My Blue World

Sunday, October 24, 2010

MAHER ZAIN

MAHER ZAIN

Leaving behind a lucrative career in the mainstream music industry in New York wherein he worked with internationally renowned producer RedOne who has worked with chart-topping artists Akon, Lady Gaga, Enrique Iglesias and the late Michael Jackson to mention just a few, Maher chose instead to make music which reflects his roots of being both European, Arab and Muslim and he is working with Awakening Records (who launched the career of British artist Sami Yusuf) to inspire the youth across the world. In early March 2010, Maher's debut album Thank You Allah (released by Awakening Records) was the No.1 highest selling album on Amazon (in the world music section). Maher has already had concerts in Sweden, Canada, Australia, US, UK, France, Egypt, Algeria, and Bahrain to mention just a few. With his passion, incredible talent and unique style, the sky is the limit for Maher.

Maher’s first musical inspiration came from his father, who was a singer himself, performing locally in the beautiful Mediterranean city of Tripoli - Lebanon. Fascinated by the music and instruments, Maher got his first keyboard when he was only ten and ever since music officially became an integral part of Maher’s world. His family moved to Sweden when Maher was only 8, where he continued his schooling, and later entered university and got a Bachelors degree in Aeronautical Engineering. With things changing around him, one thing remained the same - his strong passion for music. He would spend late nights at school with his friends where they would sing, rap, compose and experiment with music in every way. It didn’t take him long to realize that music became an integral part of who he is.

After being involved for a while in the music scene as a music producer, Maher was introduced to RedOne, a gifted music producer who was fast rising in the music scene in Sweden. Maher started working with RedOne and later moved to New York. For a few years he was in the middle of the hot rush of the NY music industry, working with chart topping artists such as Kat Deluna on her debut album including smash hits ‘Whine up’ and ‘Run the Show’. Maher had what many would describe as a dream job for someone so young in such a glamorous business, but for Maher it felt like this was far from what he would call ‘the dream’, “I loved the music but I hated everything that surrounded it, it always felt like something wasn’t right”.

In January 2009, Maher Zain decided to work on an album that reflects his identity – Arab, Western and Muslim - and signed with Awakening Records. Maher’s debut album Thank You Allah reached the number 1 spot on Amazon’s World Music charts and number 9 on the R&B charts.

In January 2010, in a music competition organized by Nujoom FM (Egypt’s biggest music radio station) Maher’s track ‘Ya Nabi Salam Alayka’ was voted as the Best Song for 2009. Runners up included big names like Hussein Aljismi, Mohammed Mounir and Sami Yusuf. Maher has already performed at sold out concerts in Algeria, Australia, Belgium, Canada, Egypt, England, France, Holland, Sweden, and the US amongst others and is fast becoming the ‘next superstar of Islamic music’.

Maher Zain’s album mixes the sounds of R&B with traditional spiritual, soul and contemporary pop music, not just updating spiritual music and inshad but fearlessly reviving it with contemporary flair. Maher’s debut album Thank You Allah is an instant classic of great power and timeless, unassailably intense spirituality.

Maher is fast becoming recognized as one of modern Islamic Music’s seminal voices after his ground-breaking single and animated music video “Palestine Will Be Free,” his music video “Insha Allah” shot on location in London and directed by famous British director Mike Harris who has worked with Coldplay and Madonna among others, and his latest video “The Chosen One” - about the life and the peaceful teachings of Prophet Muhammad - shot in Los Angeles. Maher Zain is clearly poised to take up modern Islamic Music to a new level. As a supremely gifted artist and producer, Maher brings his music to a wider audience not by watering down his message, but by making songs of supreme power, conviction, and glorious beauty, fusing elements of R&B, traditional spiritual music, pop, Arabic and Turkish music into daring arrangements.

After his experience in the Music Industry, Maher feels blessed to able to finally find the right way, put his talent to its best use, and produce music that is closer to his roots, and he feels like it’s his turn now to help others through his music to do the same: “If I had one thing I’d like to tell people out there it would be that it’s so easy to see the right way if we just open our eyes and look properly; that’s what happened to me.”

Name: Maher Zain

Age: 29 years old

Nationality: Swedish (of Lebanese origin)

Education: BA in Aeronautical Engineering

Previous Job: Music Producer

Worked with in the past: RedOne: Akon, Lady Gaga, etc

Album Name: Thank You Allah

Number of Tracks: 13

Release Date: 1st of November 2009

Record Label: Awakening Records

Facebook Page with close to 1 million fans: http://www.facebook.com/MaherZain

Music Videos:

1- Palestine Will Be Free Music Video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=foSbqLi6U10

2 A- Insha Allah Music Video English version:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KfXIF2Mm2Kc

2 B- Insha Allah Music Video French version:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kvger_C4LN8

2 C- Insha Allah Music Video Turkish version:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PPZPpnqtexI

2 D- Insha Allah Music Video Arabic version:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PACjNsQF0Z0

3- The Chosen One Music Video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QbICjWI7Vrw

Monday, August 23, 2010

Hujan Aneh Sepanjang Sejarah

Pada 1578, tikus kuning besar berjatuhan dari langit di atas Bergen, Norwegia.

Pada Januari 1877, prestisius ilmuwan Amerika mencatat adanya hujan ular yang ukurannya mencapai 20 inci di Memphis, Tennessee.

Pada Februari 1877, serpihan benda berwarna kuning berjatuhan di Penchloch, Jerman. Benda tersebut dilaporkan memiliki ukuran tebal, beraroma dan melesat seperti anak panah, bijih kopi serta bulatan cakram.

Pada Desember 1974, hujan telur rebus terjadi selama beberapa hari pada sebuah sekolah dasar di Berkshire, Inggris.

Pada 1969, hujan darah dan daging terjadi di sebagian besar wilayah Brasil.

Pada 1989, boneka kayu dengan kepala terbakar atau terpotong jatuh dari langit di atas kota Las Pilas, Cantabria.

Pada 2007, hujan anak katak terjadi di Alicante, Spanyol dan hujan laba-laba turun di Cerro San Bernardo, Salta, Argentina. Seorang pembaca Epoch Times telah mengambil foto dari peristiwa tersebut.

Pada 31 Juli 2008, hujan darah (laporan yang telah ditetapkan berdasarkan analisa laboratorium) di kota Choco, Kolumbia.

Hujan Ikan di Australia

Sebuah laporan Northern Territory News telah memberikan bukti bahwa makanan yang jatuh dari langit lebih dari sekedar legenda. Dilaporkan bahwa pada 25 dan 26 Februari, hujan ikan terjadi di Lajamanu, Australia, 200 mil dari pantai.

Ikan tersebut yang diyakini sebagai jenis ikan kecil putih bernama Spangled Perch, yang umumnya terdapat di Australia bagian utara. Menurut Balmer, ikan itu masih hidup ketika berjatuhan.

Beberapa penduduk dari Lajamanu, Maningrida dan Hermannsburg telah mengungkapkan pengalaman mereka tentang hujan ikan tersebut kepada Northern Trreitory News. Salah satu dari mereka mengatakan, ketika ia masih kanak-kanak, sejumlah temannya pergi memancing di sebuah oval (lapangan sepak bola Australia) saat terjadi hujan ikan.

Penduduk desa Yoro, Honduras, telah terbiasa mempersiapkan wadah seperti ember dan baskom untuk menadah hujan ikan yang turun dari langit setiap tahun antara bulan Mei dan Juli.

Meskipun tidak ada kasus lain sebagai siklus dan terjadi berulang-ulang seperti di Yoro, hujan hewan air, amfibi dan lainnya yang lebih aneh telah terjadi di wilayah lain.

Ilmuwan AS, Charles Fort (1874-1932) selama bertahun-tahun mempelajari terjadinya hujan aneh. Ia mengumpulkan sekitar 60.000 kliping dari surat kabar, majalah serta sumber lain tentang sejumlah kejadian luar biasa. Sepanjang karirnya, Fort berhasil mencatat berbagai fenomena hujan seperti hujan koin, ular, perangko China kuno, darah, katak, serangga, kapas, minyak dan zat cair.

Staf senior Biro Meteorologi Australia, Ashley Patterson seperti dikutip Northern Territory News, mencoba menjelaskan terjadinya hujan ikan di Australia. Teorinya tidak jauh berbeda dari sejumlah ilmuwan yang meyakini bahwa ikan kemungkinan disedot ke awan oleh twister, waterspout atau tornado, yang dibawa oleh awan, kemudian jatuh seperti hujan.

“Kencangnya gulungan angin ke udara, [ikan dan air dapat ditarik] hingga 60.000 atau 70.000 kaki,” ujar Petterson. “Atau [hal itu] kemungkinan terjadi akibat tornado pada perairan---namun kami belum memiliki laporan,”

Akan tetapi, sebagian besar kasus, teori ini nampaknya tidak menjelaskan mengapa hanya hewan atau benda tertentu yang jatuh dari langit. Mengapa arus angin mampu mengangkat benda seperti katak dari sebuah danau tanpa menyertakan air, lumpur, ganggang maupun spesies lain dari ekosistem yang sama?

Penjelasan tersebut menjadi kurang masuk akal ketika seperti dalam kasus hujan ikan di Australia, di dekat area itu tidak ditemukan danau, laut maupun sungai dan tidak pula terjadi badai maupun tornado yang tercatat pada saat atau selama beberapa hari sebelumnya.

Sebagian juga mencoba menjelaskan sebagai hujan buatan manusia dari sebuah pesawat tanpa sepengetahuan siapapun.

Dalam banyak kasus, orang-orang cenderung menghubungkan fenomena tersebut akibat eksperimen makhluk asing atau dimensi persimpangan, di mana kejadian itu tiba-tiba muncul maupun lenyap dari langit. Dalam beberapa kasus, fenomena ini telah di sangakal.

Hingga kini, hujan material itu sudah tidak diragukan lagi, karena peristiwa ini telah tercatat dalam sejumlah dokumen seperti Alkitab serta dalam tulisan-tulisan Mesir kuno.

Apakah ini penyedot air yang selektif? Apakah merupakan fenomena cuaca yang dapat dijelaskan secara sempurna? Apakah ini merupakan isyarat para Dewa? Apapun masalahnya, pada masa mendatang bila langit nampak gelap sebaiknya anda berhati-hati; mungkin saja hal tersebut bukan hujan air. (eonardo Vintiñi & Stephanie Lam/EpochTimes/sua)