'Singer of the Revolution' to release first album

Ramy Essam, who became affectionately known as the "Singer of the Revolution" will celebrate the release of his first album, Manshoorat (Leaflets), on Thursday, 12 April at the Beit El-Omma (Saad Zaghloul) Theatre. The album was due to be released on 25 January 2012, the anniversary of the date the revolution erupted, but Egypt's unstable political situation forced the release to be postponed. Of course, the album's songs comment on the current political and social situation in Egypt. Also, Essam already has a music video for his song, Khabar Agel (Breaking News), dedicated to Syrians and their struggle. Ramy Essam made frequent appearances throughout the revolution, penning simple songs on the revolution as it was developing and became well-known all across Egypt. He was among the protesters that were detained on 9 March in a violent army crackdown to end a sit-in at Tahrir Square and was beaten and tortured by the army in the Egyptian Museum. Essam was awarded the Swedish Freemuse in October 2011.