Mohamed Mounir محمد منير | |
|---|---|
 Official poster of Mohamed Mounir, known asThe King. | |
| Background information | |
| Also known as | The King |
| Born | Mohamed Mounir (1954-10-10)October 10, 1954 (age 71) Aswan, Egypt |
| Origin | Egypt |
| Genres |
|
| Occupation(s) | Singer, actor |
| Instrument(s) | Vocals,bendir |
| Years active | 1977–present |
| Labels |
|
| Website | mohamedmounir |
Mohamed Mounir (Arabic:محمد منير; born October 10, 1954) is an Egyptian singer and actor, with a musical career spanning more than four decades. He incorporates various genres into his music, including classicalEgyptian music, Nubian music, Blues, Jazz and Reggae.[1][2][3][4] His lyrics are noted both for their philosophical content and for their passionate social and political commentary.[1][5] He is affectionately known by his fans as"El King" in reference to his album and play"El Malek Howwa El Malek" (The King is The King).[6] Mounir's family is fromNubia, Southern Aswan, Egypt.
In April 2021, he appeared in the opening musical sequence as a singer for thePharaohs' Golden Parade on an Egyptian funerary boat on the lake in front of theNational Museum of Egyptian Civilization.[7]
Born into aNubian family inAswan,[1] Mounir spent most of his early childhood in the village of Manshyat Al Nubia,[6] where he shared his father's interests in both music and politics.[1] As a teenager, he and his family were forced to relocate to Cairo when his village was lost in the floods that followed the construction of theAswan Dam.[8] It was here that he studied photography at the Faculty of Applied Arts atHelwan University.[1] During this period, he would often sing for friends and family at social gatherings. His singing voice was noticed by the lyricist Abdel-Rehim Mansour, who would go on to introduce Mounir to the renowned folk singerAhmed Mounib.[1][6]
Following his college graduation, he was called up for military service in 1974,[1] during which he continued his professional musical career by performing in various concerts.[6] He performed his first such concert in 1975.[9] Although the public were initially critical of Mounir for performing in casual attire at a time where manyEgyptian singers were expected to wear suits, they eventually warmed to his laidback image.[1]
After completing his military service, Mounir released his 1977 debut solo albumAlemony Eneeki on the Sonar record label. Mounir went on to release five more consecutive official albums and featured on one soundtrack album under the Sonar label.[6] To date, Mounir has released a total 22 official albums and featured on six soundtrack albums under a number of different record labels.[6]
Mounir's single "Maddad" from this album caused controversy, as its lyrics could be interpreted as a call forintercession fromMuhammad. Among Muslims there are differing views as to whether Muhammad can provide intercession betweenGod's and his believers. This resulted in the music video being banned from Egyptian television for a time.[10] Mounir responded by saying "It is this fight against rigid thought that makes something out of you".[10]
On his 2003 follow-up album "Ahmar Shafayef" (Red Lipstick), he returned to his more familiar style of mainly secular lyrics. In the summer of 2003, following the release of this album, Mounir toured Austria, Germany and Switzerland alongside the Austrian pop musicianHubert von Goisern, and later that year the two musicians performed at a concert inAsyut.[11]
In May 2004 he held a large concert at thepyramids of Giza, during which he was physically attacked by a drunken fan.[12] Despite sustaining minor injuries, he continued his performance until the end of the concert.[12]
He continued recording albums infused with social commentary with the release of his 2005 albumEmbareh Kan Omry Eshren (Yesterday I Was Twenty) and his albumTa'm El Beyout (Taste of Homes), released in 2008.Ta'm El Beyout was noted for its creativity, but initially did not perform as well as expected in terms of album sales.[13] In 2012, Mounir released his albumYa Ahl El Arab we Tarab.
In 2008 Mounir postponed his New Year's Eve concert atCairo Opera House in solidarity with the Palestinians suffering the effects of theGaza War.[14][15] He issued the statement: "Delaying the concert is a message sent to the whole world, so that it would move forward and help the people in Gaza."[15]
He headlined the Liverpool Arabic Arts Festival 2010 on July 9, at theLiverpool Philharmonic Hall.[4][16] He is the predecessor to recent musical groups likeBlack Theama
In February 2021 Mounir announced that he would be playing at concerts inJerusalem,Haifa,Ramallah andGaza City, to be the first Egyptian musician to perform in Israel, as he mentioned: "I will be a peace delegate, likeSadat". However, he later declared that he would only tour the Palestinian cities of Ramallah and Gaza.[17]
As well as his career as a popular singer, Mounir also has an active acting career. He has appeared in 12 movies, 4 television series and 3 plays.[6] His movie career began in 1982, when he acted inYoussef Chahine's film'Hadouta Masreia (An Egyptian Story), also being featured on the soundtrack album. In 1997 he played the role of thebard in another movie by Youssef Chahine, the French-Egyptian historical dramaAl Maseer (Destiny), which was screened out of competition at the1997 Cannes Film Festival.[18]
Mounir played the part of the blind poetry professor "Bashir" in the controversial 2005 filmDunia, which centers around the title character Dunia, a belly dancer and poet played by Egyptian actressHanan Tork.[19] When the film was shown at the 2005Cairo International Film Festival, it left the audience split between those supporting the film's calls forwomen's rights and its message againstfemale genital mutilation, and those disapproving of either the title character's desire to express herself through dance, or of the scenes shot in Cairo's slums, judged as tarnishing Egypt's international image.[20][21]
YKB: Featuring Yahia Khalil's band
| Year | Film | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1982 | Hadouta Masreia (An Egyptian Tale) | Mahdi | |
| 1986 | Al Yawm Al Sades (The Sixth Day) | The Boatman | |
| 1987 | Al Tokk Wa Eswera (Ring and Bracelet) | Mr. Mohamed | |
| 1988 | Youm Mor We Youm Helw (A Bad Day & A Good Day) | Oraby | |
| 1990 | Shabab Ala Kaf Afreet (Youth on the palm of a ghost) | ||
| 1991 | Ishtebah (Suspicion) | Medhat | |
| 1991 | Leih Ya Haram (Why Pyramid) | Ahmed Shafek | |
| 1992 | Hekayat Al Ghareb (Stranger Tale) | Saed | |
| 1994 | Al Bahth An Tut Ankh Amun (Search for Tutankhamen) | Gad | |
| 1997 | Al Maseer (Destiny) | Marwan (The Bard) | |
| 2005 | Kiss Me Not on the Eyes | Dr. Bashir | |
| 2006 | Mafesh Gher Keda (Nothing but this) | Himself |
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