Michael Heart
Encyclopedia
Michael Heart is a Syrian American
singer-songwriter, recording artist, guitarist and audio engineer based in Los Angeles, CA. He was born in Syria
and raised in Europe (Switzerland and Austria) and the United States.
and guitar
at age 10. Shortly thereafter, he began songwriting and eventually progressed towards recording
. After earning his audio engineering
degree from Full Sail University, he moved to Los Angeles
in 1990 and began working on the local studio circuit as a session guitarist and a recording engineer.
In 2008, he independently released his debut solo album "Unsolicited Material". The album is a collection of Pop/Rock songs with lyrical content covering such topics as adultery ("Living In Sin"), war ("Damaged World"), domestic violence ("Finally Free") and the challenges of making a living ("Life Goes On").
He has worked with such artists as Brandy
, Will Smith
, Toto
, Natalie Cole
, The Temptations
, Phil Collins
, Patty LaBelle, The Pointer Sisters, Earth Wind & Fire, Ricky Lee Jones, Lou Rawls
, Jesse McCartney
, Hilary Duff
, Jessica Simpson
, Jennifer Paige
, Al Jarreau
, K-Ci & Jojo, Deborah Cox
, Monica, Taylor Dayne
, Keiko Matsui
, Steve Nieves, Luis Miguel
and Tarkan ... he also worked in the studio with French artists like Calogero
(The Charts), Marc Lavoine
and Véronique Sanson
. Other projects also included work with producers Rodney Jerkins
, Philippe Saisse
and David Foster
. ... most of Michael’s work has been in the recording studio, he has also done some touring (notably back in the early 90’s, when he toured as a Flamenco guitarist in a guitar trio with Juan Manuel Canizares, opening for Dire Straits
) ... also recorded and toured with the smooth jazz band Jango
. On most of these recording credits, Michael is credited with his real name as “Annas Allaf".
. The official YouTube video of the song was viewed over 1 million times within a month of its release; the recording of the song was broadcast on radio and television in many countries along with blogs and websites worldwide and it was chanted in many demonstrations in cities ranging from Sydney
, Australia
to London
, England
. The Palestine Argentine Delegation Embassy website also put the song with lyrics on its page.
Heart initially made the mp3 of the song freely downloadable from his official website, which he reports has been downloaded over 500,000 times, encouraging the listeners to make a donation to United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East
(UNRWA). After incessant emails from people asking why the song hadn't been made available on iTunes, he finally uploaded it to the Apple music site in July 2010.
Though musically praised around the world, the song received some political criticism from the Israel
i camp.
Songs:
Syrian American
Syrian Americans are residents of the United States of Syrian ancestry or nationality. This group includes Americans of Syrian ancestry, Syrian first generation immigrants, or descendants of Syrians who emigrated to the United States. Syrian Americans may be members of a number of differing...
singer-songwriter, recording artist, guitarist and audio engineer based in Los Angeles, CA. He was born in Syria
Syria
Syria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest....
and raised in Europe (Switzerland and Austria) and the United States.
Career
He started playing pianoPiano
The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
and guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
at age 10. Shortly thereafter, he began songwriting and eventually progressed towards recording
Recording
Recording is the process of capturing data or translating information to a recording format stored on some storage medium, which is often referred to as a record or, if an auditory medium, a recording....
. After earning his audio engineering
Audio engineering
An audio engineer, also called audio technician, audio technologist or sound technician, is a specialist in a skilled trade that deals with the use of machinery and equipment for the recording, mixing and reproduction of sounds. The field draws on many artistic and vocational areas, including...
degree from Full Sail University, he moved to Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
in 1990 and began working on the local studio circuit as a session guitarist and a recording engineer.
In 2008, he independently released his debut solo album "Unsolicited Material". The album is a collection of Pop/Rock songs with lyrical content covering such topics as adultery ("Living In Sin"), war ("Damaged World"), domestic violence ("Finally Free") and the challenges of making a living ("Life Goes On").
He has worked with such artists as Brandy
Brandy Norwood
Brandy Rayana Norwood , known professionally as Brandy, is an American singer-songwriter, producer, actress, and dancer. In 2009, she introduced her rap alter-ego Bran'Nu....
, Will Smith
Will Smith
Willard Christopher "Will" Smith, Jr. , also known by his stage name The Fresh Prince, is an American actor, producer, and rapper. He has enjoyed success in television, film and music. In April 2007, Newsweek called him the most powerful actor in Hollywood...
, Toto
Toto (band)
Toto is an American rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1977. The group currently consists of Joseph Williams , David Paich , Steve Porcaro , Steve Lukather , Mike Porcaro , and Simon Phillips . Toto is known for a musical style that combines elements of pop, rock, soul, funk, progressive rock, hard...
, Natalie Cole
Natalie Cole
Natalie Maria Cole , is an American singer, songwriter and performer. The daughter of jazz legend Nat King Cole, Cole rode to musical success in the mid-1970s as an R&B artist with the hits "This Will Be ", "Inseparable" and "Our Love"...
, The Temptations
The Temptations
The Temptations is an American vocal group having achieved fame as one of the most successful acts to record for Motown Records. The group's repertoire has included, at various times during its five-decade career, R&B, doo-wop, funk, disco, soul, and adult contemporary music.Formed in Detroit,...
, Phil Collins
Phil Collins
Philip David Charles "Phil" Collins, LVO is an English singer-songwriter, drummer, pianist and actor best known as a drummer and vocalist for British progressive rock group Genesis and as a solo artist....
, Patty LaBelle, The Pointer Sisters, Earth Wind & Fire, Ricky Lee Jones, Lou Rawls
Lou Rawls
Louis Allen "Lou" Rawls was an American soul, jazz, and blues singer. He was known for his smooth vocal style: Frank Sinatra once said that Rawls had "the classiest singing and silkiest chops in the singing game"...
, Jesse McCartney
Jesse McCartney
Jesse McCartney is an American singer-songwriter, actor and voice actor. McCartney achieved fame in the late 1990s on the daytime drama All My Children as JR Chandler. He later joined boy band Dream Street, and eventually branched out into a solo musical career...
, Hilary Duff
Hilary Duff
Hilary Erhard Duff is an American actress, singer-songwriter, entrepreneur, and author. After working in local theater plays and television commercials in her childhood, she achieved fame playing the title role in the Disney Channel television series Lizzie McGuire. She also reprised her role in...
, Jessica Simpson
Jessica Simpson
Jessica Ann Simpson is an American recording artist, actress, television personality, and fashion designer whose rise to fame began in 1999. Since that time, Simpson has achieved many recording milestones, starred in several television shows, movies, and commercials, launched a line of hair and...
, Jennifer Paige
Jennifer Paige
Jennifer Paige is an American singer-songwriter who achieved success with the 1998 pop hit "Crush". She is considered to be one of the 1990s' biggest one-hit wonders.-Biography:...
, Al Jarreau
Al Jarreau
Alwin "Al" Lopez Jarreau is a seven-time Grammy Award winning jazz singer.- Background :Jarreau was born in Milwaukee, the fifth of six children. His web site refers to Reservoir, Inc., the name of the street where he lived. His father was a Seventh-Day Adventist Church minister and singer, and...
, K-Ci & Jojo, Deborah Cox
Deborah Cox
Deborah Cox is a Canadian R&B singer-songwriter and actress. Her 1998 song "Nobody's Supposed to Be Here" held the record for longest-running number one single on Billboard's Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks chart , a record held for nearly eight years. She has achieved ten number-one hits on...
, Monica, Taylor Dayne
Taylor Dayne
Taylor Dayne was born Leslie Wunderman on March 7, 1962 before later adopting her current stage name. She is an American pop vocalist, songwriter, and dance artist. Overall, she has had eighteen individual hit songs reach the top ten in Billboard magazine...
, Keiko Matsui
Keiko Matsui
, born in Tokyo as Keiko Doi, is a Japanese smooth jazz/jazz fusion/new age/ keyboardist and composer whose career spans three decades, during which time she has released twenty CDs and has received international acclaim....
, Steve Nieves, Luis Miguel
Luis Miguel
Luis Miguel Gallego Basteri is a Mexican singer. He is widely known only by the name Luis Miguel and is often referred to as "El Sol de México"...
and Tarkan ... he also worked in the studio with French artists like Calogero
Calogero
Calogero is a French singer.-Early years:By the age of six, Calogero had already taken an interest in music...
(The Charts), Marc Lavoine
Marc Lavoine
Marc Lucien Lavoine is a French singer and actor. In 1985, his hit single "Elle a les yeux revolver" allowed him to reach the top of the French chart and marked the beginning of his successful singing career....
and Véronique Sanson
Véronique Sanson
Véronique Sanson is a two-time Victoires de la Musique Award-winning French singer-songwriter, musician, and producer with an avid following in her native country.She brings a very personal vocal style to the singing of French pop songs: Her voice has a very strong vibrato.Unlike...
. Other projects also included work with producers Rodney Jerkins
Rodney Jerkins
Rodney "Darkchild" Jerkins is an American songwriter, record producer, and musician. Jerkins received two Grammy nominations in 2011.-Biography:...
, Philippe Saisse
Philippe Saisse
Philippe Saisse is a French Grammy Award-nominated Smooth Jazz and New Age music keyboardist, producer and arranger.He was born in Marseille and raised in Paris. After studying at the Conservatoire de Paris he won a scholarship to the Berklee College of Music. He became the protege of Gary Burton...
and David Foster
David Foster
David Walter Foster, OC, OBC , is a Canadian musician, record producer, composer, singer, songwriter, and arranger, noted for discovering singers such as Michael Bublé, Josh Groban, and Charice Pempengco; and for producing some of the most successful artists in the world, such as Céline Dion, Toni...
. ... most of Michael’s work has been in the recording studio, he has also done some touring (notably back in the early 90’s, when he toured as a Flamenco guitarist in a guitar trio with Juan Manuel Canizares, opening for Dire Straits
Dire Straits
Dire Straits were a British rock band active from 1977 to 1995, composed of Mark Knopfler , his younger brother David Knopfler , John Illsley , and Pick Withers .Dire Straits' sound drew from a variety of musical influences, including jazz, folk, blues, and came closest...
) ... also recorded and toured with the smooth jazz band Jango
Django (Modern Jazz Quartet album)
Django is an album by The Modern Jazz Quartet, first released on LP in 1956. The actual sessions for the LP took place in June 1953, December 1954, and January 1955, and were first released on two different ten-inch discs...
. On most of these recording credits, Michael is credited with his real name as “Annas Allaf".
Song for Gaza
In January 2009, he composed and released a song in support of the Palestinian civilian victims of the Israeli war in Gaza. The song is called "We Will Not Go Down (Song For Gaza)" and gained popularity on sites like YouTubeYouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
. The official YouTube video of the song was viewed over 1 million times within a month of its release; the recording of the song was broadcast on radio and television in many countries along with blogs and websites worldwide and it was chanted in many demonstrations in cities ranging from Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
to London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. The Palestine Argentine Delegation Embassy website also put the song with lyrics on its page.
Heart initially made the mp3 of the song freely downloadable from his official website, which he reports has been downloaded over 500,000 times, encouraging the listeners to make a donation to United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East
United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East
United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East is a relief and human development agency, providing education, health care, social services and emergency aid to 5 million Palestine refugees living in Jordan, Lebanon and Syria, as well as in the West Bank and the Gaza...
(UNRWA). After incessant emails from people asking why the song hadn't been made available on iTunes, he finally uploaded it to the Apple music site in July 2010.
Though musically praised around the world, the song received some political criticism from the Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
i camp.
Haiti earthquake
In January 2010, Heart co-wrote a song with British songwriter Mark Holding, in support of the victims of the Haiti earthquake. The song is titled Help is on the Way (Song for Haiti) and once again, the YouTube video encouraged viewers to make donations to the victims of the quake.Albums
- Unsolicited Material (2008)
Songs:
- Living In Sin 4:03,
- Life Goes On 3:59,
- Lost In You 3:53,
- Damaged World 4:00,
- Wanna Be Bad 3:50,
- I Just Don't Understand 4:27,
- Denial 3:47,
- Don't Want This Love 3:37,
- Finally Free 4:30,
- What Will It Take 4:23,
Singles
- "We Will Not Go Down (Song For Gaza)" 2009
- "Help is on the Way (Song for Haiti)" 2010
- "Freedom" 2011
External links
- You have the right to be not dead’ By Susannah Tarbush Saudi GazetteSaudi GazetteSaudi Gazette is the leading English language daily newspaper published in Saudi Arabia. and is currently available both in print and online.As of July 1, 2011, Dr Omar S. Elmershedi is the Saudi Gazette Editor-in-Chief.Managing Editor: Shams Ahsan...
- We Will Not Go Down; How a Song Stood Up to Israel - A personal account by Rime Allaf - February 2009 Issue 46 - Opinion - Syria Today
- Los Angeles Musician Composes Song For Gaza
- World Music Central - Concert for Gaza, Sheffield, UK
- Opednews - First Big Gaza Pop Song - Michael Heart Sings "We Will Not Go Down (Song For Gaza)"
Interviews
- Viva Magazine (Jordan edition) Interview in February 2009 issue, Pages 54–55 pdf jpg
- The People Speak Radio January 20, 2009 interview in mp3 format by Basima Farhat
Music
- http://www.michaelheart.com/
- http://www.myspace.com/michaelheartstreetteam
- http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/michaelheart CDBaby page for Michael Heart