6 hours ago
As soon as the Lebanese singer Elissa released a joint song with Moroccan artist Saad Lamjarred, controversy erupted among her fans and fans. Among the commentators, there were those who expressed their admiration for the new song and its romantic nature, and some of them expressed their shock at the song from the first minute.
In one of the scenes of the video song titled “From the First Minute”, Elissa appears leaning on Saad Lamjarred’s shoulder before raising her voice to sing.
For some, the scene seemed as ordinary as other romantic scenes that characterized Elissa’s songs, which her fans call the queen of sensation.
But the voices of many have come to condemn and criticize the Lebanese singer, considering her latest song as a “slap” in the face of survivors of violence in all its forms.
Effect the artist on the audience
Elissa has always expressed her support for controversial issues and was known for her bold statements, until she became, in the eyes of some, a symbol of rebellion and courage.
Unlike many of her colleagues who were accused of defending the “male system”, Elissa seems keen to record her position supporting gender equality and rejecting the guardianship of women.
Anyone who reads the Lebanese singer’s account on Twitter will notice that she defines herself as a defender of women’s rights.
She has also presented numerous works urging women to break the silence, stand up to violence once morest them, and not accept insult under any circumstances.
In 2012, she released the song “Mpaha Lake”, which was considered a cry in the face of harassers.
In her song “My Mirror”, Elissa embodied the character of a woman who pleads with her mirror and complains to her regarding her suffering from marital violence, to rise up at the end of the song and send a message to every woman who has been subjected to violence, saying: “Break your silence and do not break your image in the mirror.”
Elissa has adopted this approach to songs in recent years, but these artworks alone are not enough to confirm that the artist bears a real awareness of the importance of feminist struggle, according to the opinion of many who attacked Elissa following her collaboration with Saad Lamjarred.
The Moroccan singer has previously been charged with violence and rape in four cases, in none of which has a final ruling been issued so far.
Lamjarred was first arrested on suspicion of beating and raping a woman in New York in 2010. Six years later, he was accused of sexually assaulting a French woman. He was released on bail in April 2017 with an electronic bracelet on his leg while awaiting trial.
Numerous campaigns demanding the cancellation of Lamjarred concerts have spread in more than one country. One of those campaigns succeeded in stopping the Moroccan singer’s concert in Cairo in 2020 and preventing the broadcast of a television episode on an Egyptian channel, of which he was the main guest.
Saad Lamjarred had commented in a press interview that these campaigns interfere in his private life, calling on the public to pay attention only to his artworks.
Anger meets the artist’s ignoring
Believers of Elissa’s feminist speech expressed their disappointment at seeing their favorite artist “fall into the trap of polishing violence and whitewashing harassment,” as they described it.
While another group of commentators ridiculed the aura that some drew around Elissa as a feminist artist, one of them wrote: “I’ve never seen Elissa “representing Arab women.”
While others demanded not to promote the song, some even called for a boycott of all “artistic works that deal with women’s issues as a kind of “trend”.
On the other hand, another group of commentators believes that the attack once morest Elisa stems from her being a woman. They blame some for their silence regarding the statements made by male artists who are used to “justifying the patriarchal thought that is the guardian of women.”
And there are those who saw in the song just a “successful artwork that brought together two beloved singers that does not deserve all this attack.”
And what seemed acceptable and normal to some, others considered it an act that might contribute to passing the message that “fame and success are factors that may help to forget everything.”
While others denounced the uproar that arose around the song and called to wait until the French judiciary says its final word in the Lamjarred case.
There are also those who talked regarding the existence of penal conditions or contracts imposed on Elisa to deal with Lamjarred, which was excluded by others who pointed out the clear harmony between the artists.
The Lebanese singer preferred to ignore the criticism and contented himself with republishing blogs and articles celebrating the success of her new song.
The song occupied advanced positions in the list of the most listened to songs, as it recorded more than 9 million views on Elisa’s channel on YouTube, two days following its release.
