Growing up in Cairo, Lara began performing at the tiny
age of 4 and started writing her own songs by age 11. But it was season 6 of the
reality show, Star Academy that was to transform this sensational young woman’s
life forever. Read on as we had an exclusive opportunity to interview Egypt’s
first ever Pop Princess…
Let me start off by saying -- you have one of the
liveliest fan clubs I’ve seen! And it’s no surprise that your fans are on an
incessant increase even though the show ended. To kick off; please tell us a
little about your Star Academy experience?
Thank you. I love my
fans. The old and new ones. They’re just as energetic and insane as I am and I
love them for that. I’m so blessed to have them as my fans. They push me to be
the best I can be. My experience in Star Academy was very educational. I got to
live out a dream that only few people are lucky enough to witness and I got to
learn more than I ever wished I could; both artistically and
personally.
You were the final Egyptian in the competition and
reached the semi-finals. Do you think you deserved to go
further?
Being the last Egyptian in the competition and reaching the
semifinals was such a blessing and more than I could have asked for especially
since I didn’t sing Arabic. I’m very happy with how far I went and it shows that
you don’t have to win a competition to succeed and move forward. It’s not about
the title, it’s about the determination and persistence within
you.
In your opinion, and other than the publicity; what did the
Star Academy experience present you?
I got to develop as an artist
and a person. Living alone for 5 months, away from home and my family made me
grow stronger and more independent. The challenge of living with different
personalities and mentalities also made me grow a thicker skin. It was such an
educational experience.
You’re visibly a fashion admirer. How
would you describe your everyday style?
Fashion to me is all about
self-expression, feeling good about yourself and above all being comfortable.
That’s how I infuse fashion in my everyday style.
You are Egyptian of Italian descent. You sing in Arabic as
well as other languages. So tell us, has it happened yet –have you actually been
weighed up against Dalida?
I love Dalida. I look up to her as an
artist and I do see the common thread between our stories. I do get the
occasional comparison to her and I’m honored! However, Dalida is who she is: an
icon. She’s paved the way for artists like myself so she’s on a pedestal of her
own.
I absolutely loved your debut hit single Mission Is You!
Tell us, did you expect this much success when you first recorded the
song?
Thank you. I always appreciate the good and constructive
feedback! I honestly didn’t expect the success Mission Is You had. I was blessed
to have a large fan base and a popular role in Star Academy but starting from
scratch, as a solo artist especially in English was a challenge. I was taught to
accept challenges. I did and I’m happy to say doing so garnered great success
for my first single.
Your latest single ‘Chains’ reminded me a
little of Britney Spears, with a hit of the Christina Aguilera. Are you a fan of
theirs?
I love and respect them both as artists. Britney Spears is
the first singer whose songs I started performing and Christina is one of the
reasons why I chose to pursue this career, so any relation to their positive
aspects is an honor.
How did it feel when you found out you were going to shoot
with Ray Kay?
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Knowing I was going to shoot my first music video with one of the
most talented directors was very overwhelming, but Ray’s such a great person.
He’s very easy to work with. We’ve worked on two videos together and they both
went very smoothly because of the way he runs everything.
Well
you certainly have what it takes for an international music career. Is that part
of the plan?
Of course, singing in languages other than Arabic in
the Middle East isn’t easy but I did begin my journey here so I plan on
continuing in the Middle East for now but of course if the right opportunity
arises for me to cross over, I won’t let it pass me by. For me it’s all about
timing and the right project. I don’t want to rush into anything.
Ok thank you again Lara for doing this
interview. Would you like to add anything else before we end?
I
would just like to thank you, Dear Guest for this interview and for your
support. Obviously, I’d like to thank my beautiful fans for the constant love
they have for what I do. I just want to remind them that I’m doing this for
them… |
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