WHEN TALENT & Beauty Meet
From musical notes to colorful palettes, meet Balqees the empowering Arab voice behind enchanting tunes and the newly created BEX Beauty.
Born into an artistic home, Balqees learned the fundamentals of music growing up as the daughter of renowned musician Ahmed Fathi. Learning the rudiments of singing planted the seed for this Arab talent’s success. As creativity came naturally to Balqees, her musical career became a journey of accomplishments. From debuting the album Majnoun in 2013 and Zai Ma Ana in 2015, to her phenomenal opera performance with the legendary Bocelli, she has officially unveiled her stardom in the Arab, as well as the International, world. She has become an inspiration to Middle Eastern girls, forming a close connection with her followers.
She is launching her unique beauty brand BEX, that caters to Arab women and their very specific needs. The idea evolved from her very own love of her mother’s make-up as a child and tackles all the weather challenges women of Arabia face. Deeply inspired by the authentic charm of her beloved Arab culture, and continuously motivated by her fans, she expresses her art from the depths of her heart. Meet Balqees, as she talks to Tryano from her cherished sanctuary-and the heart and soul of her artistic passion.
Tryano: Tell us about Balqees behind the scenes?
Balqees Fathi: Behind the scenes, I am all for my family and my music. I am a wife, and a very cool mama, who values the importance of family; I enjoy every minute I spend with my husband and son. At the same time, I love being in my “recording room”, my sanctuary, surrounded by my sound systems, and expressing my passion for music and art.
I love to be myself, without complications. I appreciate the trust and love of my audience, yet I always like to stay grounded and remain focused on my priorities and my passions in life, and not to be carried away by the glare of fame.
T: You lead a very organic communication on your social media platforms, how does that impact your relationship with your fans?
BF: I am always keen to stay connected to my fans, who are an extraordinary source of inspiration for me and my art. Some of them even write to me on a daily basis, and I love corresponding with them, as it feels as if I am talking to my sisters or my dear friends. That is why I insist on always being involved in managing my social media accounts, as it is not only an enjoyable experience, but also a chance for me as an artist to remain close to my fans and learn from their valuable feedback. As a rule of thumb, I never keep boundaries between myself and my fans, whether online or even when I meet them at a public place or a concert.
T: Throughout your career, what has been the most memorable moment and why?
BF: I can think of many amazing moments that occurred throughout my career and were so memorable, but to give you the one closest to my heart, it is the time I performed alongside the legend, Andrea Bocelli, which was an incredible experience and a step towards reaching out to a more international audience, especially in the field of opera music, which is something so dear to my heart.
T: Success comes with a lot of hard work and overcoming challenges, how do you deal with the challenges that come your way?
BF: True, it does come with a great deal of hard work and pressure. But I try to put things in perspective, knowing that any problem has a beginning and an end, so I don’t allow myself to be overwhelmed, and I truly try to learn from every challenge that comes my way. I also have a rule: I never bring work issues into my home. My home is where I disconnect from this pressure and get the serenity I need to carry on. I also go for daily car cruises, I call them coffee dates, with my beloved husband, where we completely disconnect from everything and reboot and recharge.
T: How do you manage balancing between being a wife, mother, super star singer & now having your own beauty brand?
BF: It is not easy; I will tell you that! But it is doable. Sometimes, just simply trying to juggle my responsibilities between the many hats I wear is really tough, but I believe we as women are multitaskers by nature, which is something I even say in my lectures on women empowerment, it is a blessing. But also, I try to keep my mind on the end game and I try to stay focused, manage my time and prioritize strategically to ensure nothing falls in the cracks, to the best of my abilities of course. I think I am doing a good job.
T: How did BEX Beauty’s Journey start? Has it always been a dream of yours to launch your own beauty brand or did you come to love it with time?
BF: BEX as a brand was established almost 2 years ago, but the idea itself started years before that, ever since I was a child playing with my mother’s makeup, and I always thought it would be such a fun and cool idea to be able to choose and create my own shades and colors. I represent Middle Eastern girls in terms of skin tone, and skin issues as well, because of the harsh weather conditions, especially the heat and humidity, that our skin goes through every single day, especially in the GCC area. So, I thought to myself, why not start a brand that can address these specific issues, that matter to us, as Arab women? A brand that can collectively represent us and boost our self-confidence. So, I gathered an experienced team who actually have the know-how of the very intriguing, yet challenging cosmetics industry, the secrets of creating quality makeup products that can stand the test of time, and the ability to help a startup compete with international brands. And so, it magically happened, and we are launching now.
T: BEX Beauty launches with a customized range of foundation tints
BF: From now onwards, you will find us heavily present on BEX Beauty’s own social media platforms (and mine too of course), where we will showcase our first-ever product, Drama Therapy Foundation. There is a story behind the name, which is an intended pun: We will take the drama out of your shopping experience, so girls, be ready for the “drama therapy!” The foundation actually comes in two formulas, Mattifying for the Oily Skin Type, and Hydrating for the Normal to Combination Skin Type, which are the two key skin types of ladies living in humid weather conditions. Yet, both formulas have a lifting element to them, so you are camera ready, as we all love to be. The shades we chose to start with are those key 13 shades of Arab ladies’ skin tones.
T: Will you extend to other beauty products? If yes, what?
BF: Yes, we plan to roll out 8 products from now until end of 2021. They are handpicked, and carefully created, but we will be announcing them one product at a time. But to give you a hint, our next stop will be the eyes!
T: What makes BEX Beauty products unique?
BF: BEX Beauty did not happen accidentally, or overnight. What really makes BEX Beauty unique is that it is genuinely catered to the needs of Arab women. So, in order to achieve that, we spent the last two years conducting research and focus-groups (interviews) with hundreds of Arab women, to understand their actual needs and pain points, within the domain of makeup. The formulas have been developed by some of the top color-cosmetics labs in Italy, to ensure top-notch quality. That is why our first campaign is inspired by Italy, as we wanted to shed light on the destination where our products were created, and which we are so excited to be presenting to you now.
T: How do you describe the style of Arab women?
BF: I see Arab women as chic, up-to-date, modest, authentic, and trendsetters. Arab women have their own unique, authentic charm and beauty that define them and make them stand out, as well as inspire our fashion and beauty trends, which are rooted in our beloved Arab culture.
T: What is next for Balqees?
BF: As Balqees the singer, I am planning to expand more in the Arab world with my music. I am also working hard on practicing my opera singing, as I am looking forward to performing even outside the Middle East and represent Arabs with this type of music.
As a mother, I wish to have another child, but not at the moment. As the makeup lover, I look forward to seeing BEX Beauty compete on a regional level, and maybe one day, even on an international scale. We have been working so hard on this and we can’t wait to go public, show the world what we have in store, and grow organically.
T: What advice would you give to the young and talented Arab women who are just starting their careers?
BF: Pursue your dreams, no matter how hard it feels at times, or the number of challenges and obstacles you face. Continue dreaming, write your objectives down on a piece of paper and keep it somewhere close to you, so you don’t lose sight of your goals and dreams. Stay positive, and you can – and will – make it.
T: What message would you like to share with our Tryano readers?
BF: I love Tryano and its readers, so much. I would like to take this chance to thank Tryano and Chalhoub for taking care of my brand. Being a high-end retailer, with such an amazing reputation, I know my brand is in safe hands, and I am sure this partnership will expand to something much more extraordinary and exciting, soon enough.
Her ambitious drive and remarkable talent are truly an inspiration. Tryano is proud to debut the BEX beauty collection available in-store and online today.