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Jad Shwery
Background information
Birth name	Jad Choueiri
Born	13 March 1981 (1981-03-13) (age 29)
Origin	Lebanon
Occupations	Singer, Director
Years active	2004 - present
Website	Official Website Official Fan Club

Jad Hani Choueiry (born 13 March, 1981), also known as Jad Shwery (Arabic: جاد شويرى‎), is a Lebanese pop singer, songwriter and music video director. He has quickly established himself as controversial songwriter/composer who also sings in — and directs — his own music videos. He is the first child of Hani Shwery and Tania Esber. He has a brother and a sister: Ralph and Ingrid.

Musical career

At a very young age Jad showed very clear interest in show business and entertainment. Before he could speak properly, he used to sing Madonna and Michael Jackson songs all day long. During his teenage years, he formed his first group at his school L'Athenee de Beyrouth and performed several times during special occasions and parties.^{[citation needed]}

After obtaining his french baccalaureat, Jad was accepted in L'Ecole de realisation audiovisuelle, ALBA, in Beirut, and had the highest grades in his class when he moved to the prestigious Paris college La Sorbonne Paris III. He continued his "Etudes de cinema" and "Arts du spectacle" courses during three years. In 2002 while he was still in Paris but on a summer vacation in Lebanon, Jad participated in The Studio el-Fan contest and won the first prize in the directing category for the music video he directed of "Ya Mustafa" by Reeda Butros... It was Jad's first time behind the camera and quite an achievement given the fact that his studies had more to do with the history and theory of cinema rather than proper directing.^{[citation needed]}

But Jad's real dream was to sing...^{[citation needed]} And as he always says "(his) dreams are goals".^{[citation needed]} Jad started working on his first song "A'ollak Eh" although his parents were firmly against it. In 2004, he shot the video and released the song, after gathering some money out of his work as an event organiser bringing Djs from Europe to Beirut. He also borrowed some money from friends and relatives in order to have a good exposure on the radios and the media.^{[citation needed]}

The song was a strong club hit that flew to the top of many charts around the Arab world. Jad's success caused some controversy because of the new style it introduced but many doors were now opened for him as he was asked to direct some videos as well as produce and write some other artists' records. But most importantly Jad got offered a record deal by Melody music and became managed by Melody artist management with his own original manager Habib Rahal. His follow up record "Oully Ezay" proved to be an even bigger hit and Jad started performing all over the Arab world.

His first album El Mouftah came next gathering all the previous hits along with "Banadeelak" that took the Arabic charts by storm.^{[citation needed]}

His biggest hit was yet to come. "Warrini" became one of the biggest hits of 2006 in many countries in the middle east. Whether it was his tattoos or his upside-down-worn jeans many teenagers followed Jad's fashion.^{[citation needed]}

He has introduced many things to the Arabic pop industry as he was the first male artist to dance during his performances or to kiss a girl in an Arabic video clip-^{[citation needed]} He has also put Arabic rapping into the mainstream.^{[citation needed]}

In April 2009, Jad released his single "Funky Arabs" to be the first single of his English album. The controversy regarding the video has been running ever since, specially on Youtube but it didn t stop the video from being broadcasted on BNN in Holland as well as being selected in the Arab film festival in Parramatta Australia.^{[citation needed]}

Direction and Production Career

Whether it's a music video or a record, when Jad Shwery is behind it,^{[citation needed]} it is sure to grab some attention. The first video that turned Jad into a star director, capable of transforming any product into a phenomenon, was undoubtedly "Elaab" by Maria.^{[citation needed]} Many new artists have asked Jad to direct their videos or produce their records since.^{[citation needed]} But Jad remained in a certain style of entertaining, sometime controversial type of videos until he completely changed that image with Joanna Mallah's "Hatefdal fi Albi". "Wala fi el ahlam" by Iwan and "Bartah Maak" by Amr Mostafa followed and established Jad as a romantic music video director as well.

Jad's reputation as a "starmaker" was so big that in 2008, production house Endemol asked him to be one of the jury producers in a talent show contest on Abu Dhabi tv.

But Jad always says that what he enjoys the most is working on his own music and videos, that's why in 2008 he stayed away from working with other artists while recording his new albums.

Many projects are still on hold though: an Egyptian movie that Jad's also supposed to act in, his own new clip as well as some other artist's.

Personal life

Although many rumors were spread about Jad's private life, he remains quite silent about it. In 2006 he stated a joke that his sex life is much better than his emotional life.

Discography

• 2005: El Moftah
• 2009: Upcoming English Album

Video Clips

References

External links

• Jad Shwery Official website
• Jad Shwery Official Fan Club