Melissa comes out

Since winning Miss Mediterranean 2004, Mariam Shehab has been on the verge of blowing up – insert silicone joke here – and she took another step towards fame, having changed her name to Melissa, with the bi-lingual hit “Habeebi” with 90s pop maestro Dr “It’s My Life” Alban. She will continue the cross-cultural theme later this year with a duet with rapper Akon, with whom she has already performed at a concert in Beirut this December. “I think our styles actually complement each other well,” she says. “The single will be out in about three months.”

Right now, though, she is focusing on promoting her latest clip, “Ta’ala Li”, which has just hit Rotana channels. And contrary to what you might think – and much to our disappointment – Melissa isn’t going down the softcore pornography route. “Sleazy videos are those that depend on cheap seduction moves,” said a defiant Melissa. “But there’s nothing wrong with a woman putting her beauty on display.” Absolutely there isn’t.

Despite rumours of a feud with Elissa, she just wants to concentrate on her music. “There are positive rumours and negative ones. I used to get distressed by them, but I realised it is part of being famous. If I paid attention
to them, I wouldn’t focus on my work.”

The best news, though, is that she is single. Even better, she’s not that demanding. “I don’t really have a list of requirements. I guess he has to be smart. I really like smart guys. Emotional, charismatic and understanding, but nothing more specific.” Hang on, didn’t she say she’s not demanding...?