Mike Massi CD Launching

With Middle-Eastern roots, and hungry for the harmonious elegance of the West, Mike Massy is noted for his vocal and pianistic distinctiveness, and intuitive talent. He revisits the Lebanese Oriental music, proposing a unique fusion between the passion for Andalusia, baroque harmonies, and jazz rhythms.

Songwriter, film score composer, performer and actor, from the town of Anfeh, Mike Massy was born on the 31st of March 1982, in the land of the Cedars, Lebanon, and grew up fascinated by the inimitable voice of Feirouz, the nostalgic melodies of Zaki Nassif, and the poetry and authenticity of Brel’s and Aznavour’s texts.

Despite the unstable situation in Lebanon, he started piano courses at the age of nine. In 1996 he joined the National High Conservatory of Music. At the age of seventeen, he specialized in Arabic Opera; his musical curiosity led him to explore the “mouwachahat”, as well as oriental and occidental singing, along with his classical piano education.

In 2001, his passion for theatre led him to join the Faculty of Fine Arts where he obtained his degree in Drama. Simultaneously, for 10 years he followed Jazz Ballet dancing courses at a well-reputed dance school, Arabesque, eventually joining its acclaimed troupe.

As a multifaceted artist, a pianist, and an outstanding singer, Mike Massy has collaborated with the most important artists in the Lebanese and Middle Eastern music scene. From Lebanon to Egypt, from Syria to Abu Dhabi, from Algeria to Morocco, and from the Netherlands to Italy through Belgium, Mike Massy has participated in big festivals and toured with internationally known musicians and artists.

His talent as an actor was soon noticed by both film-makers and directors. That’s how he was offered many roles in TV series, TV films, short films, plays and musicals.

Eclectic in his musical choices, in 2003 Mike Massy released his first album of spiritual hymns “ila ssama atba’ouka”. In 2008, he composed the music of the documentary “Itsy Bitsy Spider” by Tanya Nasr. A year later, he wrote, composed, and arranged “Sayf w Layl”, an album featuring the Lebanese singer Nada, combining oriental melodies with Latin and jazz arrangements from the 1950s. In 2010, he wrote the original soundtrack of Joe Bou Eid’s film “Tannoura Maxi”, expected to be released in 2012. Mike Massy is enthusiastically ready to release his new album “Ya Zaman” (O Good Old Days), a Lebanese oriental baroque jazz that he describes as “a Northern boy carrying a Southern heart”.