*Italy (unless using a handsfree set)
*Finland (unless using a handsfree set)
*Austria (unless using a handsfree set)
*Belgium (unless using a handsfree set)
*Ireland
*Czech Republic (forbidden to hold the mobile phone)
*France (unless using a handsfree set)
*Germany (unless using a handsfree set)
*Netherlands (unless using a handsfree set)
*Norway
*Australia (unless using a handsfree set)
*United Kingdom (from December 1, 2003)
*Parts of the United States:
**Chicago, Illinois
**New Jersey
**New York City (from November, 2001)
**Washington, D.C.
**California (as of January 2007)
*Japan
*Finland (unless using a handsfree set)
*Austria (unless using a handsfree set)
*Belgium (unless using a handsfree set)
*Ireland
*Czech Republic (forbidden to hold the mobile phone)
*France (unless using a handsfree set)
*Germany (unless using a handsfree set)
*Netherlands (unless using a handsfree set)
*Norway
*Australia (unless using a handsfree set)
*United Kingdom (from December 1, 2003)
*Parts of the United States:
**Chicago, Illinois
**New Jersey
**New York City (from November, 2001)
**Washington, D.C.
**California (as of January 2007)
*Japan
Sheena Fujibayashi is a fictional character in Tales of Symphonia, a video game by Namco.
Sheena is considered to be the next in line for the title of Chief of Mizuho and starts the game as an enemy to Lloyd Irving at first. For the heir of a ninja clan, Sheena is something of a klutz (although not nearly as disastrously so as Colette); when the party first encounters her as an enemy at Ossa Trail, she is only called "Clumsy Assassin" (strangely enough, even after her name is revealed, she is called "Resolute Assassin" in the second battle).
Role
A girl from the flourishing world of Tethe'alla, Sheena is originally sent to Sylvarant by the Pope and the King with orders to assassinate Colette Brunel. However, after helping the party save the humans in the Asgard ranch, Sheena joins the party. Sheena is a skilled warrior from Mizuho, a hidden village of ninja. She is tough but kindhearted, and is always accompanied by Corrine, the only man-made Summon Spirit and Sheena's best friend. Because of her good looks and impressive figure, Zelos Wilder loves to flirt with her; but she usually manages to set him straight, often in a violent way.
At the age of nine, Sheena ventured to the Temple of Lightning with people from Mizuho in order to form a pact with Volt, the Summon Spirit of Lightning. Unfortunately, Volt went into a rage, killing a quarter of Mizuho's population and causing the chief of Mizuho (her adoptive grandfather) to fall into a coma. The causes are not explicitly revealed, but presumably, Sheena was too young and inexperienced to attempt to make a pact (which involves fighting the Spirit). Volt later suggests that Sheena's first attempt at pact-making failed because he was unwilling to deal with humans. It is also possible that the attempt failed because no one in the group present at the pact-forming attempt could understand Volt, the only Summon Spirit that does not use human speech; Sheena says "It's just like before! What the hell is he saying?" before Raine translates. It is because of this incident that many of her fellow ninja bear a deep grudge against her. However, Kuchinawa, who lost his parents, seems to the only one to actively seek vengeance; his brother, Orochi insists that it was an accident and that Sheena should not duel Kuchinawa, and other members tell Sheena to persevere when it becomes clear that she must make a pact with Volt.
Armed with a variety of magic-infused seals, Sheena proves a decent melee fighter, and has many techniques that can lower an opponent's statistics or inflict various status ailments or special effects (such as causing them to stagger for longer periods of time). More importantly, however, she can call upon powerful Summon Spirits to aid the party in battle. These summoning abilities are also vital to the storyline, such as when she summons Undine to save the group from falling to their deaths on the Tethe'alla bridge, or uses the Summon Spirits of Tethe'alla to save the world from the out-of-control Giant Tree. With the exception of Corrine, she can only summon when she is in Overlimit mode, and at a heavy cost to her Tech Points; however, because Overlimit prevents the enemy from interrupting Sheena's incantations, Summon Spirits supply guaranteed damage (and a lot of it at that) to any enemies nearby.
Personality
Sheena is a very strong-willed person. In part owing to her ninja upbringing, she tends to act somewhat tomboyish most of the time, but she does possess a sweet side, which becomes more apparent as the story progresses; she unexpectedly shows an interest in the flowers in Zelos' mansion. She has little confidence in her ability to make important decisions, a flaw that was considerably deepened since the disaster with Volt. She dislikes having to be rescued, preferring to rely on her tough facade instead to save face (as demonstrated during a scene in one of the last visits to the Tower of Salvation. Sheena is snagged by one of the Great Tree's roots and pulled over the edge of an abyss, but rejects Lloyd's offer of help, instead choosing to fall).
Like Lloyd, she is a strong believer in altruism. She is willing to bend the rules imposed on her, such as the Pope's orders to kill the Chosen, in order to do what is right, and slightly tends toward idealistic decisions, in contrast to the more pragmatic Raine and Kratos. Despite the anger some of Mizuho bears towards her, she understands that mistakes can be corrected, and absolutely refuses to give up on someone -- even her greatest enemy.
Sheena's tough facade has created an interesting outer personality. She tends to anger easily and is not above disciplining someone with an occasional swift smack. When she is angry, she will most definitely let someone know. However, she is also talkative, despite her troubled past and angry members of society who have cast her out of their circles.
Although she seems to hate Zelos (she uses him as an example of a Chosen she "can't trust" on first reference, adding "I can't stand that guy!"), their relationship is more complex than that. Zelos attempts to help Sheena cope with her grief over Corrine in his own way, showing that he truly cares about her feelings. Likewise, Sheena states that, although Zelos is a pervert, she sincerely believes that he is a good person. Should the party fight and kill Zelos at the Tower of Salvation, Sheena appears to be crying during his final moments. Sheena and Zelos, in fact, seem to have a deep and solid friendship (that some fans believe to be more than that), shown by the multiple skits in which they discuss recent events. Also, when Sheena is on the verge of volunteering to be killed to stop the party being pursued by Kuchinawa, Zelos reacts vehemently and grabs Sheena, taking her through the Otherworldly Gate. Sheena does not find out the truth about Zelos' past during the game.
She harbors a crush on Lloyd, despite sometimes being irritated with him, which becomes more apparent as they travel together; predictably, though, she has a great deal of trouble expressing these feelings. Depending on the choices the player makes throughout the game, it is possible for her to finally express them.
Summon Spirits
Sheena is the only character in the game who can summon various entities to the battlefield whenever their power is needed. As such she plays one of the most important roles in the game being the vessel the summon spirits give their power to. Once she learns to summon Shadow, she becomes the only member of the party able to use a Dark attack.
When Sheena tried to form a pact with Volt again with Lloyd's party, Volt attacks Sheena, but she was saved by Corrine, who was killed. Encouraged by Lloyd, Sheena demanded Volt's power and fought the Summon Spirit, refusing to let Corrine's sacrifice go to waste, as well as conquering her fear of Volt. After this, Sheena could no longer summon Corrine; however, there is a side-quest that allows the player to see Corrine again, in an altered form, but Sheena can never again summon Corrine in battle.
She becomes the successor to Chief of Mizuho later on in the game. Her name is derived from a ninja master of feudal Japan, Sabuji Fujibayashi.
Connection to Suzu Fujibayashi
Sheena's surname is the same as Suzu Fujibayashi, a character from this game's sequel, Tales of Phantasia. Both Sheena and Suzu are ninja warriors, come from hidden ninja villages, and are the granddaughters of the current Chief; in other words, Suzu is possibly a distant relative of Sheena. Their relation is further strengthened by the fact that, in Tales of Symphonia, Sheena can obtain Suzu's costume. Sheena is also named the heir to the chieftainship of the village, supporting the idea that Sheena and Suzu are related. In Tales of the World: Narikiri Dungeon 3, the two meet. Sheena notes that they share family names and wonders if they're related. At that point, Zelos enters the conversation and suggests that Suzu may be his and Sheena's daughter, consequently flirting with Sheena.
Trivia
* Sheena's clothes bear a strong resemblance to those of the Ruroni Kenshin character Makimachi Misao; both are of a light blue colour and are fastened around the waist with a pink sash that is tied in a large bow at the back.
Fujibayashi, Sheena
Fujibayashi, Sheena
Fujibayashi, Sheena
Sheena is considered to be the next in line for the title of Chief of Mizuho and starts the game as an enemy to Lloyd Irving at first. For the heir of a ninja clan, Sheena is something of a klutz (although not nearly as disastrously so as Colette); when the party first encounters her as an enemy at Ossa Trail, she is only called "Clumsy Assassin" (strangely enough, even after her name is revealed, she is called "Resolute Assassin" in the second battle).
Role
A girl from the flourishing world of Tethe'alla, Sheena is originally sent to Sylvarant by the Pope and the King with orders to assassinate Colette Brunel. However, after helping the party save the humans in the Asgard ranch, Sheena joins the party. Sheena is a skilled warrior from Mizuho, a hidden village of ninja. She is tough but kindhearted, and is always accompanied by Corrine, the only man-made Summon Spirit and Sheena's best friend. Because of her good looks and impressive figure, Zelos Wilder loves to flirt with her; but she usually manages to set him straight, often in a violent way.
At the age of nine, Sheena ventured to the Temple of Lightning with people from Mizuho in order to form a pact with Volt, the Summon Spirit of Lightning. Unfortunately, Volt went into a rage, killing a quarter of Mizuho's population and causing the chief of Mizuho (her adoptive grandfather) to fall into a coma. The causes are not explicitly revealed, but presumably, Sheena was too young and inexperienced to attempt to make a pact (which involves fighting the Spirit). Volt later suggests that Sheena's first attempt at pact-making failed because he was unwilling to deal with humans. It is also possible that the attempt failed because no one in the group present at the pact-forming attempt could understand Volt, the only Summon Spirit that does not use human speech; Sheena says "It's just like before! What the hell is he saying?" before Raine translates. It is because of this incident that many of her fellow ninja bear a deep grudge against her. However, Kuchinawa, who lost his parents, seems to the only one to actively seek vengeance; his brother, Orochi insists that it was an accident and that Sheena should not duel Kuchinawa, and other members tell Sheena to persevere when it becomes clear that she must make a pact with Volt.
Armed with a variety of magic-infused seals, Sheena proves a decent melee fighter, and has many techniques that can lower an opponent's statistics or inflict various status ailments or special effects (such as causing them to stagger for longer periods of time). More importantly, however, she can call upon powerful Summon Spirits to aid the party in battle. These summoning abilities are also vital to the storyline, such as when she summons Undine to save the group from falling to their deaths on the Tethe'alla bridge, or uses the Summon Spirits of Tethe'alla to save the world from the out-of-control Giant Tree. With the exception of Corrine, she can only summon when she is in Overlimit mode, and at a heavy cost to her Tech Points; however, because Overlimit prevents the enemy from interrupting Sheena's incantations, Summon Spirits supply guaranteed damage (and a lot of it at that) to any enemies nearby.
Personality
Sheena is a very strong-willed person. In part owing to her ninja upbringing, she tends to act somewhat tomboyish most of the time, but she does possess a sweet side, which becomes more apparent as the story progresses; she unexpectedly shows an interest in the flowers in Zelos' mansion. She has little confidence in her ability to make important decisions, a flaw that was considerably deepened since the disaster with Volt. She dislikes having to be rescued, preferring to rely on her tough facade instead to save face (as demonstrated during a scene in one of the last visits to the Tower of Salvation. Sheena is snagged by one of the Great Tree's roots and pulled over the edge of an abyss, but rejects Lloyd's offer of help, instead choosing to fall).
Like Lloyd, she is a strong believer in altruism. She is willing to bend the rules imposed on her, such as the Pope's orders to kill the Chosen, in order to do what is right, and slightly tends toward idealistic decisions, in contrast to the more pragmatic Raine and Kratos. Despite the anger some of Mizuho bears towards her, she understands that mistakes can be corrected, and absolutely refuses to give up on someone -- even her greatest enemy.
Sheena's tough facade has created an interesting outer personality. She tends to anger easily and is not above disciplining someone with an occasional swift smack. When she is angry, she will most definitely let someone know. However, she is also talkative, despite her troubled past and angry members of society who have cast her out of their circles.
Although she seems to hate Zelos (she uses him as an example of a Chosen she "can't trust" on first reference, adding "I can't stand that guy!"), their relationship is more complex than that. Zelos attempts to help Sheena cope with her grief over Corrine in his own way, showing that he truly cares about her feelings. Likewise, Sheena states that, although Zelos is a pervert, she sincerely believes that he is a good person. Should the party fight and kill Zelos at the Tower of Salvation, Sheena appears to be crying during his final moments. Sheena and Zelos, in fact, seem to have a deep and solid friendship (that some fans believe to be more than that), shown by the multiple skits in which they discuss recent events. Also, when Sheena is on the verge of volunteering to be killed to stop the party being pursued by Kuchinawa, Zelos reacts vehemently and grabs Sheena, taking her through the Otherworldly Gate. Sheena does not find out the truth about Zelos' past during the game.
She harbors a crush on Lloyd, despite sometimes being irritated with him, which becomes more apparent as they travel together; predictably, though, she has a great deal of trouble expressing these feelings. Depending on the choices the player makes throughout the game, it is possible for her to finally express them.
Summon Spirits
Sheena is the only character in the game who can summon various entities to the battlefield whenever their power is needed. As such she plays one of the most important roles in the game being the vessel the summon spirits give their power to. Once she learns to summon Shadow, she becomes the only member of the party able to use a Dark attack.
When Sheena tried to form a pact with Volt again with Lloyd's party, Volt attacks Sheena, but she was saved by Corrine, who was killed. Encouraged by Lloyd, Sheena demanded Volt's power and fought the Summon Spirit, refusing to let Corrine's sacrifice go to waste, as well as conquering her fear of Volt. After this, Sheena could no longer summon Corrine; however, there is a side-quest that allows the player to see Corrine again, in an altered form, but Sheena can never again summon Corrine in battle.
She becomes the successor to Chief of Mizuho later on in the game. Her name is derived from a ninja master of feudal Japan, Sabuji Fujibayashi.
Connection to Suzu Fujibayashi
Sheena's surname is the same as Suzu Fujibayashi, a character from this game's sequel, Tales of Phantasia. Both Sheena and Suzu are ninja warriors, come from hidden ninja villages, and are the granddaughters of the current Chief; in other words, Suzu is possibly a distant relative of Sheena. Their relation is further strengthened by the fact that, in Tales of Symphonia, Sheena can obtain Suzu's costume. Sheena is also named the heir to the chieftainship of the village, supporting the idea that Sheena and Suzu are related. In Tales of the World: Narikiri Dungeon 3, the two meet. Sheena notes that they share family names and wonders if they're related. At that point, Zelos enters the conversation and suggests that Suzu may be his and Sheena's daughter, consequently flirting with Sheena.
Trivia
* Sheena's clothes bear a strong resemblance to those of the Ruroni Kenshin character Makimachi Misao; both are of a light blue colour and are fastened around the waist with a pink sash that is tied in a large bow at the back.
Fujibayashi, Sheena
Fujibayashi, Sheena
Fujibayashi, Sheena
The Bassetdor (aka Bassador) is a domestic mixed-breed dog that is a somewhat common combination of Basset Hound and Labrador Retriever. While the Bassetdor typically exhibits the face and coat of its Labrador parent, it owes its long, floppy ears, short turned-out legs and long body to its Basset roots.
Brian Kilcommons has accurately described "the absurdly wonderful Bassetdor, the product of an affair between a Basset Hound and a Labrador, who looks like a Lab in a funhouse mirror."
Like their purebred Basset Hound counterparts, adult Bassetdors are prone to arthritis or osteochondritis dessicans in their front legs due to their duck-footed posture which occurs because the radius often grows more quickly than the ulna. As a result of this condition, it is important that the Bassetdor maintain a healthy weight, and veterinarians may recommend beginning regular glucosamine as a preventative treatment once the Bassetdor reaches two years.
Bassetdors have the friendly temperament and energy associated with the Labrador breed along with the investigative scent-seeking behavior and bark that sounds more like the baying typical of the hound. Sometimes bassetdors appear in featured articles in newspapers such as the Orlando Sentinel. An adult bassetdor generally weighs between 40-50 lbs, which is heavier than they appear, due to the fact that most of their weight is in the dense muscle of the upper chest.
Gallery
Bassetdors in popular culture
*There is a simulated bassetdor pet ready for download for the popular computer game The sims.
Brian Kilcommons has accurately described "the absurdly wonderful Bassetdor, the product of an affair between a Basset Hound and a Labrador, who looks like a Lab in a funhouse mirror."
Like their purebred Basset Hound counterparts, adult Bassetdors are prone to arthritis or osteochondritis dessicans in their front legs due to their duck-footed posture which occurs because the radius often grows more quickly than the ulna. As a result of this condition, it is important that the Bassetdor maintain a healthy weight, and veterinarians may recommend beginning regular glucosamine as a preventative treatment once the Bassetdor reaches two years.
Bassetdors have the friendly temperament and energy associated with the Labrador breed along with the investigative scent-seeking behavior and bark that sounds more like the baying typical of the hound. Sometimes bassetdors appear in featured articles in newspapers such as the Orlando Sentinel. An adult bassetdor generally weighs between 40-50 lbs, which is heavier than they appear, due to the fact that most of their weight is in the dense muscle of the upper chest.
Gallery
Bassetdors in popular culture
*There is a simulated bassetdor pet ready for download for the popular computer game The sims.
A singer and songwriter in the mid nineteen nineties, Aldo Franco Arabic rose to become a leading, popular artist in the Arabic and World Music scene in the genre of music known as Franco Arabic music.
His popularity was underscored by the success of his second album Yalla from which came two major chart hits. Aldo is seen, along with artists such as Dalida, as a leading pioneer in this West meets East form of Arabic music. The term Franco Arabic is a termed used in the Middle-East to describe this special crossover relationship between Western and Middle Eastern styles in areas ranging from business relationships to the world of entertainment. The famous Egyptian actor Omar Sharif is often described as a 'Franco Arabic' actor.
Aldo - Franco Arabic Singer (Born in Perth, Western Australia, 23 Nov, 1960)
Background
Born In Perth, Western Australia, Aldo was born of European parents. His father immigrated to Australia from Italy and his mother (who also immigrated to Australia at around the same time) immigrated from Germany in the early nineteen fifties. From early in life Aldo was into music from playing instruments such as the piano accordion and guitar through to learning to sing at school.
It was during his teenage years that Aldo discovered his love for singing and performing working with local hometown bands such as the 'Diablos', a school rock and roll band called 'Nautilus' and the Italian cabaret band 'Rivali'. Aldo's father was a notable operatic baritone who was once offered a place in the famous La Scala Opera Company of Milan, As a result of this influence, Aldo too became interested in opera. In his late teenage years he joined the Western Australian Opera Company under the then director Gerald Krug. At the same time he took opera singing lessons to help further develop his vocal ability. This lead him to perform in many different arenas including on stage operas and ultimately would lead to his Middle-Eastern success.
The Arabic Connection
In 1984, Aldo married a girl named Bernadette who was of Egyptian birth. So began his Middle-Eastern connection. As a performer Aldo performed in many community related events, He made many friends and contacts in this period and many inroads into the local Arabic migrant communities in Australia. As a consequence of some of these contacts Aldo got involved with (and ultimately took control of) the local Arabic language broadcaster 'Arabic Radio' in the late 1980's. The success of the Arabic Radio programmes surprised many but no one more than Aldo who initially spoke no Arabic but still managed to coordinate and bring the shows together. The Franco-Arabic influence became evident at that point and his career began to navigate in a whole new direction. The success of the 'Arabic Radio' programme has been credited largely due the popularity it gained through bridging the gap between the migrated Arabic population and their New Australian offspring who were attracted by the Western influence into a normally very traditional and rigid Arabic media form. This was the influence known throughout the Arabic world as Franco Araby - Franco Arabic.
Arabic Song
It was during the period that Aldo was with Arabic Radio in Western Australia that he was invited to sing at an Arabic community function. He happily accepted but had second thoughts when he was asked to sing at least one song in Arabic. After some coaxing from friend an future musical collaborator Richard Elhaj, he accepted the challenge and performed the song 'Mayal' by Amr Diab, one of Egypt s leading pop stars. While he could not speak Arabic at the time, he was coached into learning the song 'parrot fashion' by his friends, family and colleagues. The show was a hit and lead to offers to make a demo recording of some material that was in secret written for him as a result of the performance. Clearly having enjoyed the demo experience, Aldo went on to record further material with the support of lyric and music writers from the local community who also assisted in the creation process for his early material.
In 1995 Aldo received offers from two record companies in the Middle East to join their labels, one in Egypt and one in Saudi Arabia.
Aldo decided to accept the proposal from Music Master of Saudi Arabia, a decision he was to say later was perhaps a hasty one.
Recording Releases
Under the Music Master label Aldo had his first Middle East release of Mish Momkin in late 1995. The single went to number three on the Arabic Singles Charts ahead of major artists at the time such as Amr Diab, Fairuz, Majida El Roumi, Hisham Abbas, Moustafa Amar and many other well known stars who also had new releases out at the time. In early 1996 the next hit Yalla did the same on the charts. The Aldo phenomenon was born. A 'Westerner' singing in Arabic. The next two years were what Aldo himself describes as a 'golden time' for his music.
Success
The video clips and promotion for Aldo made a big impact throughout the Arabic world with TV appearances and coverage across the globe. However, in private the impact was not always as smooth. Aldo's family commitments and a falling out with Music Master Records, saw Aldo complete his last project for some time back in 1997. That project was the writing and recording of the title song for the Australian-Arabic movie production 'Assef Habebti' -(Sorry my Love). The song Sorry My Love was an instant hit with fans but instead of using this to continue his success he chose to retreat from the spotlight and spend the time with his family and his business interests. The impact of his music contribution however, had already been profound and permanent.
Aldo Today
Aldo today is spends most of his time in his personal business pursuits both in Australia and overseas. Although there has been talk of a new recording Aldo has not confirmed this saying only that he was very happy with the support he received, the acceptance his music enjoyed and its positive contribution to Arabic culture.
References and Sources
* IMDB online movie database (http://imdb.com/name/nm/)
* Music Master Records, Saudi Arabia (http://www.music-master.com)
* Aramusic Distributors, North America/Canada(http://www.aramusic.com/)
* CD Arabia online, (http://www.cd-arabia.com/shopping.php)
* Arabic Radio, Perth, Western Australia (http://www.mrtawa.org.au/1/arabicradio.php)
His popularity was underscored by the success of his second album Yalla from which came two major chart hits. Aldo is seen, along with artists such as Dalida, as a leading pioneer in this West meets East form of Arabic music. The term Franco Arabic is a termed used in the Middle-East to describe this special crossover relationship between Western and Middle Eastern styles in areas ranging from business relationships to the world of entertainment. The famous Egyptian actor Omar Sharif is often described as a 'Franco Arabic' actor.
Aldo - Franco Arabic Singer (Born in Perth, Western Australia, 23 Nov, 1960)
Background
Born In Perth, Western Australia, Aldo was born of European parents. His father immigrated to Australia from Italy and his mother (who also immigrated to Australia at around the same time) immigrated from Germany in the early nineteen fifties. From early in life Aldo was into music from playing instruments such as the piano accordion and guitar through to learning to sing at school.
It was during his teenage years that Aldo discovered his love for singing and performing working with local hometown bands such as the 'Diablos', a school rock and roll band called 'Nautilus' and the Italian cabaret band 'Rivali'. Aldo's father was a notable operatic baritone who was once offered a place in the famous La Scala Opera Company of Milan, As a result of this influence, Aldo too became interested in opera. In his late teenage years he joined the Western Australian Opera Company under the then director Gerald Krug. At the same time he took opera singing lessons to help further develop his vocal ability. This lead him to perform in many different arenas including on stage operas and ultimately would lead to his Middle-Eastern success.
The Arabic Connection
In 1984, Aldo married a girl named Bernadette who was of Egyptian birth. So began his Middle-Eastern connection. As a performer Aldo performed in many community related events, He made many friends and contacts in this period and many inroads into the local Arabic migrant communities in Australia. As a consequence of some of these contacts Aldo got involved with (and ultimately took control of) the local Arabic language broadcaster 'Arabic Radio' in the late 1980's. The success of the Arabic Radio programmes surprised many but no one more than Aldo who initially spoke no Arabic but still managed to coordinate and bring the shows together. The Franco-Arabic influence became evident at that point and his career began to navigate in a whole new direction. The success of the 'Arabic Radio' programme has been credited largely due the popularity it gained through bridging the gap between the migrated Arabic population and their New Australian offspring who were attracted by the Western influence into a normally very traditional and rigid Arabic media form. This was the influence known throughout the Arabic world as Franco Araby - Franco Arabic.
Arabic Song
It was during the period that Aldo was with Arabic Radio in Western Australia that he was invited to sing at an Arabic community function. He happily accepted but had second thoughts when he was asked to sing at least one song in Arabic. After some coaxing from friend an future musical collaborator Richard Elhaj, he accepted the challenge and performed the song 'Mayal' by Amr Diab, one of Egypt s leading pop stars. While he could not speak Arabic at the time, he was coached into learning the song 'parrot fashion' by his friends, family and colleagues. The show was a hit and lead to offers to make a demo recording of some material that was in secret written for him as a result of the performance. Clearly having enjoyed the demo experience, Aldo went on to record further material with the support of lyric and music writers from the local community who also assisted in the creation process for his early material.
In 1995 Aldo received offers from two record companies in the Middle East to join their labels, one in Egypt and one in Saudi Arabia.
Aldo decided to accept the proposal from Music Master of Saudi Arabia, a decision he was to say later was perhaps a hasty one.
Recording Releases
Under the Music Master label Aldo had his first Middle East release of Mish Momkin in late 1995. The single went to number three on the Arabic Singles Charts ahead of major artists at the time such as Amr Diab, Fairuz, Majida El Roumi, Hisham Abbas, Moustafa Amar and many other well known stars who also had new releases out at the time. In early 1996 the next hit Yalla did the same on the charts. The Aldo phenomenon was born. A 'Westerner' singing in Arabic. The next two years were what Aldo himself describes as a 'golden time' for his music.
Success
The video clips and promotion for Aldo made a big impact throughout the Arabic world with TV appearances and coverage across the globe. However, in private the impact was not always as smooth. Aldo's family commitments and a falling out with Music Master Records, saw Aldo complete his last project for some time back in 1997. That project was the writing and recording of the title song for the Australian-Arabic movie production 'Assef Habebti' -(Sorry my Love). The song Sorry My Love was an instant hit with fans but instead of using this to continue his success he chose to retreat from the spotlight and spend the time with his family and his business interests. The impact of his music contribution however, had already been profound and permanent.
Aldo Today
Aldo today is spends most of his time in his personal business pursuits both in Australia and overseas. Although there has been talk of a new recording Aldo has not confirmed this saying only that he was very happy with the support he received, the acceptance his music enjoyed and its positive contribution to Arabic culture.
References and Sources
* IMDB online movie database (http://imdb.com/name/nm/)
* Music Master Records, Saudi Arabia (http://www.music-master.com)
* Aramusic Distributors, North America/Canada(http://www.aramusic.com/)
* CD Arabia online, (http://www.cd-arabia.com/shopping.php)
* Arabic Radio, Perth, Western Australia (http://www.mrtawa.org.au/1/arabicradio.php)