| Ah W Noss آه ونص | |
| Type: | studio |
| Artist: | Nancy Ajram |
| Cover: | AhWNossCover.png |
| Recorded: | 2003–2004 |
| Prev Title: | Ya Salam |
| Prev Year: | 2003 |
| Next Title: | Ya Tabtab...Wa Dallaa |
| Next Year: | 2006 |
Ah W Noss (آه ونص, English: I Mean It) is the fourth studio album by Lebanese singer Nancy Ajram. It was released on April 14, 2004, by Relax-In and Megastar Records. This was the follow-up project to 2003's Ya Salam. In 2003, the album launched Ajram to the heights of music, thanks to a string of Egyptian hit singles which have become part of pop culture today. The Egyptian flavoured album received a massive commercial success in Egypt, especially the Egyptian hit song "Ah W Noss". Serving as executive producer, Ajram's manager, Jiji Lamara enlisted a wide range of producers including Tarek Madkour, Jean-Marie Riachi, Tony Saba, and Adel Ayash. Recording sessions for the album began in mid 2003 and took place at several recording studios throughout Lebanon and Egypt. Musically, the album represents a continuity for her previous effort Ya Salam, which contained Egyptian bellydance songs, pop rock, ballad. The album also explores other genres, such as khaliji (Gulf music).
Ah W Noss received positive reviews from music critics. The lead single, "Ah W Noss", went on to achieve massive airplay and video time on the major music channels, commanding the top spot for several weeks. The album was a big hit, on the strength of the lead single. Summer 2004 saw Ajram launch a major world tour on the strength of her new single. With the record, Ajram received several awards, including Murex d'Or, Arabian Music Award and Dear Guest Award. In late 2004, Ajram became the Middle Eastern face of Coca-Cola, which opened a whole new promotional phase for the young starlet. Ajram was also chosen by Newsweek as one of the most influential people in the Arab world in May 2005. The album was reissued in 2006, packaged with both audio and visual discs and a different artwork.
Ajram's previous album Ya Salam (2003) was a commercial success and received generally positive reviews from most music critics. The album featured three top ten hits, including other international breakthrough Egyptian single "Akhasmak Ah". After filming the final single of Ya Salam, "Yay" in September 2003, Ajram announced that she began working on the follow-up album to be released in early 2004.[1] With the success of her last album, Ajram wanted to make sure that she didn't fall into one sound or vibe. However, her manager Jiji Lamara described the album as a whole as "supernatural record", stating that the album is different from her past works and contains new collaborations including Lebanese composer Tarek Abou Jaoude and Egyptian producer Mohammed Rahim.[2]
Billboards featuring the album cover filled the streets of Lebanese and Egyptian cities in late March. Ah W Noss was officially released on April 14, 2004, in the Middle East.
The album was re-released on July 16, 2006, by EMI Music Arabia for the Middle Eastern and European markets.[3] It's re-packaged as Ah W Noss: Collector's Edition with the audio and visual discs and a different artwork created by photographer Fares El Jammal. The audio disc is a digitally remastered version of the album which also contains mobile wallpapers, the visual disc contains three music videos and other two live performances.[4]
Ajram began recording songs for the album in mid 2003. The recording sessions for the album took place at Leila, Hot Spot, M. Sound and Sout El Musiqiyyin Studios in Cairo, Egypt, Saba and JMR Studios in Beirut, Lebanon. Ajram worked with several different songwriters and producers on the album, including previous album collaborations such as Tarek Madkour, Mohammed Saad, Samir Sfeir, Tony Saba and Adel Ayash, along with new collaborations with Tarek Abou Jaoude, Walid Saad, Mohammed Rahim, Samir Nakhle, Ayman Bahgat Amar, Mahmoud Khayami, Ahmed Shatta, Mustafa Moursi, Medhat Khamis, Tarek Aakef, Sheikh Sabah Nasser Al Sabah and others.
Ah W Noss features more ballad and belly dance tone than Ajram's previous albums. Primarily a pop and maqsoum album, it also incorporates musical elements of pop rock and gulf. The album's production is typified by an oriental sound intertwining guitar licks, bass beats, minor-key melodies, and polyrhythmic vocal harmonies. The lyrical content of the album features generally mixed views on love and boastful lyrics concerning excitement, teasing and adversity.
During recording the album, a song entitled "Ya Si El Sayed" was stolen from the studio after Ajram finished recording it. No information is given about what happened exactly, whether it was due to the neglect of the recording studio or the record label. Fortunately, Ajram had the copyrights of the song so nobody could use it illegally. However the song was re-produced by Tarek Madkour and was released in the follow-up album Ya Tabtab...Wa Dallaa (2006).[5]
Adapted from the album liner notes.[9]
| Year | Award | Nominated | Category | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | Murex d'Or | Nancy Ajram | Best Female Lebanese Singer | [10] | |
| Arabian Music Awards | Nancy Ajram | Best Female Arab Singer | [11] | ||
| Zahrat Al Khaleej Magazine | Nancy Ajram | Best Female Arab Singer | [12] | ||
| "Lawn Ouyounak" | Best Music Video | ||||
| 2005 | Newsweek | Nancy Ajram | Most Influential Arab Personalities | [13] | |
| Dear Guest Awards | Nancy Ajram | Best Female Arab Artist | [14] | ||
| Opera House of Egypt | Nancy Ajram | Honor | [15] |