First known for his unique performance at the Star Academy TV Show in 2004, Bruno Tabbal has successfully reached new heights, both in the music and acting fields. Famous for his ability to sing beautifully in several languages (French, English, Spanish, Italian and Arabic) as well as for the depth & variety he infuses into the characters he plays, Bruno incarnates today the multicultural generation on the rise in the Levant.

His facility with languages and his diverse cultural background allowed him to approach his art in every accent without ever forgetting his Lebanese roots.

Bruno just released his latest song “Layli Wara Layli*” (Night After Night) blending traditional notes with modern beats. The result is a surprisingly fresh & dynamic, feel-good tune that takes fusion music up to a whole new level. The colourful & sensual Music Video directed by Bruno stars Cynthia Khalifeh & features Cynthya Karam two young icons of the audio-visual universe.  It is a vibrant tribute to Love as well as the World-famous  Lebanese Party Scene & Nightlife where lovers tease & run . It is also a representation of today’s youth that’s still vibrant despite all the drama & gloominess that surrounds them, embracing the typical Lebanese Resilience.

Bruno’s initiative is as bold and as necessary as a breath of fresh oxygen in a country emerging from a 20 years war. “Layli Wara Layli” reconnects today’s generation with the dreams of a better tomorrow and the pursuit of happiness. Like a light at the end of the tunnel, the légèreté in such a music video is also an indirect invitation for the youth to start working today for the rights, prosperity & peace they fantasize about.

KAMSYN was invited by Bruno for an exclusive talk:

“I fear for the future of Lebanon but also for mine. I am optimistic by nature, a happy fool we can even say, yet I am less and less inclined to feel that way. I also know that I can’t live from my art, but giving it up is like dying.” In parallel to his Artistic activity, Bruno is also very involved politically but globally as an Activist, without defending any specific party: “Everything is connected in the world, Lebanon is not an island, and this world frightens me. I therefore take my exposure, however small, to talk about what I think, sometimes it doesn’t please everyone but this is normal, we are in a society that is too emotional and irrational, with a scary individualism. I speak of social perversion in the sense that society perverts everything.”

Freshly turned 38, Bruno’s celebrates his 10 years career which has been rich in key milestones & achievements. His latest success was his role as the Chevalier De Danceny in the play “Les Liasons Dangereuses” by Joe Kodeih at the Theatre Gemmayze. Today Bruno courageously addresses his Life and Art in the same way and doesn’t hesitate to cut straight to the heart of sensitive topics , even if it means creating shockwaves along the way.

As far back as he can remember, Bruno Tabbal was always attracted to the Stage. As a child and then as a teenager during his summer vacations in the mountains, he used to set-up plays with his friends to experiment new roles & possibilities. Then, attracted by Cinema, he forms a band with his schoolmates and realizes that singing allows him to address all the aspects that make him come alive: Acting, Singing and Entertaining. “Today, I admit that I am made for the Performing Arts in general rather than a particular category” he says thoughtfully.

The turning point of his life and career was with the Star Academy TV Show where he literally lit the audiences. At 25, he was the oldest of the participants and still looks at this experience with mixed feelings “Of course, this has helped to open many doors and contributed to build my reputation, yet it also brought me many questions and difficulties. The reawakening was very hard”.  What follows is a painful period of denial, the impression of success, and seven years of wandering during which he resumed his Directorial, Advertising production assistant and Assistant director jobs, a field where the conditions weren’t up to his artistic expectations “Then I said that’s Enough,  I could not accept that !”

Bruno also saw his closest friends leave the country as they went to live in France: ” I could have left too, but I consciously chose to stay here because I had a message to share with my audience and fellow citizens “.

In 2010, he made his comeback with a first single, and managed to impose himself slowly, with difficulty, as a True Independent Artist. Today, 6 years later, he has 8 singles including 5 personal productions to his credit but admits that the last production tired him : “I question myself again after a period of strong determination. I really gave a lot, with better means than usual, but I feel pessimistic because I can’t refrain from comparing. The musical world became so black and white that the middle no longer exists. It is this or that, either the very commercial mainstream or the indie alternative. I work to create more room for diversity.”

As an Activist, Bruno was particularly engaged with other artists for the LGBT Rights Day through a video, and has appeared on television on the subject, not without great hesitation, in 2015. “I tried to get the message of acceptance gently and without aggression, but it was very stressful. Messages of thanks I received afterward moved me so much.”

Also committed to Women’s rights and human dignity, he founded with other artists the group “One day One sandwich”, an annual campaign to get people to make a second sandwich to offer for an association helping the left-behind : “We don’t need to be part of an association to help, it’s possible to be active every day. And each year, the response of the people is getting bigger, it’s beautiful !”

One thing is for sure, Bruno speaks from his big heart and sings from his soul.

October 2016