Suddenly Lebanese singer Nawal Al-Zoghbi disappeared, leaving many questions behind. Some said that she had divorced and others that she had gone to live in Canada. In this interview, Nawal begins the countdown to the release of her new album in two months.
Your fans are asking why you disappeared for more than a year.
What do you have to say?
I achieved a great deal of success; I have to be careful of the next step. I have to think before releasing my next album. I am not satisfied with releasing albums that are not major hits. I discussed this with the musical production company, Alam Al-Fan, and we found that the album lacks a hit song. There are beautiful songs it and we have also found a hit for the album.
What about the release date of your album?
It will be released in two months. Many good poets and composers from Lebanon and Egypt contributed to it. For the first time, my fans will see me in a new style.
Why there is no collaboration between you and the composer Marwan Khoori despite the huge success of many songs in the past?
I listened to many of his songs but I felt they did not suit me. His songs were very successful with other women singers. They were classical songs and I already have four classical songs in my new album.
You disappeared for a long time which gave new names an opportunity to appear. Aren't you afraid of competition?
I am not a new artist who needs media support and to appear on every occasion in order to prove herself. At this time, I need a huge success and not media support even if I am absent for two year. I am not going to produce a poor album so my fans will not say that they waited for me and got a disappointing album. I am not in a hurry and I will not jeopardize my career. I will wait until everything is perfect and complete.
These days many Lebanese singers go to Egypt. Aren't you afraid that they will take your place when you are absent from the entertainment scene?
Egypt and my Egyptian fans are one big reason for my success. I delayed the release of my album intentionally until students have finished their examinations. I am not afraid that Lebanese singers will take my place in Egypt, but many Lebanese singers come to Egypt without real planning for what they will do there.
There are media people who write against you. Why?
It is because I refused interviews so they started spreading rumors and creating problems for me. I ask those journalists a question: Why do they not respect my privacy? Sometimes I do not want to talk because I have nothing to say. Even when I give a statement to them, they change the meaning into something provocative and try to create problems between me and other singers.
Last, we want to ask about your appearance at the Dubai Festival. That produced even more rumors. People said that you had had plastic surgery.
I must say that I had no plastic surgery because I did not need it.
