Yacoub Shaheen

Yacoub Shaheen
يعقوب شاهين
Shaheen performing on Arab Idol, December 2016
Background information
Born (1994-02-27) February 27, 1994
Bethlehem, Palestine
GenresArabic music
Instruments
  • Bozouk
  • Clarinet
Years active2005–present

Yacoub Shaheen (Arabic: يعقوب شاهين; born 27 February 1994) is a Palestinian musician and singer. Born in Bethlehem, Shaheen grew up surrounded by music from an early age, and engaged in musical lessons from his youth. His early experiences in musical education would inspire him to pursue a career as a singer, performing at various festivals and winning competitions.

Shaheen is most well known for participating in the fourth season of Arab Idol, winning the contest in early 2017. His win catapulted him to popularity in his native Palestine, as well as among the Assyrian community in Bethlehem to which he belonged. He has since continued his career as a musician and singer.

Biography

Shaheen was born to an Assyrian Christian family on 27 February, 1994 in the city of Bethlehem;[1][2] his parents were refugees from Jerusalem,[3][4][5] and his father worked as a carpenter.[6] He would spend his childhood in Bethlehem and began to develop a passion for music after discovering Arabic and Assyrian folk-pop music, and at the age of seven, he enrolled in the Edward Said National Conservatory of Music.[3][7] He would learn several musical instruments, including the bozouki and clarinet, while he also developed his skills by participating in school and church choirs.[2] Shaheen also studied interior design at the Palestine Polytechnic University, before eventually pursuing music full time.[2]

Career

During his 11th year in 2005, Shaheen participated in the Palestinian Muhawm program where he would win the title of "Star of Palestine".[2] 7 years later, he would win first place in the Palestinian Talent Program, and the following year, he released his first song, "Human Spirit", composed by lyricist Elias Gres alongside himself.[7] The song was recorded at RJ Productions in Bethlehem.[2] Shaheen had also previously participated in music festivals, in Jordan, Italy, and Sweden.[3]

In 2017, Shaheen won the TV program Arab Idol, becoming the second Palestinian to do so after Mohammed Assaf in 2013.[8][6] He had almost dropped the competition altogether due to a cold.[5] His win was attributed to his singing abilities and his mastery of the Arabic mawwal allowing him to rise very early into the competition, with judge Nancy Ajram noting that he was "charming, magical, and enchanting".[4] During his performance, hundreds of citizens of Bethlehem, including the mayor Vera Baboun as well as Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas gathered to watch the program live.[8][9] Fans also set up a PayPal account to raise money for Shaheen, gathering $35,000 to help him win the contest.[10] Many Palestinians celebrated the occasion of Shaheen's win by waving the Palestinian flag and emblems of the Syriac Orthodox Church,[9] as well as playing some of the songs that he performed.[11][12] Local youth tagged the sides of buildings with graffiti reading "Suryoyo" (Assyrian).[12] After his victory, Shaheen performed Assaf's song "Dammi Falastini".[6][11][12] His win triggered excitement among Assyrian communities in northern Iraq and the diaspora.[1][13]

After Shaheen's win on Arab Idol, he was accompanied by the Awtar Band led by The Maestro Yacoub Al-Atrash in some Arab and international festivals.[14] In 2021, he released a song in the Gulf Arabic dialect.[15] Shaheen made his acting debut in the Lebanese film "A Big Lie" in 2023.[16]

Personal life

Shaheen grew up attending the Syriac Orthodox Church, and was a deacon at his local parish.[17] In one of the Arab Idol episodes, he wrote a message that read "Seyfo 1915" to raise awareness of the Assyrian genocide, of which his grandparents were victims of.[18] He is also a member of the Palestine Scout Association[19] and the Syriac Orthodox Scout Club in Bethlehem,[18] and is a fluent speaker of Turoyo.[17]

According to Heleen Murre-van den Berg, Shaheen adheres to an Aramean identity.[13] Verbal fights in the diaspora over Assyrian and Aramean nomenclatures resulted in Shaheen's identification with the Palestinian cause passed over, to the point where stories posited he was pressured into hiding his identity on television.[13]

Shaheen has regularly participated in philanthropic activities, donating parts of his winnings to orphanages and regularly celebrating his birthday at them.[20][21] After his win on Arab Idol, he visited Palestinian refugee camps in Lebanon, declaring solidarity for Palestinians everywhere.[22] He also owns a fashion store in his native Bethlehem, and has two sisters.[18] His father passed away in 2022, which he mourned in a post on Instagram.[23] He became married in July 2023.[24]

References

  1. ^ a b Shams, Alex (2 June 2017). "Yacoub Shaheen, the Assyrian singer from Palestine taking Arab Idol by storm". Ajam Media Collective. Retrieved 10 June 2024.
  2. ^ a b c d e "Yacoub Shaheen Legacy". www.confinity.com. Retrieved 21 March 2025.
  3. ^ a b c Khalaf, Hala (26 February 2017). "Palestinian Yacoub Shaheen wins fourth season of Arab Idol". The National. Archived from the original on 13 May 2021. Retrieved 21 March 2025.
  4. ^ a b Daoud, Kuttab (24 February 2017). "Palestinian comeback: Will 2017's Arab Idol be another Assaf?". The New Arab. Retrieved 21 March 2025.
  5. ^ a b Kuttab, Daoud (26 February 2017). "Palestinians joyous as Shahin wins 2017 Arab Idol". Arab News. Retrieved 6 March 2026.
  6. ^ a b c Lemon, Jason (27 February 2017). "Yacoub Shaheen just won Arab Idol, and Palestinians are beyond proud". StepFeed. Retrieved 10 June 2024.
  7. ^ a b "Palestinian Yacoub Shaheen wins title of 'Arab Idol'". www.i24news.tv. 25 February 2017. Retrieved 21 March 2025.
  8. ^ a b "Palestinian Christian Yacoub Shaheen wins Arab Idol". Al Jazeera. 26 February 2017. Retrieved 10 June 2024.
  9. ^ a b Ambroselli, Myriam (27 February 2017). "A festive crowd in Bethlehem to greet the victory of the young Christian Yacoub Shaheen". Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem. Archived from the original on 21 June 2020. Retrieved 20 June 2020.
  10. ^ Estrin, Daniel (26 February 2017). "Seven Fun Facts About 'Arab Idol'". NPR. Retrieved 6 August 2025.
  11. ^ a b "Palestinians in raptures as Yaqoub Shaheen wins Arab Idol TV contest". The Guardian. Reuters. 26 February 2017. Retrieved 21 March 2025.
  12. ^ a b c "Palestinian Christian from Bethlehem wins wildly popular 'Arab Idol' song contest - The Washington Post". The Washington Post. 27 February 2017. Archived from the original on 27 February 2017. Retrieved 21 March 2025.
  13. ^ a b c Murre-van den Berg, Heleen (2 March 2020). "Arabic and its Alternatives: Language and Religion in the Ottoman Empire and its Successor States". Arabic and its Alternatives: Religious Minorities and their Languages in the Emerging Nation States of the Middle East (1920-1950) (PDF). Brill Publishing. p. 40. ISBN 9789004423220.
  14. ^ المايسترو يعقوب الأطرش من فلسطين إلى العالم. Sawt el-Ghad (in Arabic). 2 November 2021. Archived from the original on 20 November 2021. Retrieved 20 November 2021.
  15. ^ Alfa, Osama (30 May 2021). "زهرة الخليج - يعقوب شاهين: هذا ما يربطني بعبدالحليم حافظ!" [Yaqoub Shaheen: This is what connects me to Abdel Halim Hafez!]. زهرة الخليج (in Arabic). Retrieved 6 March 2026.
  16. ^ Haidar, Ali (11 May 2023). "فيلم "كذبة كبيرة" يعالج "كذبة" نعيشها بالكوميديا والدراما" [The film "A Big Lie" tackles a "lie" we live with through comedy and drama]. MTV Lebanon. Retrieved 6 March 2026.
  17. ^ a b Kino, Nuri (17 January 2017). "A Light In Times Of Darkness". HuffPost. Retrieved 21 March 2025.
  18. ^ a b c Kino, Nuri (22 February 2017). "Our Light In Times Of Darkness Might Lift Arab Idol Crown In Finale". HuffPost. Retrieved 21 March 2025.
  19. ^ "Scout Yacoub Shaheen wins Arab Idol | WOSM". www.scout.org. 1 March 2017. Retrieved 21 March 2025.
  20. ^ "والدا يعقوب شاهين يكشفان لـ"لها" موقفه حول احتمال عدم حصوله على لقب "آراب أيدول" | Laha Magazine" [Yacoub Shaheen's parents reveal to "Laha" his stance on the possibility of him not winning the title of "Arab Idol"]. 22 February 2017. Archived from the original on 16 July 2017. Retrieved 21 March 2025.
  21. ^ "Arab Idol Winner Yacoub Shaheen Visits PCRF Cancer Department". PCRF. Retrieved 21 March 2025.
  22. ^ "بالصور:يعقوب شاهين يزور المخيمات الفلسطينية في لبنان بعد اللقب" [In pictures: Yaqoub Shaheen visits Palestinian refugee camps in Lebanon after winning the title]. دنيا الوطن (in Arabic). 27 February 2017. Retrieved 6 March 2026.
  23. ^ Youssef, Saad (4 May 2022). "يعقوب شاهين يعلن وفاة والده بكلمات مؤثرة: لا أستطيع تصديق ما حصل" [Yacoub Shaheen announces his father's death in moving words: "I can't believe what happened."]. فوشيا (in Arabic). Retrieved 6 March 2026.
  24. ^ "يعقوب شاهين يغني في حفل زفافه والنجوم يهنئونه" [Yacoub Shaheen sings at his wedding and stars congratulate him]. ET بالعربي (in Arabic). 2 July 2023. Retrieved 6 March 2026.
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