ENTERTAINMENT
From Issue #22
Massari
By Adam Grant
“I can’t really describe the feeling I have — it’s like I’ve been born again. This is a new life for me,” explains a truly enthusiastic Massari from a tour stop in Edmonton.
Born in the war-torn country of Lebanon before locating to Canada at age 10, Massari is now taking his adopted country by storm. Massari’s self-titled debut album features club-friendly, R&B tracks that have landed him primo radio airplay, Canadian Urban Music Award nominations, and a chance to live out a dream in a country of listeners locked into his sound.
“Canada has been so good to me… Canada saved my life,” concedes Massari. “Everyday there’s something to look forward to. As I was growing up as a child, this was my dream. “Honestly, every morning is like Christmas for me. I wake up so excited — like a little kid going to play with toys.”
What makes this journey even sweeter for Massari is the fact that he’s had to work from the ground up. After releasing the “Spitfire” single in 2002 in his hometown of Ottawa, it took Massari until 2005 to write, record and release an album that has not only given him a musical identity, but also an appreciation for what it took to create one.
“It’s so easy to give up, and it’s so much harder to keep going — everything good in life that you want, you have to work hard for,” he believes. “So hearing myself on the radio, and seeing myself on TV, really makes me appreciate the hard work that I put in.”
