Maya Henri Diab ( ar, مايا هنري دياب ; born 10 November 1980) is a Lebanese pop singer, entertainer, actress and television personality. She is a former member of the Lebanese girl group The 4 Cats.

Early life

Maya Diab, was born in

Achrafieh Achrafieh ( ar, الأشرفية) is an upper-class area in eastern Beirut, Lebanon. In strictly administrative terms, the name refers to a sector (''secteur'') centred on Sassine Square, the highest point in the city, as well as a broader quarter ...

, to a Christian

Greek Orthodox The term Greek Orthodox Church (Greek language, Greek: Ἑλληνορθόδοξη Ἐκκλησία, ''Ellinorthódoxi Ekklisía'', ) has two meanings. The broader meaning designates "the Eastern Orthodox Church, entire body of Orthodox (Chalced ...

family. She is the youngest of her parents' children and has one brother and two sisters. She majored in radio and TV media after receiving her university degree from the

Lebanese University The Lebanese University (LU) (, ) is the only public university in Beirut, Lebanon. It is ranked #701–750 worldwide in terms of education. The creation of the Lebanese University was an idea first mentioned in the speech of the former Minist ...

Career

In 1996, she won the golden award for Fashion at

Studio El Fan ''Studio El Fan'' ( ar, ستوديو الفن, "The Art Studio") was one of the Arab world's first star-maker talent shows in Lebanon, created by the famous television director and producer Simon Asmar, and Alfred Barakat. The program is behind m ...

, when she was 16 years old. (In 1998, she participated in

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 ...

. In 2000, she competed in the TV presenting category at Studio El Fan, then she joined The 4 Cats in 2001. In 2007, she acted in ''Asad W Arbaa Kotat'' along with The 4 Cats and

Hany Ramzy Hany Guda Ramzy ( ar, هانى جودة رمزى ) (born 10 March 1969) is an Egyptian football coach and former defender. Early life Ramzy was born in Abdeen region of Cairo to Coptic Orthodox parents. He has one sister, Miriam. Ramzy be ...

, then in two TV series, ''Kalam Niswan'' in 2009 and ''El Donia Heik'' الدنيا هيك in 2010. In 2010, she left The 4 Cats. In 2011, she had her first song "Habibi" and a duo-song called "Sawa" with

Ramy Ayach Ramy Abu Ayach ( ar, رامي ابوعياش, born August 18, 1980) is a Lebanese singer, composer, and actor. Commonly referred to as the "Pop Star" in the Arab world for his impact and contribution to the contemporary Arab music scene and Pop ...

. Her first TV-program to present was ''Heik Menghanni'' on

MTV MTV (Originally an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable channel that launched on August 1, 1981. Based in New York City, it serves as the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group, part of Paramount Media Networks, a di ...

in 2011. She later presented ''Deal or no deal: El Ikhtiyar'' () on ''

Al-Nahar ''An-Nahar'' ( ar, النهار, lit=The Day or The Morning) is a leading Arabic-language daily newspaper published in Lebanon. In the 1980s, ''An-Nahar'' was described by the ''New York Times'' and ''Time Magazine'' as the newspaper of record f ...

'' in 2012 and ''Ask The Arabs'' () on

MBC 1 MBC 1 may refer to: * MBC 1 (Mauritian TV channel), a TV channel in Mauritius by the Mauritius Broadcasting Corporation * MBC1 (Middle Eastern and North African TV channel) MBC 1 is a free-to-air pan-Arab general television channel. Satel ...

in 2016. In October 2020, Maya Diab was named the Fashion Icon of the Arab World by the

Arab Fashion Council , named_after = , image =Logo_of_Arab_Fashion_Council.jpg , image_size = , alt = , caption = , map = , map_size = , map_alt = , map_ ...

, and she announced the opening of the 12th edition of the Arab Fashion Week, which was hosted virtually in

Dubai Dubai (, ; ar, دبي, translit=Dubayy, , ) is the most populous city in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the capital of the Emirate of Dubai, the most populated of the 7 emirates of the United Arab Emirates.The Government and Politics of ...

Personal life

She married a businessman, Abbas Nasser, in 2006, with whom she had her daughter, Kai. The couple separated in 2017. In January 2020, she mentioned, that she was kidnapped 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 ...

in 2005, where she was held hostage and abused in a car for one day.

Discography

Studio albums

Live albums

Singles

Filmography

Film

TV Series

;

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Diab, Maya 1980 births Living people 21st-century Lebanese women singers Lebanese film actresses Lebanese pop singers Singers from Beirut Greek Orthodox Christians from Lebanon Lebanese University alumni Singers who perform in Egyptian Arabic Actresses from Beirut