively, the government was hesitant to award her its highest honour for a long time. This was mainly because of numerous statements and actions on her part that were inconsistent with the Party's agenda. At the same time, she grew to represent the government-endorsed pop culture that was forced upon people.^[11]

President of Russia Dmitry Medvedev awarded Pugacheva with the 3rd Degree Order of Merit for the Fatherland on her birthday in 2009.

Honours and awards[link]

This article incorporates information from the equivalent article on the Russian Wikipedia.

• Honoured Artist of the RSFSR (1980)
• People's Artist of the RSFSR (1985)
• People's Artist of the USSR (20 December 1991)
• Order of the Eagle, 1st class (1992)
• State Prize of the Russian Federation (7 June 1995) - For outstanding contribution to the development of literature and art
• Order of Merit for the Fatherland, 2nd class (15 April 1999) and 3rd class (15 April 2009)
• Honorary citizen of the city of Makhachkala (2006)
• Chernobyl Star in art and literature (2008)
• Order of Friendship, (Azerbaijan, 4 September 2009)
• Order of St. Mashtots, (Armenia, 26 September 2009)

Private life[link]

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Pugacheva's personal life has been very public due to her image and popularity, and is often discussed in the tabloid press. Her weight and rumours of extramarital relationships have been particularly popular points of discussion in such publications. However, she has maintained a positive attitude, and on numerous occasions shown that she is willing to discuss personal matters openly and laugh at herself.

In 1969, she married Lithuanian circus performer Mykolas Orbakas, and in 1971 she gave birth to daughter Kristina Orbakaite, who is now also a popular singer. She divorced Mykolas after 4 years of marriage in 1973.

Pugacheva then married film director Alexander Stefanovich in 1976, and starred in a few of his movies. The union was dissolved in 1980, after drawn-out legal proceedings on the division of property, with Pugacheva's luxurious flat in Patriarshy Ponds, Moscow being the heart of the debate.

In 1985, after years of living together, Pugacheva married producer Yevgeniy Boldin, with whom she had numerous professional collaborations. She had a working and romantic relationship with a young musician and singer, Vladimir Kuzmin during this period. In 1993, she divorced Yevgeniy Boldin stating that their professional lives interfered too much with their personal life.

In the early 1990s, she had an affair with Sergej Chelobanov, with whom she recorded several duets.

In 1994, she married one of the most popular pop singers in Russia, Philipp Kirkorov, who was 18 years younger and of Bulgarian-Armenian ethnicity. His career is said to have benefited significantly from this marriage. Their divorce was announced in November 2005.

In the past 10 years, Alla Pugacheva was romantically involved with the popular Russian comedian Maksim Galkin. The two often performed together in large celebrity-studded events and even had a few musical collaborations. In December 26, 2011 Alla Pugacheva and Maxim Galkin got married proving their commitment to each other despite the significant age gap.^[12]

Pugacheva is friends with former Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko.^[13][14]

Discography[link]

Original solo albums[link]

Other albums[link]

• 1978 Alla Pugacheva (released in Japan) - compilation
• 1978 Ala Pugachova. Ogledalo na dushata (released in Bulgaria) - compilation
• 1979 Alla Pugacheva i Iosif Kobzon - split
• 1980 Diskoteka A - instrumental remixes
• 1980 Alla Pugatšova. Huipulla (Alla Pugacheva. At the Top; Kansan, Finland)
• 1980 Alla Pugačevova. Zrcadlo duše (Czech version of Zerkalo dushi)
• 1981 Alla Pugačova (Czech version of To li eshche budet...)
• 1981 Alla Pugatšova. Tähtikesä (Alla Pugacheva. Starry summer; Kansan, Finland)
• 1982 U nas v gostjakh maestro (Our Guest is the Maestro) - live / split
• 1982 Parad Planet - split
• 1983 Million Roz (released in Japan) - compilation
• 1983 Alla Pugačova. Davna pisen (a Czech compilation)
• 1984 Alla Pugacheva - Soviet Superstar. Greatest Hits 1976-84 (World Record Music, Sweden) - compilation
• 1985 Alla Pugacheva - Soviet Superstar vol.2 (released by the World Record Music in Finland) - compilation
• 1988 Pesni vmesto pisem (Songs Instead Of Letters) - split with Udo Lindenberg
• 1989 Paromshik - (Ferryman) (Finnish release of Rechnoy paromshchik)
• 1991 Alla (Ritonis, Riga)
• 1994 Veryu v tebya (I Believe In You) - compilation
• 1995 Put' zvezdy (The Path of a Star) - compilation
• 1996 A 13 CD compilation of songs previously released only on LP and MC
• 1996 Poët Alla Pugacheva (Alla Pugacheva Sings (songs by Aleksandr Zazepin) - compilation
• 1997 Dve zvezdy (Two Stars; with Vladimir Kuzmin) - compilation / split
• 1998 Syurpriz ot Ally Pugachevy (Surprise from Alla Pugacheva) - tribute

CD singles[link]

• 1997 Primadonna
• 2000 Bely sneg (White Snow)
• 2000 Madam Broshkina
• 2002 Eto Lyubov' (It's Love)

There is an unknown number of single and EP releases published all over the world.

Films and TV appearances[link]

• 1978 Teatr Ally Pugachevoy, Estonian Television
• 1978 Zhenshchina, kotoraya poët (The Woman Who Sings), Mosfilm
• 1981 Lyubovyu za lyubov' (Love After Love) Mosfilm
• 1984 Vstrechi s Alloy Pugachevoy (Meetings with Alla Pugacheva), USSR TV
• 1985 Prishla i govoryu (I Came and I'm Speaking), Mosfilm
• 1985 Sezon chudes (Season of Miracles), Odessa Film Studio
• 1989-2002 Rozhdestvenskie vstrechi (Christmas Meetings), USSR TV, Ostankino, Public Russian Television, Russian State Television
• 1995 Zhdi i pomni menya (Wait for Me, Remember Me), Public Russian Television
• 2003 Za dvumya zaytsami (Chasing Two Rabbits)

Notes and references[link]

See also[link]

• Best selling music artists - World's top selling music artists chart.

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Alla Pugacheva

• Alla Pugacheva fan club (in English & Russian)
• Russian Music on the net: Info on Alla Pugacheva with lyrics translated to English
• Alla Pugacheva discography at MusicBrainz
• Alla Pugacheva at the Internet Movie Database
• Videos of Alla Pugacheva's Concert in Kremlin
• Alla Pugacheva on YouTube

lez:Пугачёва, Алла Борисовна

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Nancy Ajram نانسي عجرم
Nancy Ajram in December 2007
Background information
Birth name	Nancy Nabil Ajram
Born	(1983-05-16) May 16, 1983 (age 29)
Origin	Beirut, Lebanon, Arabia
Genres	Arabic Pop, World, pop
Occupations	singer
Years active	1998–present
Labels	EMI Arabia (1998) Megastar (2001–2005) In2Musica (2008–present)
Website	Official website

Nancy Nabil Ajram (Arabic: نانسي نبيل عجرم‎), (born May 16, 1983) is a multi-platinum recording artist and Goodwill Ambassador for UNICEF.^[1] With the support of her father, Nancy began performing as a child and released her first studio album by the age of 15. Her breakthrough occurred with the start of her collaboration with well-known producer Jiji Lamara, when she released her smash-hit "Akhasmak Ah" and 3rd studio album, Ya Salam. In 2004, she released her second international best-seller "Ah w Noss", which spawned several smash-hits, "Ah w Noss", "Lawn Ouyounak", and "Inta Eih" at which point Nancy had established pop icon status in the Middle East.

Her 2008 album "Bitfakkar Fi Eih" spawned seven singles and won Nancy's first World Music Award as Best-selling Middle Eastern Artist, the youngest Arab WMA winner to date. She has released seven studio albums to date and numerous other chart-topping singles such as "Sehr Ouyouno", "Atabtab", "Moegaba", "Ehsas Jdeed", "El Donya Helwa", "Mashi Haddi", and "Fi Hagat".

Nancy Ajram is the first and only female sponsor and spokesperson of Coca-Cola in the Middle East and Arab world. Considered by many as an Arabic music icon of the decade, Nancy was described on the Oprah Winfrey Show as one of the most influential personalities of the Middle East. Nancy has made the list of Most Powerful Arabs on Arabian Business several times, and was similarly listed by Newsweek as one of the most influential Arabs.^[2][3] Nancy's official Facebook page is the most subscribed Arabic artist page on the social-networking site and the first to reach 3 million subscribers,^[4] and her music video for "Fi Hagat" was an Internet phenomenon and is currently the most viewed Arabic music video on the Internet, on Youtube with over 26.3 million views to date.^[5]

Early life and beginnings[link]

Nancy Ajram was born into an Orthodox Christian family on May 16, 1983 in Achrafieh, a district in Beirut, Lebanon.^[6]

In 1995, at the age of twelve, Nancy Ajram took part in a variety show, Noujoum Al-Moustakbal, ("Stars of the Future"), a Lebanese reality television competition, which finds new solo musical talent. Ajram won a gold medal in the Tarab category after singing a song by Umm Kulthum.

Ajram studied music with renowned Lebanese musicians and despite being less than 18 years old at the time, the syndicate of professional artists in Lebanon accepted her as a member. Her first singles were titled "Hobbak Allam Albi elGheere" by Abdo Mounzer, and "Oulha Kelma Ala Shani". At the age of 15, she released her first album, Mihtagalak ("I Need You') in 1998. It was followed by Sheel Oyoonak Anni ("Stop Staring") in 2000, which achieved more success.

Music career[link]

[edit] 2002-2004: Akhasmak Ah

Ajram's breakthrough was when she began working with Jiji Lamara, an experienced producer and manager. In early 2003, Ajram rose to instant fame with the success of the lead single "Akhasmak Ah" and the release of her third studio album, Ya Salam ("Oh Wow") which was a best-seller. The music video of "Akhasmak Ah" caused a controversy; reminiscent of older Arabic films, Nancy appeared as a cafe manager who dances and flirts with its customers. The release of the next music videos, "Ya Salam" and "Sehr Ouyouno" quietened down criticism as they better introduced Nancy's vocal abilities and style to the public.^{[citation needed]}

[edit] 2004-2006:Ah w Noss, Coca-Cola

Her fourth album, Ah w Noss ("Yes, and a half"), was released on April 12, 2004, and it was also an important marking point in Nancy's career. The tremendous success that "Ah w Noss" achieved, stabilized Nancy's position as an A-List star in the Arab music industry. Nancy then filmed "Lawn Ouyounak" (Color of Your Eyes), which portrayed Nancy as a bride in a traditional Lebanese wedding. After the release of the album, Nancy Ajram signed-up with Coca-Cola to be their official celebrity spokesperson for the Levant, Arabia and North Africa regions. Her first Coke commercial featured her hit, "Oul Tany Kida?" (Say That Again?), which was filmed with the international Italian director Luca Tomassini. The commercial's success lead to it being filmed as a music video behind the scenes of the commercial. The 4th hit single from the album, "Inta Eih?" (What Are You?), was a slow directed by Samir Sfeir. Nadine Labaki directed another clip that featured Nancy as a wife who sees her husband cheating on her yet she hides it in torment to save their relationship. The music video received tremendous positive reviews and Nancy was greatly praised. Leading Egyptian actors and directors, like Faten Hamama praised Nancy's acting abilities and movie offers doubled for Nancy. Nancy also opened for Enrique Iglesias's first concert in Egypt in 2004.

[edit] 2006-2008:Ya Tabtab Wa Dalla, Shakhbat, El Donya Helwa

Her fifth album, Ya Tabtab Wa Dallaa was released on February 15, 2006. Atabtab was considered Nancy's best album to date, with six music videos released, eight radio hits, and five songs used for commercials.

The title song's video was Nancy's last video directed by Nadine Labaki, as she then started working on her movie Caramel. Nancy then released the video of her Coca-Cola hit "Moegaba" (Admirer), as well as a video and commercial for her newly signed Damas Jewelry contract advertising their "Farfasha" set. The song used was Ana Yalli which was promoted before the album's release. Nancy then cooperated for the first time with prominent Lebanese director Said el Marouk, filming "Ehsas Jdeed" (A New Feeling) which is widely considered to be the most successful song of the album. The video, which was a salute from Said to his deaf and mute parents, depicted the story of a rich woman who falls in love with a deaf and mute man. Later in 2007, Nancy released all together the video of "Elli Kan" (All That Was) for Damas's second campaign, her Coca-Cola Side of Life commercial featuring a new single "El Donya Helwa" (Life is Beautiful), and a video and album directed towards children, titled Shakhbat Shakhabit (Scribbled Scribbles). "El Donya Helwa", Nancy's 7th commercial, is considered one of her most successful commercials representing her style and Coca-Cola's with colors, happiness, and music, and it led her to release a Live album featuring the single.

Ajram's sixth album was fully dedicated to children with a variety of songs aimed towards teaching children good values and morals, something she has wanted to do for a long time. The music video was her second cooperation with Said El Marouk and featured four songs from her album, the most successful of which were "Shakhbat Shakhabit" & "Shater Shater". Nancy performed these songs at several fund-raising events for children and other children's events, such as the children's TV channel MBC3, and the children's entertainment TV Show "Star Zghar". She then filmed with Fadi Haddad, the director of photography of her previous works with ElMarouk, a video for the song "Resala Ilal Aalam" (A Message to the World) which talks about world peace. The video was released on May 25, 2008, the day the Lebanese president General Michel Suleiman was elected ending a deadlock that lasted since November. It was the first video for Nancy that had an entirely graphical world that implied the suffering of children worldwide and the need to bring out a more colorful and happy world for them. Old rumors claimed that the video was presented to the UNICEF. In 2007, Nancy performed alongside Lionel Richie in Egypt at a launching event.

[edit] 2008–2010: Betfakkar Fi Eih, WMA, Oprah, UNICEF & motherhood

In February and March 2008, Nancy released three Coca-Cola commercials that featured a brand new hit from her long awaited album. The song, "Meen Gheyri Ana (Noss elKawn)" (Who Else?) was made by the successful Yey and Ana Yalli trio (Nizar Francis, Samir Sfeir, and Tarek Madkour). The single was an instant hit and served as a highly successful promotion 5 months before the release of the album. Nancy released her seventh studio album after several delays on July 30, 2008, which has been highly anticipated by fans for almost three years. This long awaited comeback album held lots of surprises for her fans with a huge change in her style that presented her matured vocal abilities like never before. Nancy's 7th album, Betfakkar Fi Eih?!, is considered to be one of her most successful albums so far as it won her first World Music Award in her career. The album included her first "Tarab" song called "Biteegy Sirtak" since 1998's Mihtagalak album, and in general had a wide mix of several different styles ranging from dance, beat, pop, to drama, romance, Tarab and oldies. Even though the hit video had mixed opinions, the second video of "Min Dally Nseek" was much more accepted, peaking at #1 for seven consecutive weeks in Melody Hits.^[7] The same musical trio who created "Ehsas Jdeed" did one of the instant radio-hits of the album, "Lamset Eed" (Touch of a Hand), which was filmed with Leila Kenaan with a high budget, and the song and music video peaked charts for months. With this album Nancy signed a celebrity endorsement deal with Sony Ericsson, as a special w595 phone was released holding Nancy's signature, and Wana Ben Idek was chosen as the commercial song.

On November 9, 2008, about a month after her marriage, Nancy Ajram won her first World Music Award for her best-selling album Betfakkar Fi Eih. In her short speech, Nancy thanked her parents, Jiji Lamara, her fans and album makers, and husband, saying "2008 has been a fantastic year - a successful album, my wedding, and now a World Music Award, what can I ask for more?"

On September 28, 2009, the Oprah Winfrey Show aired an episode titled "Fame Around the World" that talked about the most famous celebrities around the globe in brief reports. Representing the Middle East region and Arab world, Nancy Ajram appeared in a report featured on the show and was described by Oprah as "the Britney Spears of the Middle East". Nancy Ajram is the first and only Middle-Eastern artist ever mentioned on the show.

[edit] 2010–2011: World Cup, N°7

In the summer of 2010, Nancy was nominated by Coca-Cola Middle East to sing, along with K'naan, his international hit and song for the 2010 FIFA World Cup, "Wavin' Flag". The Arabic version, titled "Shaggaa Be Alamak" and directed to the Middle East region, had its Arabic parts written by Ayman Bahgat Amar (who previously wrote Ah w Noss, Atabtab, Eftah Albak for Nancy) and the music remastered by Tarek Madkour. The original music video was used for K'naan's parts while Nancy's parts were filmed separately in Lebanon on the same protocol under Leila Kenaan's co-direction. Both the video and song were aired heavily during the FIFA season and part of the song was particularly played during commercial breaks on Al-Jazeera channel, which exclusively aired the games to the Arab world.

On August 30, 2010,^[8] Nancy's official Facebook page posted a 16-second preview of the music video for Nancy's next single, "Fi Hagat". The preview shows Nancy wearing her makeup and getting in the car on a rainy day. Later, it was announced that Nadine Labaki directed the video, thus making her comeback to music video direction after her 4-year break. The video is also the first collaboration between Ajram and Labaki since 2006's "Atabtab." The full music video premiered on September 6, 2010 at 8:00PM on Arabica TV and MTV Lebanon.^[9] As of January 2011, Nancy became the first and most viewed Arabic music video on the Internet.^[10]

In November, 2010, Nancy's Facebook page hit one million fans, becoming the most subscribed Arabic Facebook page on the site. Nancy expressed how thankful she was and promised her followers to add news and updates to the page. Later, the page announced "Sheikh El Shabab" and "Ya Kether" as the second and third singles from 7, respectively. The video for the second single premiered on December 23, and received favorable reviews from Arabic media, however, it did not achieve the same explosive rate of Internet views as did the first single "Fi Hagat", with only 750,000 views in a month. The album marks a shift in Ajram's career and launches her to a more international image, and is, to date, her second fastest selling album. It earned Nancy her second World Music Award as the middle east's best selling album.

2010–2012: Second kids' album[link]

In 2012, Ajram joined social networking website Twitter, and received ten thousand followers in two days. She immediately followed fellow singer Elissa and was followed back by her. The singer took her personal account to announce the video shoot of a fourth video from her seventh album, titled "Min Ma Ando." She also announced in late February that was nearly done working on a second album dedicated for kids. Ajram is set to embark a US tour in the summer of 2012.

Personal life[link]

In September 2008, Nancy wed Dr. Fadi El Hachem in Cyprus after a three-year relationship; the wedding ceremony, in Lebanon, was attended mainly by close friends and family and was only made based on their request. Nancy continued her work during pregnancy, during which she filmed "Min Dally Nseek", "Lamset Eed" and her first Sony Ericsson commercial. She also participated in several concerts, such as Layali Febrayer and received her World Music Award.

On May 16, 2009, Nancy gave birth to her first child, a daughter she named "Mila." Short for Milagrosa (miraculous in Spanish), Mila is also a traditional, Levantine name popular in rural Lebanon and meaning a "blooming tree".^[11] However, Nancy revealed that the name was Fadi's choice inspired by the Ukraine-born US actress, Milla Jovovich. Nancy released a song for her daughter, "Ya Rab Tekbar Mila" (I Pray that Mila Grows Up) on the same day. In a survey done by Rotana Magazine, Nancy was voted as the "Most Beautiful Mom" of 2009.^[12] Nancy chose not to reveal photos of her daughter Mila until they both appeared on the cover of "Prestige" magazine in an exclusive photoshoot. Mila later appeared in the set of Nancy's music video "Ya Kether" in the presence of the media who publicized her pictures.

In October 2010, a month after the release of her seventh studio album, Nancy announced that she was four months pregnant with her second child, a girl. During that period she had filmed "Sheikh El Shabab" and "Ya Kether" consecutively to be released during her pregnancy period. Nancy Ajram revealed on Mothers day special on MTV that she decided to name her daughter Ella. Ella was born on 23 April 2011.

Nancy Ajram is an Orthodox Christian.^[13]

Awards and titles[link]

• 1995 Nojoom Al Mustaqbal Golden Award - (Ajram's most significant pre-stardom award)
• 2003, 2005, 2007 Murex D'or Award - Best Female Lebanese Singer of the year, Beirut ^[14]
• 2003, 2006 Murex D'or Award - Best Video of the Year, Beirut.
• 2003: Ya Salam - Nadine Labaki, 2006: Ehsas Jdeed - Said elMarouk)
• 2003 The Golden Lion Award, Egypt
• 2003, 2007 LG Music Award
• 2003, 2005 Zahrat elKhaleej Magazine - Best Female Arab Singer, Dubai
• 2004, 2010 Zahrat elKhaleej - Best Music Video of the Year, Dubai (Lawn Ouyounak, Fi hagat - respectively)
• 2004 Arabian Music Awards - Best Female Arab Singer of the year, Dubai
• 2005 Newsweek - Most Influential Arab Personalities, Kuwait
• 2005 - Honor from the Opera House of Egypt
• 2007 - Certificate from the Pope of Rome
• 2007 Middle East Music Awards (Mobinil) - Best Female Arab Singer of the year, Cairo ^[15]
• 2007, 2009^[16] Arabian Business - World's Most Influential Arabs, Most Influential Contemporary Female Singer in 2007,^[17] Most Powerful Arab Singers^[3]
• 2007 Kol elArab Survey - Best Arabic Star of the year 2007 ^[18]
• 2008 9th Annual Doha Festival - Honor Award, Doha
• 2008 World Music Award - World's Best-Selling Middle-Eastern Artist, 20th Annual WMA, Monaco ^[19]
• 2008 Student Choice Award - [College Student Survey]: Best Album of the Year 2008, Beirut ^[20]
• 2008 AlJumhuriya newspaper, Freedom Magazine - Best Female Arab Star of 2008, Egypt.. only? ^[21]
• 2009 Regional Ambassador for the UNICEF in the Middle East & North Africa
• 2009 Al-Jazirah Newspaper survey : Best Female Arab singer of the Year. Saudi Arabia
• 2010 Stars Cafe Magazine - Best selling female artist of the decade.
• 2010 World Travel Award - Best Female world singer of the Year .
• 2010 Sama Al Noujoum-Best Female Singer 2010/Fi hagat Best Music Video^[22]
• 2010 Panet Survey-Best Female singer^[23]
• 2010 Arab Sound Awards -Best Arabic Female Singer^[24]
• 2010 Music My Life- Fi Hagat Best Song Of 2010
• 2010 Best Of Lbc 2010- N 7 Best Album/Fi Hagat- Best Music Video^[25]
• 2010 Panorama Fm (MBC)-N 7 Best Arabic Album.^[26]
• 2010-2011 Jaras Scoop Awards-Best Female Singer ^[27]
• 2010-2011 Melody Fm Awards-Best Female Singer
• Stars Cafe Awards 2010:
  • Best Female Artist
  • Best Album : 7
  • Best Song: Fi Hagat
  • Best Lyrics: Fi Hagat
  • Best Arrangement: Fi Hagat
  • Best Music Video: Sheikh El Shabab
• 2011 Won two awards from "Murex D'or 2010" ceremony in Lebanon. First award as the Star of Lebanese song, and the second award for the category of best music video for the song "Sheikh El Shabab."^[28]
• 2011 Best Female Singer- "Woujouh Men Lebnan" awards.
• 2011 Arabian Business- Most Famous Celebrity in the Middle East ^[29]
• 2011 World Music Awards World's Best-Selling Middle-Eastern Artist (Nancy 7)

Philanthropy and humanitarian work[link]

Ajram has participated in numerous charity events and concerts that she considers a priority in her music career. In the year 2006, Ajram opened an organization under the name "Jam'iyet Nancy Ajram Al-Khayria" (Nancy Ajram's Charity Organization) in Beirut, Lebanon, that works on collecting and distributing money for the poor. Nancy also released a song about peace, "Resala Ilal Aalam" (A Message to the World), in her children's album as a music video, which was rumored to be presented to the Unicef. Ajram also participated amongst over 100 other prominent Arab artists in a huge production called "ElDhameer elArabi", a 10-year sequel to "AlHelm Al Arabi" that outlines the major political events in the Arab world in the past ten years.

In June 2008, Nancy participated in The Big Ball, a charity event in Dubai which raised over Dhs 940,000 for helping underprivileged children ^[30] by auctioning one of her favourite dresses and encouraging children's fund-raising events; she announced, "The Big Ball is doing a wonderful thing and I'm happy to support it. I'm coming for my love of children and because I want to help underprivileged children find a happy place in this world. Children inspired my latest album Shakhbat Shakhabit and especially the song "Resala lel3alam" (A Message to the World)." ^[31] Ajram, however, continues to refuse announcing her other charitable projects to the public.

On October 22, 2009, the UNICEF chose Ajram to be the first female regional ambassador for the Middle East and North Africa, as was announced in a press conference held in Beirut. Nancy announced that she will be starting her charity projects in 2010. In late 2009 she appeared in the UNICEF's commercial marking the 20th anniversary of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, joining other influential Middle Eastern celebrities such as Kazem el-Saher, Saber el-Rebai and Karess Bashar.

Criticism and controversy[link]

• Many rumors of boycotts against Ajram's concerts filled the internet, although none appeared to be true.^[32]

• In October 2003, a riot broke out outside a concert by Ajram in Bahrain. Islamists from the country's main opposition parties, including Al Wefaq, attacked concert goers. Al Wefaq's leaders defended the action, as it was the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.^[32] In May 2006, Ajram returned to perform in Bahrain without any incidents.

• On her official website, Nancy Ajram has apologized^[33][34] for anti-Iranian remarks ^[35] falsely attributed to her on a website posing as her homepage.

• Nancy Ajram has expressed extreme anger towards recent circulating rumors in Egypt regarding the spread of nude photos of her on mobile phones. A large number of youths around Egypt and around the Arab world have been spreading nude photos of the singer supposedly taken at a women's spa for a full body wax. Nancy, however, denies the spa visit and claims such photos are fake.^[36]

Discography[link]

Studio albums[link]

Nancy Ajram Discography

• 1998: Mihtagalak
• 2001: Sheel Oyounak Anni
• 2003: Ya Salam
• 2004: Ah W Noss
• 2006: Ya Tabtab...Wa Dallaa
• 2008: Betfakkar Fi Eih?!
• 2010: 7

Children's albums[link]

• 2007: Shakhbat Shakhabit
• 2012: TBA

DVDs and live albums[link]

• 2004: Live at the Jarash Festival [DVD] - MegaStar
• 2005: Ma La Ta'arifunahu 3an Nancy Ajram [DVD] - MBC
• 2006: Ah w Noss: Collector's Edition [CD and DVD] - MegaStar
• 2006: Ya Salam: Collector's Edition [CD and DVD] - MegaStar
• 2007: Shakhbat Shakhabit [DVD]
• 2007: ElDonya Helwa - Live [Live CD]
• 2008: The Best of Nancy Clips [DVD]
• 2008: Greatest Hits [Compilation CD] - EMI
• 2009: Awwel Marra [Old Live Songs CD] - Artline Music