Haifa Wehbe ( ar, هيفاء وهبي ) is a Lebanese-

Egyptian Egyptian describes something of, from, or related to Egypt. Egyptian or Egyptians may refer to: Nations and ethnic groups * Egyptians, a national group in North Africa ** Egyptian culture, a complex and stable culture with thousands of years of ...

singer and actress. She has released seven studio albums, and made her acting debut in the 2008

Pepsi Pepsi is a carbonated soft drink manufactured by PepsiCo. Originally created and developed in 1893 by Caleb Bradham and introduced as Brad's Drink, it was renamed as Pepsi-Cola in 1898, and then shortened to Pepsi in 1961. History Pepsi was ...

-produced film ''Sea of Stars''. In 2006, Wehbe was on '' People Magazine''s 50 most beautiful people list.

Life and career

Early life

Wehbe claimed once that she was born in 1976, a date repeated by numerous sources. At one point, she mentioned that she is three years younger than her ex-husband Ahmed Abou Hashima, who was born in 1975. Her half-sister Rola Yamout posted a leaked document indicating that she was born in 1972. Wehbe won the title of Miss South Lebanon at the age of sixteen, and was a runner-up at the

Miss Lebanon Miss Lebanon ( ar, ملكة جمال لبنان, Malikat Jamāl Lubnān, Queen of Beauty of Lebanon) is the national beauty pageant in Lebanon. The current Miss Lebanon is Yasmina Zaytoun who was crowned on 24 July 2022. History Miss Lebanon ha ...

competition, which was revoked after it was discovered that she was ineligible because she had been married and had a child.

Career

2004–2007: ''Baddi Aech'' and television career

Wehbe released her second studio album ''Baddi Aech'' (Arabic: بدي عيش, English: "I Want to Live") in early 2005, following the success of lead single "Ya Hayat Albi." Released after the assassination of Lebanese politician Rafik Hariri, the title single of the album is about "freedom, considered to be among the most basic of human rights".Braude, Joseph. Radar.com
Rock the Casbah
/ref> Follow-up single "Aana Haifa" (Arabic: أنا هيفاء, English: "I Am Haifa") became her biggest hit to date. In Summer 2005, she participated as a guest in ''Al Wadi'', a local version of '' The Farm''. In 2006, she released "Bus al-Wawa" (Arabic: بوس الواوا, English: "Kiss the ''Booboo''"), the song was later used in a

advertisement. It was also voted Song of the Year in 2006 by Radio Scope and Sawt Al Musika.

2008–2009: Film career beginnings and ''Habibi Aana''

Wehbe starred in the Pepsi-produced film ''Sea of Stars'' released in early 2008, along with Carole Samaha, Ahmad el Sherif, Wael Kfoury,

Brigitte Yaghi Brigitte Yaghi ( ar, بريجيت ياغي; born 19 November 1987) is a Lebanese pop singer and actress. She finished in fifth place in ''SuperStar'', the Arabic version of ''American Idol'' or ''Pop Idol''. Early life Yaghi was born in Beiru ...

, and Ruwaida al-Mahrouqi. On July 4, 2008, Wehbe released her third studio album ''Habibi Aana'' (Arabic: حبيبي أنا, English: "My Love") which contains 15 songs including the lead single "Moush Adra Estana".

2010–2012: ''Babe Haifa'', and ''Malikat Jamal Al Kawn''

Wehbe released a children's album titled ''Babe Haifa'' in March 2010 under

Rotana Records Rotana Music Group ( ar, تسجيلات روتانا, Tasjīlāt Rūtānā) is the Arab world's largest record label. It is owned by the Rotana Group, established by the Nagro Brothers, Mohammed, Khalid, Waleed, Ahmed and Nezar Nagro later sold t ...

.تسرق الأضواء من هيفاء.. وتجدد لروتانا
MBC In April 2010, Wehbe was featured on French DJ David Vendetta's album ''Vendetta'' on the song "Yama Layali". In 2009, the

lyrics Lyrics are words that make up a song, usually consisting of verses and choruses. The writer of lyrics is a lyricist. The words to an extended musical composition such as an opera are, however, usually known as a "libretto" and their writer, a ...

"Where is my teddy bear and the Nubian monkey?" in Wehbe's song "Baba Fein" (from her unreleased 2010 kids' album) seemed to refer to Nubians as "monkeys". Nubians in Egypt accused the artist of racism and singing a song that fueled racism and discrimination against them. In September 2011 ''Al Bawaba'' reported that Wehbe was threatening to leave her label Rotana "for neglecting her and not paying any attention to her work". "Malikat Jamal Al Kawn" (MJK; English: "Miss Universe") was released on May 8, 2012 under

, where she worked with

Aphex Twin Richard David James (born 18 August 1971), best known as Aphex Twin, is an Irish-born British musician, composer and DJ. He is known for his idiosyncratic work in electronic music, electronic styles such as techno, ambient music, ambient, and jun ...

2013–present: Your Face Sounds Familiar, ''Breathing You In'', and ''Mariam''

During summer 2013, Webhe released her new song "Ghala Ghala". In 2014, she signed with Tarik Freitekh's label and Wehbe shot her new song "Farhana" on June 21, 2014 in “ Your Face Sounds Familiar” 2014 (Arabic translation: شكلك مش غريب). In August 2014, she announced that she would be releasing a new song titled "Breathing You In" along with a video clip featuring

Casper Smart Jennifer Lynn Affleck (' Lopez; born July 24, 1969), also known as J.Lo, is an American singer, actress and dancer. In 1991, she began appearing as a Fly Girl dancer on the sketch comedy television series ''In Living Color'', where she rema ...

. In 2018, she starred in an Egyptian drama ''Lanaat Karma''. In September 2018, Haifa released her seventh studio album, ''Hawwa''. The album features 15 songs, and debuted at No. 1 on iTunes charts. The album was produced independently by Wehbe herself, without a record label. In 2020, she accused her ex-business manager, Mohamed al-Waziry, of stealing $4m from her bank account, including also her fees from producers and party organizers.

Personal life

In the 1990s, Wehbe married her cousin Nasr Fayyad when she was 18 and traveled with him to

Nigeria Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...

where he worked. During her pregnancy, she returned to Lebanon and separated from Fayyad, with whom she had one daughter, Zeinab. On June 25, 2007, Wehbe survived an accident while filming a music video for the song "

Hasa Ma Bena ''Habibi Ana'' ( ar, حبيبي أنا) is the fourth studio album from the Lebanese singer Haifa Wehbe Haifa Wehbe ( ar, هيفاء وهبي ) is a Lebanese people, Lebanese-Egyptians, Egyptian singer and actress. She has released seven st ...

" in

Lebanon Lebanon ( , ar, لُبْنَان, translit=lubnān, ), officially the Republic of Lebanon () or the Lebanese Republic, is a country in Western Asia. It is located between Syria to the north and east and Israel to the south, while Cyprus li ...

. In the video, a single engine airplane was to chase Wehbe as she drove a car. However, the airplane inadvertently hit the car, taking off the front windshield of the convertible she was driving. Despite the severity of the accident, Wehbe suffered only minor cuts and bruises. Wehbe married Egyptian businessman Ahmed Abou Hashima on April 24, 2009 in

Beirut Beirut, french: Beyrouth is the capital and largest city of Lebanon. , Greater Beirut has a population of 2.5 million, which makes it the third-largest city in the Levant region. The city is situated on a peninsula at the midpoint o ...

. Among the guests at the wedding party were singer

Anastacia Anastacia Lyn Newkirk ( ; born September 17, 1968) is an American singer, songwriter and former dancer. Her first two albums '' Not That Kind'' (2000) and '' Freak of Nature'' (2001) were released in quick succession to major success. Spurred o ...

, Carmen Electra, Sean Combs, Googoosh, Nawal Al Zoghbi, Najwa Karam,

Ragheb Alama Ragheb Alama ( ar, راغب علامة born 7 June 1962) is a Lebanese singer, dancer, composer, television personality, and philanthropist. Alama began his career in the 1980s when he appeared as a contestant on the talent show broadcast Studio ...

, and

Sherine Sherine Sayed Mohamed Abdel-Wahab ( ar, شيرين سيد محمد عبد الوهاب; born October 8, 1980), known professionally by the mononym Sherine ( ar, شيرين), is an Egyptian singer, actress, TV host and personality, and a former ...

. It was announced that Wehbe and Ahmed Abou Hashima had split in November 2012. Wehbe is a Shiite

Muslim Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abrah ...

. Wehbe has two granddaughters, Rahab and Daniella, born to her daughter Zeinab.

Political and social views

During the 2006 Israel–Lebanon War, she left her home, in Verdun,

and moved to

Egypt Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediter ...

for the duration of the conflict. In a concert in the Lebanese town of

Jounieh Jounieh ( ar, جونيه, or ''Juniya'', ) is a coastal city in Keserwan District, about north of Beirut, Lebanon. Since 2017, it has been the capital of Keserwan-Jbeil Governorate. Jounieh is known for its seaside resorts and bustling nightlife ...

, Wehbe congratulated Hezbollah leader

Hassan Nasrallah Hassan Nasrallah ( ar, حسن نصر الله ; born 31 August 1960) is a Lebanese cleric and political leader who has served as the 3rd secretary-general of Hezbollah since his predecessor, Abbas al-Musawi, was assassinated by the Israel Def ...

for his stand against Israel during the war. Wehbe also refused to perform at any concert during the 34 days of the war, including fundraisers, saying that there were more ways than one to show support for Lebanon. Another incident occurred after the

2009 Egypt–Algeria World Cup dispute There were disturbances before and after two international association football matches between Egypt and Algeria in November 2009, leading to diplomatic tensions between Egypt, Algeria, and Sudan. The matches were in Group C in the CAF section ...

, adding to the diplomatic tension between the two countries. Wehbe went on to make statements that she would not be performing in

Algeria ) , image_map = Algeria (centered orthographic projection).svg , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Algiers , coordinates = , largest_city = capital , relig ...

anytime soon, because Algerians "...wouldn't understand her music". Algeria's cultural minister responded by stating that Wehbe would be banned from performing in Algeria for insulting Algeria and the Algerian people regardless of whether she apologizes. In January 2012, Wehbe tweeted that she loves all her fans including her "gay fan base". In June 2017, she replied to someone's criticism on Twitter by writing: "When a faggot speaks", which was later deleted. In 2018, she shared a photo on

Snapchat Snapchat is an American multimedia instant messaging app and service developed by Snap Inc., originally Snapchat Inc. One of the principal features of Snapchat is that pictures and messages are usually only available for a short time before the ...

with a rainbow flag, signaling her support for the

LGBT community The LGBT community (also known as the LGBTQ+ community, GLBT community, gay community, or queer community) is a loosely defined grouping of lesbian, gay men, gay, bisexuality, bisexual, transgender, and other queer individuals united by a comm ...

. In February 2019, Wehbe launched a fashion brand, ''Beau Voyou'', which had rainbow colors, in which she commented, "For me, equality goes all the way", then added, "Get ready to celebrate unrestricted and boundless love".

Image

Wehbe was ranked 8th in the 2006 Edition of the Top 99 Most Desirable Women by the website

AskMen.com AskMen is a free online men's web portal, with international versions in Australia, Canada, the Middle East, the United Kingdom and the United States. It is owned by Ziff Davis and operates through the IGN Entertainment unit. History AskMen was ...

. Some in the more conservative Arab countries deem her revealing outfits as scandalous. One Bahraini member of parliament called her a sexual singer who spoke with her body, not her voice. Wehbe said she was aware of the efforts to ban her from performing at the concert but had chosen to ignore their attempts to silence her. In November 2014, Wehbe caused controversy and was later heavily criticized, when she wore a revealing dress during a live episode of '' Arab Star Academy''. She later apologized and blamed the stage lighting. In April 2008, the

Islamic Islam (; ar, ۘالِإسلَام, , ) is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion centred primarily around the Quran, a religious text considered by Muslims to be the direct word of God (or '' Allah'') as it was revealed to Muhammad, the mai ...

-dominated parliament of

Bahrain Bahrain ( ; ; ar, البحرين, al-Bahrayn, locally ), officially the Kingdom of Bahrain, ' is an island country in Western Asia. It is situated on the Persian Gulf, and comprises a small archipelago made up of 50 natural islands and an ...

passed a motion urging the government to ban Haifa Wehbe's show in the country.Harrison, Frances (30 April 2008).
Lebanese singer causes Gulf storm
. BBC. As a result of the motion, Wehbe performed in Bahrain with more modest dress, wearing a long green gown with a low V-neckline during the performance.

Discography

Studio albums

* ''Houwa Al Zaman'' (2002) * ''Baddi Aech'' (2005) * ''Farashet El Wadi'' (2006) * ''

Habibi Ana ''Habibi Ana'' ( ar, حبيبي أنا) is the fourth studio album from the Lebanese singer Haifa Wehbe Haifa Wehbe ( ar, هيفاء وهبي ) is a Lebanese- Egyptian singer and actress. She has released seven studio albums, and made her ...

'' (2008) * '' Baby Haifa'' (2010) * '' Malikat Jamal Al Kawn'' (2012) * ''Hawwa'' (2018)

Singles and music videos

Filmography

Films

* ''Sea of Stars'' (2008) * ''

Dokkan Shehata ''Dokkan Shehata'' (Shehata shop) is a 2009 Egyptian drama film. The main actors in this film are Muhammad Hamidah, 'Umaru Sa'ad, Ghadah 'Abd Al-Raziq, Haifa Wehbe, 'Umru 'Abd Al-Jalil, Tariq 'Abd Al-'Aziz, and 'Abd Al-Aziz Makhyoun. The film ...

'' (2011) * ''Halawet Rouh'' (2014) * ''Khair and Baraka'' (2017) * ''Renegades of Europe'' (2020)

TV Series

* ''Kalam Ala Warak'' (2014) * ''Mawlid wa Sahibuh Ghayb'' (2015) * ''Maryam'' (2015) * ''Al Herbaya'' (2017) * ''Lanaat Karma'' (2018)