Carmen Soliman is coming to Netflix.
The Egyptian artist was chosen to sing the key song for the streaming platform's upcoming animated film Over the Moon.
Out on Friday, October 23, the Arabic dubbed version of the American-Chinese production will feature Soliman's silky vocals on the signature anthem Rocket to the Moon.
Music and film buffs got a preview of what’s to come with Soliman dropping a lyric video on YouTube this week.
Written by seasoned theatre hands Christopher Curtis (Chaplin: The Musical), Helen Park (Kpop the Musical) and Marjorie Duffield, and scored by Academy Award-winning composer Steven Price, the orchestral number has Soliman channelling the passion of lead character Fei Fei, with lyrics pining for a love that transcends space and time.
The original English version will be sung by Filipina-Chinese singer and actress Cathy Ang. She leads an all-Asian vocal cast voicing Fei Fei, a student intent on building a rocket ship to meet the moon goddess Chang'e.
"I am thrilled to work with Netflix on this new project, representing Egypt and the Mena region,” Soliman said. “I can’t wait to watch this movie with my family and enjoy Fei Fei’s exciting journey to accomplish the impossible.”
A singer for the small screen
Soliman’s participation in the high-profile project is the latest step in what is a flourishing television career.
Ever since winning the inaugural season of Arab Idol in 2012, the singer, 25, eschewed the hustle and bustle of the live music industry to focus part of her efforts as a vocal powerhouse for hire for some of the region's top producers.
Some of her credits included singing the theme songs for Ramadan hit dramas including last year's Sotor Hekaity and 2016's Laylah.
Speaking to The National during the holy month, she described the television work as similar to acting.
“A lot of the time what you are really trying to do is capture the vision and emotion of the show,” she said. “These songs are not simple to do at all. They play an important part in really setting the scene for the viewer before all the drama starts. If the show becomes really popular, people will remember the song for years, even if they forget some parts of the show.”
That said, Soliman has not totally abandoned her solo career. Last month she released the music video for the song Leena Raqsa, in addition to a cover of Fairuz's classic anthem Bhebak Ya Lebnan (I Love You Lebanon) to raise awareness of relief efforts in the wake of the Beirut port explosion.
