U.S. singer wows viewers in Arab talent show

BEIRUT (AFP) ― An American singer who cannot even speak Arabic has come runner-up in television reality show “Arabs Got Talent” after wooing audiences across the Middle East.

The renditions of classical Arab songs by Jennifer Grout, a petite blonde from Boston, Massachusetts, ensured that was among the three finalists on the popular show.

First prize in the pan-Arab contest went to Syrian dance troupe Sima for a performance portraying the autocratic rule of veteran leaders in the Middle East, MBC network announced late Saturday.

But Grout ― the only non-Arab to compete ― trailed close behind along with Palestinian artist Mohammad al-Diri, who captured audiences by drawing portraits of prominent Arab and international figures using techniques that were both original and diverse.

The 23-year-old, who taught herself to sing popular but difficult Arab songs without speaking a word of the language, stunned audiences with her voice.

She grew up in a musical home, and came upon Arab music after reading an online article about Arab diva Fairuz, from Lebanon.

She was enthralled by her voice and soon discovered other singers, including Umm Kulthum, the Egyptian still considered to be the Arab world’s finest singer three decades after her death.

Grout mesmerized audiences with her rendition of an Umm Kulthum song when appeared on the Beirut stage of Arabs Got Talent, strumming the oud as she sang.

Grout told AFP that despite not speaking Arabic, she learned the lyrics to the songs after finding translations for them on the Internet.