Palestinian singer Yacoub Shaheen walked away with the title of Arab Idol on Saturday night, nabbing a recording contract with Platinum Records. The 24-year-old from Bethlehem bested fellow Palestinian Amir Dandan and Yemeni act Ammar Mohammad to become the fourth winner of the MBC talent competition. Audiences chose their favourite contestants week by week through text message voting.
Shaheen wore a Palestinian flag around his shoulders and performed a patriotic tune to celebrate his victory. Viewers in his hometown, who were broadcast live during the episode, cheered and rejoiced.
“My pledge and my oath, my blood is Palestinian,” sang Shaheen.
“My journey through Arab Idol is more like a dream come true. I started it optimistic — and I was able to get through every phase of the show until I arrived at winning the title,” he said during a press conference.
Shaheen thanked everyone who supported him, believed in his talent or voted for him, both inside Palestine and outside of it. He also thanked each individual judge on the show — Ahlam, Nancy Ajram, Hassan Al Shafei and Wael Kfoury- who “have helped me with their advice and guidance and constructive criticism.”
“It is a national day. A national historic day for Palestine,” said one viewer, Mohammad Abu Ali, who was watching with his wife and three children in a Gaza cafe.
“There are faces of victory, political and musical. Today it is musical, but we hope one day we will have our political victory,” he added.
Taxi drivers driving around the streets across Gaza honked their horns — a common form of celebration in the Middle East, particularly popular around sporting victories and weddings — and played songs that were performed by Shaheen during the series. Palestinian sensation and season two Arab Idol winner Mohammad Assaf sang with the final three on Friday night, during part one of the season finale. Sherine Abdul Wahab performed on the second ‘results’ day.
Assaf, formerly living in Gaza and now based in Dubai, was the first Palestinian icon to come from Arab Idol. His journey has been filled with highs and lows and a certain level of pandemonium. He told Gulf News tabloid! that when he visits Ramallah, there are at least 400 or 500 strangers who ask for pictures, hugs and kisses, driven by a feeling that Assaf belongs to them.
“There are days when I go to places that are crowded and I have to run away, because I don’t know what to do,” he said.
“I inherited a lot of responsibility at a young age, you know? What happened to me was difficult.”
Assaf continues to tour around the globe with his albums. He said nothing brings him as much joy in his job than being on stage.
Shaheen’s victory may garner him the same level of attention and adoration from the Arab world, though only time will tell.
“This win brings double the responsibility for Yaccoub,” said MBC spokesperson Mazen Hayek. “Firstly from a musical point of view, through his role in elevating the music that the younger generation listens to, and secondly because he comes from the city of peace and love, Bethlehem, providing a duty to spread a message peace, tolerance, love, brotherhood and dialogue between cultures.”
