Betfakkar fi eih?!

Infobox Album | Name = Bitfakar Fi Eih
Type = Album
Artist = Nancy Ajram


Released = July 30, 2008
Recorded = 2006 - 2008
Photography = David Abdallah
Genre = Arabic
Length = 60:42
Label = In2Musica
Producer = Jiji Lamara
Reviews =
Last album = "Shakhbat Shakhabit"
(2007)
This album = "Bitfakar Fi Eih"
(2008)
Next album =

Bitfakkar Fi Eih (Arabic: "بتفَكّر في إيه؟") is Nancy Ajram's seventh album. The album was produced by In2Musica and distributed by Melody Music. This album had a much more mature theme for Nancy, a necessary thing for her career as media and fans have requested this after her previous album dedicated to children came out. "Bitfakar Fi Eih" came two years and a half after Atabtab, and the long-awaited comeback album held huge change in Nancy's style presenting her matured vocal abilities in a much clearer way than her previous albums.

Track listing

# Bitfakar Fi Eih - 3:55/ "What are You Thinking About?!"
# Meen Dalli Nseek- 3:42/ "Who Forgot About You"
# Mien Ghairy Ana - 4:06/ "Who Else But Me"
# Safer (Ana Rohy Maak) - 5:01/ "Travel (My Soul's Within You)"
# Sahharny Sahhar - 3:52/ "Keep Me Up, Keep Me Up"
# Baldiyyat(Ana Menno) - 4:29/ "From My Town"
# Zaman Kan Andi Alb - 5:08/ "I Once Had a Heart"
# Lamset Eed - 3:55/ "Touch of a Hand"
# Leya Ha' - 4:00/ "I Have a Right"
# Ibn ElGiran - 4:27/ "The Neighbour's Son"
# Wana Ben Ideik (Akbar Men Keda) - 3:30/ "When I'm In Your Arms"
# Khaffef Alayya Shwai - 3:57/ "Chill On Me"
# Mashi Haddi - 4:18/ "Walking Next to Me"
# Biteegy Sertak - 6:16/ "They Talk About You"

ongs

Nancy chose the album title track "Betfakkar Fi Eih?!" (What Are You Thinking About) because its meaning described the change in the album. The first preview of the album was from the hit "Meen Ghairy Ana" in Nancy's three part Coke commercial, which served as a very successful promotion 5 months before release. Eventhough "Meen Ghairy Ana" is considered by many to be the smash hit of the album, the choice of the lead single was to be the album title track as usual, which did not satisfy all critics. Along with the album's release came a high-budget video for "Betfakkar Fi Eih" with hi-tech effects that were a first in the Arab world; however, prominent director Said el Marouk was criticized for focusing on the high level of cinematic effects and style rather than the storyboard of the clip. Said directed the next video for "Min Dally Nseek" as a sequel to their first cooperation in "Ehsas Jdeed".

Nancy, before the album's release had already filmed "Meen Ghairy Ana" and "Ibn elGiran". "Min Ghairy Ana", by the successful trio (Nizar Francis, Samir Sfeir, Tarek Madkour) who previously created Nancy's smash hits "Yey" and "Ana Yalli", is an upbeat romantic song which was used for the 2008 Coca-Cola campaign in the Middle East. In this song, Madkoor's brand new western formula of beats and instruments created a unique and "colorful" style for Nancy; a much richer mix than the simple but successful rock guitar he included in the album's hit "Betfakkar Fi Eih", from which the video's whole style was inspired.

Nancy also continues her drama of "Inta Eih" from Ah W Noss with a sequel in this album. In "Zaman Kan Andi Alb" (I Used to Have a Heart), the sad heartbroken wife who once made sure to be smiling to her cheating husband has a change of heart, or more accurately a loss of one. In this song, Nancy faces him with the truth she was hiding in the old song and video and announces that she no longer has a heart to love him. This song is also by Sameer Sfeir and Tarek Madkoor, who this time chose to create a simpler mix to the song that focuses on Sfeir's tune and shows a wide vocal range for Nancy.The most successful song in radio stations upon release of the album is most probably "Lamset Eed" (A Touch of a Hand), a very romantic song with deep, sad feelings. The song, by the same trio (Fares Iskandar, Salim Salama, Hadi Charara) who created Nancy's previous hit "Ehsas Jdeed", shows a maturity in Nancy's style and a convincing singing of feelings.

In "Mashi Haddi" Nancy returns to Lebanese folkore last seen in her 2001 album "Sheel 3younak 3anni", but this time with a fast oldies style that takes a great credit for the album's uniqueness. Nancy also sings an old Egyptian style in "Ibn elGiran" where she performs a "Mawwal" at the end of the song for the first time since "Baddalla' Aleik" in Ah W Noss. Another fast Egyptian song by Mohammed Rahim is "Sahharny Sahhar" which was rumored to have been the old title of the album. Nancy teases her ex-lover in this song and taunts him with every word.

Probably the most unique feature of this song is a Tarab song by Sameer Sfeir "Biteegy Sirtak". Nancy who always performs Tarab for other singers in her concerts finally included her own track after the 1998 tracks of her debut album "Mihtagalak". The song, which was originally 12 minutes long had to be edited down to 6 minutes for radio stations to be able to play it all.

In "Min Dally Nseek", the second video of the album, Nancy contributed in forming a first-time collaboration between Egyptian composer Walid Saad and Lebanese mixer Hadi Charara who created a fast and new mix for the song. Another romantic but slow song is "Wana Bin Idek" which shows Nancy's deep convincing feelings towards her lover. This is Nancy's second cooperation with Egyptian composer Mahmoud Khiami after "Baddallaa' Aleik" in Ah w Noss.

Music Videos

The lead music video was that of the album title, "Betfakkar Fi Eih". Nancy has announced that she will be filming around 8 songs as music videos from the album.

*Betfakkar Fi Eih - Director: Said el Marouk

*Min Dally Nseek - Director: Said el Marouk

Commercials

*Meen Ghairi Ana - 3 Coca-Cola Commercials (instrumental version, acapella version, album version)

Director: Manfredo Leteo

*Ibn el Giran - Damas Jewellery (Farfasha)/World Gold Council

Singles

* Bitfakar Fi Eih - (Released on Melody Radio + Music video)
* Meen Dalli Nseek- (Released on Rotana Radio + Music video)

Music Cooperations

In "Bitfakar Fi Eih" Nancy cooperated with the greatest names in the Arabic music industry, like:

- Sameer Sfeir: four songs (most composer with songs in this album).Previous songs for Nancy: "Ana Yalli", "Inta Eih", "Gayyin Ye2ulouli", "La Teloom" from her hit album Ah W Noss, and "Yey (Sehr 3youno)" from Ya Salam. Sameer Sfeir has been composing the greatest Arabic hits for more than 25 years, and he takes part of the credit of the birth of stars like Nawal elZoghbi, Assi elHellani, and Wael Kfouri.

- Tarek Madkour: who arranged 3 songs in the album.Madkoor has previously composed and arranged Nancy's famous hit songs Ah W Noss & Atabtab, and has arranged: "Yey", "Inta Eih", "Oul Tany Kida", "Ana Yalli", and many others.Tareq has been in the industry for more than 20 years, and started his work with Amr Diab, an old friend that he still does songs for. Most of the greatest Arabic hits hold his signature.

- Salim Salama, composed two hits in the album, Lamset eed and Mashi Haddi. Salama previously composed Nancy's smash hit "Ehsas Jdeed" and her first best selling album's title "Ya Salam", with "Ahla Jaw" and "Nasseito Garho"

- Hamid elChaery, from the leaders of contemporary Arabic music, who has been in the industry for more than two decades, cooperated with Nancy for the first time in three songs, "Mashi Haddi", "Ibn elGiran", and "Sahharny Sahhar", notably adding a brand new oldies touch to Nancy's music.

- Waleed Saed: leading Egyptian composer, composed 3 songs in the album, Min Dalli Nseek, Safer, and Baladiyyat. Saad previously composed "Elli Kan", "Moegaba", "Hobbak Leyya", and "Ana Masri", Nancy's song for Egypt. Saed has added a clear Tarab and sad touch seen in works for Assala (Asfa), or Misheet Khalas (Wael Jassar) and even the legendary Warda.

- Hadi Charara (award-winning Lebanese music arranger and composer) has previously arranged "Ehsas Jdeed" for Nancy, with two songs in this album "Min Dalli Nseek" and "Lamset eeD".

- Mahmoud Khiami who previously did "Ballaa Aleik" for Nancy and is considered from Egypt's top composers, composed a slow song for Nancy in this album called "Akbar Men Keda".

- Mhd. Rahim, from Egypt's fastest rising artists, composed two songs in the album "Sahharny Sahhar" and "Ibn elGiran". Rahim previously composed Nancy's smash Coca-Cola hit "ElDonya Helwa" and "Ana Leih" from her album Ah w Noss.

- AbdulRab Idriss a singer and composer from one of the big names in Khaliji music composed "Khaffef Alayy Shwayy" (the only Khaliji song) which was written by the great poet AlNasser.

Album art

The album included two different photoshoots by David Abdallah, whom Nancy constantly works with. As opposed to her previous typical-photoshoot album covers which did not achieve satisfaction, this album's was generally Nancy's most liked cover by the public. The cover shoot showed Nancy sitting at the back of a car, staring mysteriously outside the window, or simply with her eyes closed, appearing to be deep in thought and imagination. In the other shoot included in the inlay booklet, Nancy poses in common photoshoot style, with rose petals flying all around her. The three different looks in the shoots and the three different hairstyles in the car shoot were the work of her make-up artist, Fady Kataya, and hair styler, Wasim Morqoss from Pace e Luce, respectively.

External links

* [http://www.nancyajram.com Official Website]