Arab stars revealed a number of new projects in recent weeks, while false rumours about the deaths of long time favourites riveted Lebanon and the region.

Nancy Ajram, who has 11,000 followers on Twitter after less than a month on the social media website, recently picked out the outfits she will be wearing in the new music video for her song, "Min il ma indoo", from her latest album, "Nancy 7", which she released two years ago.

Haifa's fans celebrated her birthday March 10th. The star chose "Maliket Jamal al-Kawn" as the title for her newest album, which is expected to come out next April. It includes songs in the Lebanese and Egyptian dialects and a song in the Gulf dialect whose lyrics are by Faiz al-Saeed.

Haifa also stood out among international artists at the Grammy Awards as the first Arabic singer to participate in the recording industry's grand event in Los Angeles.

Artist Fares Karam had two successful performances in Dubai and another in Cairo, where he sang at the wedding of actress Ghada Abdel Razzaq's daughter. Currently, he is putting the final touches on his new album, which should come out during the next two months.

Singer Carole Samaha headed to the United States to do a solo tour, a first for her. There, she will meet with Lebanese and Arab communities March 16th in Detroit, then move on to Los Angeles the next day. Her next stops will be Houston on the 23rd, Edmonton, Canada on the 24th, Montreal on the 30th, and Ottawa on the 31st.

Pop star Rami Ayash, whose song "Ghmorni tish" continues to top the charts on Arab radio, is currently considering making a music video for the song. Fans recently spotted Ayash in the front row at Emirates Stadium in Abu Dhabi supporting the Lebanese national football team.

Singer and actress Nicole Saba turned down a role she was offered by Egyptian director Adel Makin in Fawazir (a popular set of television shows broadcast throughout Ramadan). Saba, who was recently honoured by the magazine Sayidati as best actress for her role in the Ramadan television series Nour Maryam, said she was offered $248,000 to star in Fawazir but refused the offer because she did not want to be compared with show's previous performers Nelly and Sherihan.

Singer Pascale Machaalani has re-entered the music world and is now putting the final touches on a new song that she will be making into a music video. The song's lyrics and music are by the artist Marwan Khoury.

Singer Shatha Hassoun celebrated her birthday March 2nd at Yahzou Restaurant in Beirut with her friends and several people from Lebanon's art and media scene. She was also spotted having lunch with the singer Ragheb Alama in central Beirut; a later Twitter announcement reported she is preparing for a surprise with Alama.

Lebanon's music scene has also witnessed the arrival of several new up-and-coming artists.

Nagham's song "Bi basata" has been playing on several Lebanese television stations.

Nahwa, who was discovered by composer Wissam al-Amir, recently signed a contract with Rotana Production Company to produce her music albums and manage her business.

And Jana, the daughter of poet Maroun Rohana, chose to defend the rights of street girls in her first song "Bint al-Shareh."

Swirling rumours

Lebanon awoke to a rumour last week that the singer Fairuz died at Beirut's American University Hospital after suffering from a chronic illness. Her family was keeping the news under wraps with the intention of announcing it several days later, so the rumour went.

Despite the panic the rumour caused as it spread via Facebook and cell phones, it turns out Lebanon's ambassador to the stars is actually doing quite well. Fairuz, who was ranked 13th on Arabian Business' list of the 100 most influential Arab women in 2011, is enjoying perfect health, her daughter posted on her Facebook page.

The rumour comes just a week after it was rumoured the famous Lebanese singer Sabah passed away.