Singer Nabil Shuail: “I’m a really terrible actor"

Nabil Shuail told "Arabs Today," that since 1982 until this day he releases albums with years’ dates and not names of the songs because he “does not like to impose a specific song on people.” "I am against this because I present a complete album and leave it to people to choose their own favorite song without imposing it on them,” Nabil said.  On the reason why his albums usually contain only a few songs, he said that “when an album contains a lot of songs, some of them are wasted on the expense of others.” "Today a lot of albums contain roughly about 15 or 16 songs, which is a large number, but none of them succeed, or maybe only three or four do, which is a waste because some of them may deserve the success had they been presented in a better way. I do not make a concert unless at least a month has passed after the release of my new album, because one may listen to the album at first glance then reconsider what he likes about it later. I got used to it in all my works, some for example, were subjected to major criticism after being launched and then the criticism turned into a success.” As for the reason he only cooperate with composer Ziad Boutros  out of all Lebanese composers, he said that composer Samir Sfeir presented him with many songs but Shuaill felt they were not appropriate for him. As for artist Melhem Barakat he said that he would love to work with him but that they have never met before and he is afraid of dealing with him because he is a little bit difficult. As for other composers, he said: “I asked some to send me their work but they were really arrogant and I felt they deal with me from a commercial aspect and I hate that, I love to work with people on a friendly basis.” He continued: “Ziad on the other hand sent me a melody as well as song and I asked him to change some parts and he was open to it.” Shuail stressed that his relationship with Rotana is very good and respectable and everything is great with it. However, when asked about the reasons behind Rotana not inviting him to the celebration attended by A-list stars where the last one of these was the opening of Rotana Café, which was attended by a large number of artists, he said” "you should ask them, I do not know why they didn’t invite me. I'm surprised, I asked and I said I won’t go even if they did invite me because I do not like these circles and events; it’s all about loving your appearance, where every artists is trying to show off that he/she is Rotana’s favorite. I even saw quarrels between artists on who would stand in the center in a group picture and I don’t care about these things at all. All I care about is my work and my commitment to the contract with the company.” And on whether the Lebanese or Egyptian dialect is the closest to his heart, Shuail said that it is measured according to the song as he doesn’t choose songs according to its nationality. “When I sang in an Egyptian dialect and saw the Lebanese press they were telling me ‘we want to hear you sing in our dialect.’ There are people who have nothing to do but criticize, I sing for the people not the press, and I accept respectable criticism but I really don’t care about the provoking criticism that targets me personally and not my work.” And on whether he would like another title instead of his curren “Bulbul of the Gulf” he said: "Not really, I am happy with that title, it is the one people picked for me. Some people ask me do you consider yourself the first or second, I have a theory for that; that after everything how long will anyone remain number one for? Every artist has a moment of glory which they should know how to invest in and make a use of. However, fame comes and goes and there are dead singers who are still competing with us to this day. I think that he who considers status is the artist who lacks self-confidence and talent. Now with the presence of satellites the status and awards are being bought with money. Someone called me saying we are from x festivals and would like to give a certain award on the condition that you sing in the concert that will be held for free. I was going to sing for free anyway, but since they mentioned it would be in return for a prize I didn’t accept it.” We asked NAbil whether he is thinking of undergoing surgery to lose weight, like artist Hussein Al Jasmi, who lost more than 80 kg, he said that he knows the surgery’s details because he did it for his younger obese sister in Germany, however he didn’t want to undergo this process because he did not like to mess with the creation of God Almighty, especially after the doctor told him that the surgery might affect his voice. And on his relationship with Gulf artists he said that it’s a good one and that he never criticizes anyone because each has his own fans. He added: “if I have views about a colleague as a listener and not as an artist, I will keep them to myself because every word I say is counted on me and I would not put myself in a position like that.” As for the Gulf artists that he listens to, Shuail said that he listens to all of them and when any of them releases a new album he puts it in his car and listens to it until he gets good ideas and benefits from them. "We all must learn and no one should say that he came to the stage already knowing everything, on the contrary perhaps a young singer has a great new idea, that I can take, develop and present it in a magnificent way because I am more experienced than him,” he added. In regards to the studio he owns in Jabriya region in Kuwait, Nabil said that it’s his office where his friends and journalists visit him in, and where he records his music. As for trying his hands on acting, especially after singing the opening theme for TV drama “Bela Rahma” starring Zenab El Askary, Shuail decided than him and acting are not good friends. "I'm the worst one when it comes to acting because when I stand in front of the camera I get confused, it’s great for a person to know his limits and capabilities. Some artists are clever in acting more than singing and I think it’s a great talent that I won’t claim.”