Lebanese diva Elissa

Lebanese diva Elissa was a big winner at the first edition of the Arab Nation Music Awards ceremony, held in Beirut on Sunday.

It was a first-of-its-kind Middle East awards ceremony that represented the regional talent, and covered musical stars from North Africa to the Levant and the Gulf. The ceremony was attended by several political and media personalities from the Arab world, and hosted by Razan El-Moghrabi.

Elissa swept up awards in four categories, which include: best Arab artist, best song for an Arab soap opera (‘Ya Reit’), star of the host country, and star of social media.

The Arab singer thanked the audience, her fans and manager, who she said could not attend the ceremony because of personal reasons. Slamming her critics, she said those who called her album a failure are “sick” people.

The awards differ from any other musical award in Lebanon or the Arab world. They are more like Western music awards, as winners are selected based on the audience’s choice, and their performance and success.

The Arab Nation Music Awards was a star-studded event attended by the likes of Nassif Zeytoun and others.