Fady Maalouf is a Lebanese-born pop singer from Germany who rose to fame as a finalist on the reality show Deutschland Sucht den Superstar in 2008. Born on April 20, 1979, in Zahlé, Lebanon, he lived in his war-torn homeland for much of his life. In 2006, however, amid renewed warfare in Lebanon, he moved to Hamburg, and began a new life. Not long after his arrival, Maalouf auditioned for the fifth season of of the reality show, where he proceeded to go all the way to the final episode, resulting in a recording contract with Sony BMG. His full-length solo album debut, Blessed, arrived in 2008. ~ Jason Birchmeier