Lebanese pop star Myriam Fares granted UAE golden visa: 'I am very proud’

The singer joins a growing number of regional talents who have been given long-term residency

Lebanese singer Myriam Fares is now a UAE golden visa holder. Courtesy Wahid Tajani

Myriam Fares is the latest recipient of the UAE golden visa.

The Lebanese pop star made the announcement on her Instagram account on Wednesday, along with with images of herself with the Dubai skyline as a backdrop.

The Ghmorni singer thanked the Dubai Culture & Arts Authority for facilitating the process.

“I am very proud of having received the honour of golden residency from my second country, the United Arab Emirates,” she wrote in the caption.

“All thanks to Dubai Culture & Arts Authority and gratitude and respect to this generous country, its rulers and people.”

The news comes as the government scheme, first introduced in 2019 to attract investors, has been expanded to also acknowledge the cultural contributions made by actors, singers and composers spanning the Arab world and beyond.

Lebanese singers Najwa Karam, Marwan Khoury and Ragheb Alama, as well as Egyptian rapper and actor Mohamed Ramadan, have also been given the visa.

Next stop, Iraq

The news also caps off a successful spell for Fares. On July 23, she put on a stellar performance at Abu Dhabi’s Etihad Arena, where she headlined an Eid Al Adha concert alongside Egypt’s Tamer Hosny.

Where the latter’s performance was ballad heavy, Fares's set was upbeat and featured the new single Ghaddara Ya Dounya, as well as hits Eih Elly Byhsal and Degou El Taboul.

Iraqi fans are next to experience her on stage, with Fares set to perform in Erbil on Friday. Her concert at White Hall continues Erbil's elevation as the region's newest concert destination.

In June, fellow pop star Elissa also performed at the Iraqi city's Galaxy Hall and images of the performance went on to trend regionally on social media.

Fares might be busy with her gigs, but she's also hard at work in the studio as she prepares to release her first album since 2015.

She told The National recently the yet-to-be-titled album will be out later in the year. “We will be releasing new songs from it regularly throughout the year,” she said. “I am looking forward to seeing how the people will respond.”