The following biography
is fromWikipedia.org
“The
Free Encyclopedia.”
Haifa Wehbe (Arabic:
هيفاءوهبي)
(born 10 March, 1976 in Mahrouna, Lebanon), is a Lebanese model, actress, and
singer born to a Lebanese father and Egyptian mother who rose to fame in the
Arab world as runner up for Miss Lebanon and later through the release of her
debut album Houwa El-Zaman (Arabic:
هوالزمن)
in 2002. She is known through her music for her sex appeal, provocative
mannerisms and image. She has so far released four studio albums and made her
acting debut in 2008 Pepsi-produced film Sea of Stars. Wehbe is one of the most
well-known female singers in the Arab World and is considered one of the most
successful Lebanese singers. In 2006, she was on People Magazine's 50 most
beautiful people list.[1]
****
Background information
Born Mahrouna, Lebanon
Genres Arabic pop, World
Occupations Singer, model,
Designer, Actress
Years active 1990s- (model)
2002–present (Singer)
2007–present (Actress)
Website http://www.haifawehbe.com
****
Early
life
Wehbe was born in Mahrouna, a small
Shia farming town in Lebanon, to a Lebanese father, Nadim antar, and Egyptian
mother, but shortly after her family had moved to Beirut where she grew up
listening to jazz and R&B and began to work as a full-time model at a young
age.[2] Wehbe won the title of Miss South Lebanon at the age of sixteen.[3]
Wehbe was a runner-up at the Miss Lebanon competition.[4]
Wehbe also made a name for herself
when she starred in a music video clip for the famous Arabic crooner, George
Wassouf. By 1996, she had appeared on over one hundred magazine covers.
Career
Houwa
El-Zaman (2002–2003)
In 2002, Wehbe released her
first album, titled Houwa El-Zaman (Arabic:
هوالزمن,
English: "It Is The Time"), which became a commercial success, in part thanks to
the popularity of her first single "Agoul Ahwak" (Arabic:
أقولأهواك,
English: "I Say I Love You").
Baddi
Eish and Television Career (2004–2007)
Wehbe released her second
studio album Baddi Eesh (Arabic:
بديعيش,
English: "I Want to Live") in early 2005 and lived up to expectations due to the
success of its 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".[5] Her
follow-up single became her biggest hit to date, "Ana Haifa" (Arabic:
أناهيفاء,
English: "I Am Haifa"), which became her novelty song. In 2006 she released a
follow up single "Bus al-Wawa" (Arabic:
بوسالواوا,
English: "Kiss the booboo"), the song was later used in a Pepsi advertisement.
The song was also voted Song of the Year in 2006 by Radio Scope and Sawt Al
Musika.[6]
In July 2005, Wehbe, along
with 14 other celebrities from the Arab world, appeared on the live pan-Arab
reality series Al-Wadi (Arabic:
الوادي,
English: The Farm),
based on the French reality show La Ferme Célébrités. Wehbe's role featured
songs from her then new album.
Wehbe was the first Arab artist
appear on the Italian television channel Rai Uno at Piazza Navona in Rome,
performing in front of celebrities and fashion designers. Haifa Wehbe has also
performed with artists from outside the Arab world. On June 10, 2006, Wehbe
became the first artist in the Arab world to perform with rapper 50 Cent when
she performed the opening act for his first concert in Lebanon, at BIEL in
Beirut.
In summer 2006 she was a
spokesperson for Pepsi, and worked on Pepsi ads with football star Thierry Henry
which were aired on Lebanese television during the 2006 FIFA World Cup.
Film
Career Beginnings and Habibi Ana (2008–2009)
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, and Ruwaida al-Mahrooqi[7]
On July 4, 2008, Wehbe
released her third studio album Habibi Ana (Arabic:
حبيبيأنا,
English: "My Love") which contains 15 songs including the lead single "Mosh Adra
Astana". In the Middle East album sales struggled due to Haifa's lack of
promotion as she was concentrating more on her acting and film career.
In 2009 Wehbe starred in Dokkan
Shehata, a high-grossing Egyptian drama film. The film was produced by Khaled
Youssef. It was released in June 2009 and immediately became a huge success in
the Middle East whilst gaining tremendous publicity.
Baby
Haifa (2010–present)
After a lengthy delay, Wehbe
released a children's album titled Baby Haifa in March 2010 under Rotana
Records.[8]
Wehbe was scheduled to work on the
Egyptian movie Leilet El-Baby Doll, but canceled due to her overbooked schedule.
The singer will be starring in another movie with producer Muhammad Al Sabki
scheduled for sometime in 2011.
In April 2010, Wehbe was featured
on French DJ David Vendetta's album Vendetta on the song Yama Layali.[9] Wehbe
is working on her fifth studio album, “Bukra Bafarjeek”. 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".[10] Haifa is now
working on releasing the album soon and her music video for "Bukra Bafarjeek".
Other
works
Wehbe occasionally works as a
television host and has also designed her own selection of diamond jewellery.
Personal life
Wehbe is a Lebanese Muslim, and she
has three sisters. Wehbe's brother died at the age of 24 during the 1982 Israeli
invasion of Lebanon.[11][12][13] Wehbe's daughter has been living with her
father since her parents divorce. In 2008 Wehbe's daughter was married in a
private ceremony. As of 2010, Zeinab Zaza and her father are living in Kuwait.
In 2005, Wehbe announced her
engagement to a Saudi businessman Tariq Al-Jaffali. After only a few weeks, she
and her fiancé decided to split for personal reasons and family issues.
On June 25, 2007, Wehbe survived an
accident while filming a music video for the song "Hasa Ma Bena" in Lebanon. 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.[14] Despite the severity of the accident,
Wehbe suffered only minor cuts and bruises.
Wehbe married Egyptian businessman
Ahmad Abu Husheima on April 24, 2009 in Beirut.[8] Among the guests at the
wedding party were singer Anastacia,[15] Googoosh, Kim Kardashian, Samar
Ibrahim, Nawal Al Zoghbi, Najwa Karam, Ragheb Alama, Ahlam, and Sherine.[8]
Criticism and controversy
Elissa
rivalry
Haifa is known for her enmity and
rivalry with Lebanese singer Elissa. In 2009 Haifa compared the two singers to
'cars' by saying that Elissa is an 'old car' while she is a 'new' one. This
statement was highly publicised and talked about in the media and press, causing
anger between fans.[16] Elissa refused to reply and just stated carelessly:
"When someone compares me to a car, is there anything left for me to say?". This
enmity stopped when Nishan had Elissa live on his show and called Haifa. Both
Elissa and Haifa were surprised, but assured people that there are no problems
or issues between the two singers.[17]
Further controversy started when
Haifa claimed that Elissa's perfume, "Elle D'Elissa", was supposed to be hers,
but Elissa didn't reply and said that the perfume is hers and only hers yet
again, Haifa and Elissa announced the love and peace between them. During the
Murex d'Or 2010, after Haifa had finished her performance and accepted her
award, she said that Lebanon is a country of love and that all Lebanese people
love and respect each other. And to prove to people that what she was saying was
true, she said "There's no problem with Elissa, and this is the proof to all
people," she shook hands with Elissa and congratulated her on her success.[17]
Allegations of Racism
In 2009, lyrics in one of Wehbe
song's Baba Fein (from her unreleased 2010 kids album) seemed to refer to
Nubians as "monkeys". Exact translation: "Where is my teddy bear and the Nubian
monkey?".[18][19] Black Egyptians accused the artist of racism and singing a
song that fueled racism and discrimination against them.[20] In 2010 a lawsuit
filed against Wehbe was dropped.
Another incident occurred after the
2009 Egypt–Algeria World Cup dispute, adding to the diplomatic tension between
the two countries. Wehbe went on to make statements that she would not be
performing in Algeria anytime soon, because Algerians "...wouldn't understand
her music". Algerian officials and many Algerians responded to Wehbe's
statements stating she would not be welcome in Algeria anyway.[21] Algeria's
cultural minister stated that Wehbe would be banned from performing in Algeria
for insulting Algeria and the Algerian people regardless of whether she
apologizes.[22]
Wehbe went on to explain her
initial comments to Lebanese host Tony Khalife, saying that she didn't mean to
offend Algerians or Algeria as a country but was condemning the actions of a few
Algerians during the match. She then added saying: "I couldn’t help it but cry
when I saw the blood of an Egyptian woman on the stadium!".[23]
Political views
During the 2006 Israel-Lebanon
conflict, she left her home, in Verdun, Beirut and moved to Egypt for the
duration of the conflict.[5] In a concert in the Lebanese town of Jounieh, Wehbe
congratulated Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah for his stand against Israel
during the war.[12]
In a further interview with
Reuters, Wehbe stated that Israel attacked Lebanese civilians intentionally
while Hezbollah attacked only military targets:
I believe the whole world knows who
started this war and who aggressed on whose land. There isn't a war that starts
from nothing and he who begins is the unjust one.[24]
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.[12]
Wehbe has also urged fans to
support Japanese victims of the Tsunami.[25]
2007
Lebanon elections and concert in Beirut
Wehbe wore a shirt with the face of
President Michel Suleiman during her performance at the election celebrations in
downtown Beirut.
Lebanese newspapers said scores
went onstage when Haifa appeared, despite attempts by police to prevent them
from reaching the pop star.[26] She also sang the Fairuz classic "Ya Hawa
Beirut" ("Oh my love Beirut"), which is nostalgic song written during the
Lebanese Civil War that reminisces on the "Glorious Days" of Lebanon prior to
1975.
Image
Wehbe was ranked 49th in the 2006
Edition of the Top 99 Most Desirable Women by the website AskMen.com.[27] Wehbe
was also ranked number 6 in the AskMen.com's 10 Hottest Arab Women article.
Some in the more conservative Arab
countries deem her revealing outfits 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.
"I am a performer and not a
politician," Haifa said. "I know my fans want me I am there for them. I am not
concerned with the other issues."[28]
In April 2008, the
Islamist-dominated parliament of Bahrain passed a motion urging the government
to ban Haifa Wehbe's show in the country.[29] 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.[29]
Discography
Studio
albums
Houwa El-Zaman (2002)
Baddi Eesh (2005)
Habibi Ana (2008)
Malikat Jamal Al Kawn (TBA)
Other
albums
Baby Haifa (2010)
Soundtracks
2008: Sea of Stars
Singles
"Agoul ahwak"
"Wa7di"
"Ma Sar"
"Ya 7ayat albi"
"Bedi 3ich"
"Ragab"
"Ana Haifa"
"Fakerni" (radio only single)
"Ma Khadtesh Bali" (radio only
single)
"Leik el wawa"
"Naughty" (radio single only)
Tigi El Zay
"Mosh Adras Astana"
"Ma t2oulch el 7ad"
"Hasa Ma Bena"
"Yaben el Halal"
"Sanara"
"Baba Fein/Lama El Shams Trawa7
"Enta Tany"
"80 Million Ehsas"
"Yama Layali"
"Boukra Bafarjik"
"Ya Majnoun"
Concert
Tours
2011
January 29- Amsterdam, Netherlands
(TBA)
2010
November 18- Al Massa Hotel, Cairo
November 17- Movempic Hotel,
Beirut, Lebanon
July 31 – Movempic Hotel, Beirut,
Lebanon
July 24 – Chouf, Lebanon
July 22 – Batroun, Lebanon
July 16–19 – Casablanca, Morocco
July 4 – PRIVATE CONCERT, Monaco
July 2 – Zahle Festival, Zahle,
Lebanon
May 8 – Phoenicia Hotel, Beirut
March 13 – Houston, Texas
Filmography
Films
Sea of Stars (produced by Pepsi) –
released July, 2008
Dokkan Shihata – June 2009
Television
Al Wadi (2005) – reality television
show based on the French reality show La Ferme Célébrités.
Awards
2002: The "Golden Lion" Award in
Egypt.[6]
2004: Best Young Female Arab singer
in Egypt.[30]
2005: The Oscar for "ninashnash"
for her song Baddi Eesh from her second album.[6]
2005: The "Murex d'Or" award with
the title "Best Artist of the Year".[6]
2006: The "Murex d'Or" award with
the title "Best Artist of the Year".[6]
2009: The "Murex d'Or" award with
title "Most Popular Lebanese Singer"[31]
2010: The "Murex d'Or" award with
the title "Best singer actress"
2010: The "ART" Award for her role
in her first Egyptian Film "Dokkan Shehata"
2011: World's Most Desirable Woman
List No. 49 Rank[32]
2011: Most beautiful Arabian model
cum actress list Ranked #2[32]
2011: Murex d'Or best song award,
for "Yama Layaly."[33]
3.^ "Lebanese Pop Star Haifa Wehbe
Sides With Hezbollah". Nysun.com.
http://www.nysun.com/foreign/lebanese-pop-star-haifa-wehbe-sides-with-hezbollah/42928/.
Retrieved 2010-10-20.
17.^ a b
http://www.elissalovers.net/biography.php
18.^ Shenker, Jack (2009-11-17).
"Nubian fury at 'monkey' lyric of Arab pop star Haifa Wehbe". The Guardian
(London). http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/nov/17/nubian-fury-haifa-wehbe.
Retrieved 2010-05-04.
19.^ "Singer Haifa Wehbe offends
with 'Nubian monkeys' lyric". The Daily Telegraph (London). November 18, 2009.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/africaandindianocean/egypt/6597012/Singer-Haifa-Wehbe-offends-with-Nubian-monkeys-lyric.html.
20.^ Shenker, Jack (2009-11-21).
"Lebanese diva's lyrics hit sour note". The Sydney Morning Herald.
http://www.smh.com.au/lifestyle/people/lebanese-divas-lyrics-hit-sour-note-20091120-iquv.html.
21.^ "Haifa Wehbe: Unwelcome in
Algeria". The Majlis.
http://www.themajlis.org/2009/12/23/haifa-wehbe-unwelcome-in-algeria. Retrieved
2010-10-20.
23.^ "Haifa Wehbe To Tony Khalife:
I Have Nothing Against Algeria!". Wikeez.com. http://www.wikeez.com/en/people/haifa-wehbe-tony-khalife-i-have-nothing-against-algeria-5876.
Retrieved 2010-10-20.
29.^ a b Frances Harrison,
"Lebanese singer causes Gulf storm," April 30, 2008, BBC.
30.^ "middle east news
information::Haifa Wahbi number one Young Female Arab Singer". Albawaba.com.
http://www.albawaba.com/en/main/177581/&searchWords=Haifa. Retrieved 2010-10-20.
33.^ "Arab stars receive top honors
at Murex d’Or Awards". Daily Star (Jounieh). 2011-06-25. http://www.dailystar.com.lb/Culture/Music/2011/Jun-25/Arab-stars-receive-top-honors-at-Murex-dOr-Awards.ashx#axzz1QhXmj2fu.
Retrieved 2011-06-30. "Arab pop superstar Haifa Wehbe won best Arabic song for 'Yama
Layaly.'"
Further
reading
Arab youth revel in pop revolution
by Sebastian Usher, May 21, 2007, BBC
****
The
above biography has been copied in part or in whole
from an article on
Wikipedia.org
"The Free Encyclopedia." It has been modified under
the GNU Free Document License Section 5 in the
following manner: (1) All links within the article
have been removed, including text links such as
"[#]"; (2) The "[Edit]" text and link have been
removed [if you would like to update the article,
you may do so from the original page]; (3) the table
of Contents links and text have been removed; and
(4) all of the sections of the original article have
not been copied. All of the above text is available
under the terms of the
GNU Free Document License.
