Michel Nassar, GEM MIB 2017: A career fueled by his passion for music

A performer at heart
Born and raised in Beirut, Michel Nassar grew up with a passion for music. By the age of 18, he had done over 100 live performances in Lebanon, including weddings, charity concerts, gala dinners, fashion shows, churches, choirs, and numerous concerts with the Lebanese band Heartbeat to raise money for children in need of open-heart surgery in Lebanon. 

Today he has his own YouTube channel where he posts his own original music as well as video covers of popular artists like Queen, Sam Smith, Coldplay, and most recently … Cher’s “Believe” that he filmed at Col de Porte in the Alps ! He also has collaborated with YouTube Star Kurt Schneider that earned 1.6 million views. His cover tribute to Basshunter even managed to win him attention from the artist himself. 

Betting on business for his career
Aware that a passion for music wouldn’t be enough to launch his performance career, he started looking at music from a business perspective. He earned a bachelor’s degree in Economics from the American University of Beirut, and in 2013 won AUB’s Got Talent. Three years later, he came to Grenoble École de Management to pursue a Masters in International Business and went on to win Grenoble’s Got Talent in 2016. He also performed a cover of Josh Groban’s “You Raise Me Up” at the 2018 GEM Gala. 

With his Master’s degree in hand, he made it his mission to join a French music company, but this time “as a businessman.”  In September 2016, he began a 6-month business develoment internship with Arturia, a Grenoble-based electronic music company that is leading developer of hardware and software musical instruments in the world. “Joining Arturia was very challenging. At the time, the company was smaller and I had many hats to wear; I grew a lot from the experience! I was able to apply and transfer the knowledge I acquired during my academic years, as well as share the incredibly rich experience I had gained by working with people from different cultures. I was already immersed in the YouTube universe and familiar with most (high profile) content creators and their work. I poured everything I knew into my work and learned so much along the way, which contributed to Arturia's growth and success.” 

Today
And his hard work paid off. As soon as his internship ended, he was offered a permanent contract. This past September, he celebrated 5 years with the company. “I’m very proud and lucky to be part of this team, where I had the chance to travel across different parts of the world, work with outstanding artists and creators, got to meet awesome people from all over the world, and work with the best colleagues a person would ever ask for!”