Weddings are big business. Gathering friends and family together for a celebration is the perfect excuse to eat top quality food and enjoy the finest surroundings and entertainment. And adding a little star quality in the form of a top singer is a sure-fire way to grab the attention of your guests and ensure that your wedding is remembered as the event of the year.
But our region’s best singers don’t come cheap. If you want Nancy Ajram or Amr Diab to be the person to get your guests dancing, you will be paying for more than their 90 minute slot. “They need first class treatment all the way through,” says Maurice Salloum, wedding and event organiser. This means first class air travel and road transport and hotel accommodation. Add costs for the accompanying band and government taxes and you may need to factor in up to 25,000 USD extra. Thankfully though, unlike Western stars who have crazy demands like bath-tubs filled with mineral water and scented lilies, our singers set no such additional financial conditions. “They sing and they leave, that’s it,” Salloum adds.
It’s also worth remembering that for many of us, one just isn’t enough. Increasingly, weddings will have two or three singers – and this can push the price up significantly. “At one big wedding recently the family had both Shakira and Nancy Ajram singing,” recalls Salloum. The cost of this combination? A cool one million USD.
If you are planning on some evening entertainment any time soon, what follows is a very rough estimate of what you might have to pay to get one of our top singers at your party. No guarantees that it’s the right price though, all divas, male and female, reserve the right to change their minds…
Amr Diab
50,000 USD
Appropriately enough for a singer whose biggest hits include ‘Habibi’, Diab is among the region’s most popular wedding singers – and one of the highest paid. However, instead of paying his travel costs, you may have to bring your wedding to him. “He prefers not to travel these days,” says Salloum.
Nancy Ajram
40,000 USD
If you’re going for a wholesome, inoffensive, cute image at your wedding, you had better look to Nancy Ajram to take the stage. Ajram is now the region’s highest paid female songbird, stealing the crown from Haifa Wehbe. She, like the others, will not perform until after midnight, when your guests have finished eating, even though she is unlikely to offend their digestion, in any case.
Assi Al Hillani
50,000 USD
This Lebanese singer is probably currently best known for his performances in front of certain regional leaders. However, he is no stranger to a large audience too, judging by his many forays onto the Middle East festival circuit with folkloric songs like ‘Al Houwaya’.
Haifa Wehbe
Around 30,000 USD
As well known for her saucy image and private life as for her music, Wehbe has been toppled from her position at the top-of-the-pop tree. “She’s not in demand as much as before,” states Salloum. However, her upcoming album release may change all that.
Kazem Al Saher
Around 40,000 USD
It’s not a case of ‘once a pop star always a pop star’ for this singer. His diversification into orchestral arrangements of his sweeping ballads has meant that you’re less likely to dance, and more likely to be outnumbered by the musicians on stage. “He’s for concerts or private dinners because people like to listen to him,” says Salloum.
Elissa
Around 20,000 USD
If you want a touch of class at your nuptials, Elissa is probably the singer to hire. Since she tends to perform classical songs, you’re better off engaging for smaller events or private dinners. “In many years [she has only performed at] two to three weddings,” comments Salloum.
Fairouz
Priceless
At a wedding, the Grande-Dame of singers in the region, this is one diva money can’t buy. “We asked her once to sing and she said she would but for no less than one million USD. She doesn’t sing at weddings and that’s probably why she quoted that price,” says Salloum, wistfully.
Contact
Maurice Salloum
Beirut, Lebanon
+ 961 1 362 595
HYPERLINK "http://www.mauriceselloum.com" www.mauriceselloum.com
