number one all over the Middle East, and was also quite popular abroad. It was a more playful and vibrant song than most of Karam's previous work, with a strong bass line, and a distinct oriental influence. It was quite different from any Arabic song at the time and appealed to a wide range of audiences. The success of album Nedmaneh brought about a number of awards, including a coveted Murex D'or for "Best Arabic Artist" award, and three special awards from Karam's production company, Rotana: "Artist of the Year", "Album of the Year" and "Highest Selling Album". To further Rotana's crediting of Karam's successes, an honouring assemble was held on Saturday, 23 June 2001, where Karam was awarded for her achievements throughout her singing career and for the huge success of Nedmaneh. The ceremony was held at the Venesia Hotel, Beirut, Lebanon. In attendance were the Lebanese Minister of Information, Ghazi Al-Aredi who was representing the President of the Lebanese Republic, Émile Lahoud, prominent singer Wadih el Safi, acclaimed composer Elias Rahbani and a number of journalists and reporters. During the night, Karam sang some of her hits (old and new), and was presented with numerous medals and trophies. The recording was released on a special edition CD (Live in Concert), along with a compilation CD of Najwa's hits from 1989–2000 titled The Very Best Of Najwa Karam. Karam's 2002 album, Tahamouni, was far removed from the "easy-going" contemporary feel of Oyoun Qalbi and Nedmaneh, and audiences noticed. The album was intended to get back in touch with a more youthful audience from other Arab nations, with whom had taken slight dis-interest in Karam's music from the late 90s. This was shown through songs like Tahamouni (They accused me) which included attempts at rapping, and Ew'a Tekoun Ze'alt (I hope you're not mad at me) which seemed to have a complete Western influence. The songs had a youthful sound. Saharni, (He Charmed Me) In late 2002, Karam began meeting with the Lebanese "tarab" star, Wadih el Safi (born 1919). El Safi had known Karam for a while and had been impressed with her vocal talents. The two of them decided to make a duet together, depicting the trials of a father-daughter relationship. The song was titled W Kberna (We grow old together) and was an epic ballad in which both vocalists showed immense vocal range and depth. W Kberna