As revealed by Forbes Middle East, singer Nancy Ajram from Lebanon is the most-followed celebrity of the Middle East.
After looking at over 500 Arab celebrities’ social media platforms and "took forward those with a total number of over 3 million followers," and then gave the most emphasis on social media, the agency then calculated the length of the celebrity’s career, and explored their activities outside of their work, such as whether they are employed as goodwill ambassadors for the UN and other points.
"Judging a celebrity’s influence in this digital age naturally involves looking at their personal brands, their notoriety and the scope of their reach on social media."
And Nancy Ajram tops them all.
With around 48 million followers across Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube, this makes her the most followed celebrity in the region.
Thanks to social media platforms, celebrities have been given more ways to connect with their consumers and fans.
In return, the platforms allow people to build relationships with their idols.
"This means people in the public eye can wield greater influence and monetize on their fame more so now than ever before," Forbes Middle East said.
On top of them all, Nancy Ajram, is the famous Lebanese singer, television personality and businesswoman.
Dubbed by Spotify as the "Queen of Arab Pop," Nancy debuted in the entertainment industry when she began performing as a child star on several television shows.
At the age of 15, she made her first recording contract, and released her debut studio album Mihtagalak.
In spite of being under the legal age, Ajram was so special, that she was exceptionally accepted to the Syndicate of Professional Artists in Lebanon.
But it was her collaboration with well-known Lebanese producer Jiji Lamara, that cemented her fame as a world-class singer. It was only since then, that her subsequent songs became hits.
She even successfully established her name as a pop icon status, and becoming a sex symbol of the Middle East.
Having sold over 30 million records worldwide as of 2007, Ajram is one of the best-selling Middle Eastern music artists.
In 2020, she became the best-selling Middle Eastern female singer of the decade.
She also became the most-streamed Arab female artist on Spotify
Another notable achievement of Ajram, was when she became the first spokesperson of Coca-Cola in the Middle East, and serving as a judge on reality talent show Arab Idol, and serving as a coach on The Voice Kids Arabia.
According to the Forbes Middle East, "most of the celebrities on our list are in the music industry," adding that the 51 overall and nine of the top ten are singers.
It's worth noting that she first broke the record of being the most-followed Middle East celebrity in 2016, when her Instagram account hit the 10 million follower mark, making her the most followed Arab celebrity on that platform. She also hit 10.2 million followers on Twitter, making her the most-followed Middle East celebrity on that platform.
She thanked her fans with the hashtag #10MNancyAjram.
