Invited for the first time to Mawazine, the Lebanese artist Walid Taoufic meets his Moroccan fans in an unforgettable evening on the Nahda stage. "I am very happy to be invited by this festival, especially since I love Morocco and its public very much," declared the artist yesterday while evoking his life and the world of song in general. Because let us not forget that Walid Toufic is also an accomplished composer. He has collaborated with several artists from the Arab world, including Moroccans. Walid Toufic has established himself since the 70s and has managed to become one of the most popular singers in the Arab world. His opening concert at Mawazine was, in fact, commensurate with his immense talent. On the oriental Nahda stage, the Lebanese singer triggered the applause of the crowd by paying tribute to Abdelhadi Belkhiat and by covering songs from the Moroccan repertoire. With romantic poetry, Walid Toufic was able to capture his audience, singing his moving "Happy Birthday To You" to a charmed and conquered public and many other songs, notably "La Tâaouidni Alik" and "Goulli mata Choufak". He did not fail to enchant the public present and to take them on a journey through his beautiful successes that never run dry. The artist did not fail to mention his contribution with one of the greatest voices of Moroccan song, Naima Samih: "I respect this singer enormously," he declared, "as well as Abdelhadi Belkhiat who reminds me of the voice of Wadiî Essafi. Recently, I composed three songs for George Wassouf that he has not yet been able to record because of his illness. I wish him a speedy recovery." Walid Toufic was also clear when mentioning the competition shows that discover young voices. "These are interesting shows that can unearth very beautiful voices, because the juries are generally composed of competent artists who are a reliable judgement. There is of course entertainment and money at stake, but also voices that are added to the artistic repertoire. Because some of these young people who won in these shows have become great artists. It was only necessary to highlight them. That is indeed the role of these programmes." But still, as he specified, these young people must work and persevere, because the hardest part is not succeeding, but persisting. "It has happened to me to predict for some young people a great success in the world of music, because I felt talent and a lot of charisma in them. Something very important for an artist. A singer who does not have charisma can never capture the crowds."

Born in Tripoli in 1954, the Lebanese singer and actor made his debut in 1973 in the show "Studio al Fan" (Artists' Studio) and began appearing in Egyptian films. But he only achieved fame through music, with the release of several albums totalling around 600 songs in Arabic. Walid Taoufic also has a rich acting career counting more than a dozen appearances in Egyptian films.

-* 1992: "Min Elli Assak"

-* 1995: "Wahdek Habibi"

-* 1999: "Ya Leil"

-* 2001: "Akbar Garh"

-* 2002: "Eshar"

-* 2004: "Ehtimal"

-* 2006: "Top Hits"

-* 2007: "Ya Bahr"