Mayssa Karaa

Early life

Mayssa Karaa was born in 1989 in Lebanon. She began singing at a young age; at seven years old while attending school in Beirut, her choir director selected her out of 100 voices to solo at the year-end concert. Karaa later attended the Conservatory of Beirut, studying vocal performance, piano, and music theory. While a student she periodically performed at events for non-profit charities, including Lions Club, UNESCO and The Lebanese School of the Blind and Deaf.

Move to Boston

In 2006 Lebanon was again engaged in conflict, and Karaa and her family moved to the Boston, Massachusetts area to join relatives. In Boston Karaa studied civil engineering before enrolling in the Berklee College of Music in 2008. She studied Middle Eastern and Eastern European music, classical opera, and contemporary genres. She sings in English, Arabic, Persian, Italian and French.

She continued to perform while at Berklee; she sang at Faneuil Hall in Boston, and in 2010 she sang at a concert honoring the Permanent Representative of the Organisation internationale de la Francophonie. Around 2010 Karaa was introduced to the manager for the Italian tenor Pasquale Esposito, and soon she opened a show for Esposito and joined him in performing "The Prayer" by Andrea Bocelli. She later joined him on tour, singing in his California Christmas concerts four years in a row. She appeared in an upcoming documentary about Esposito filmed in Naples, Italy, titled Enrico Caruso: His Life, His Music, His City.

Karaa began studying Arabic music under composer and instrumentalist Simon Shaheen while in her final year at Berklee, and soon became a guest vocalist in a few of his concerts in the United States and Canada.

In late 2011 Karaa returned to Beirut to give her first official concert in the country, performing with two other Lebanese Berklee students at the American University of Beirut’s Assembly Hall, in a concert titled “One Moment in Time." She graduated Berklee in 2012, and that year joined the Berklee World Strings Orchestra to sing a Persian piece by Hafez Nazeri, before touring with the group to a number of American cities.

She also made a special guest appearance in a show from Jawaahir Dance Company, featuring music from the late Algerian-Lebanese singer Warda, titled “Arabian Bouquet” in Minneapolis, MN.

American Hustle soundtrack

Karaa sang the Arabic version of "White Rabbit" on the American Hustle Soundtrack, which was released on Sony Classical in 2013. A psychedelic song originally by The Great Society (recorded 1966) and made famous by American band Jefferson Airplane, who released it in 1967. Karaa was in Beirut at the time without access to a studio, she recorded her audition on her iPhone. Elder, Mark Batson, and Hanin Omar arranged an Arabic version, and a week after her audition Karaa flew to Los Angeles to record the track.

The song is used in the scene where Victor Tellegio (played by Robert DeNiro) reveals he can speak Arabic, and it is the only song recorded specifically for the film. Heather Phares of Allmusic called Karaa's interpretation "otherworldly," stating that the track "is so striking that it's one of the finest songs on an album packed with big names." The Los Angeles Times stated that her version “outdoes the original."

The film went on to win a Golden Globe and was nominated for several Oscar Awards, and Karaa performed the song at the film's premiere in several cities. She performed at the Dubai International Film Festival, where it premiered in Dubai. In February 2014, Lebanon’s Cultural Minister Gaby Layoun gave Lebanon's National Cultural Award to Karaa at the American Hustle premiere held in Beirut. Layoun stated, “She has created a significant artistic bridge between our culture and audiences around the world. She has made an impact both in Hollywood and as a role model for young women here and abroad. In a world filled with sad days, this is one that brings us great joy and pride for Lebanon.”

Recent touring

In April 2014, she toured again with Pasquale Esposito, with concerts at the Carmel Mission Basilica in California, with Karaa singing solo and duets with Esposito. As of 2014, she continues to work on her debut solo album and prepare for her first North American tour.

Personal life

As of 2014 she is based in Los Angeles, California.