Haifa Wehbe
Template:Infobox musical artist 2
Haifa Wehbe (Arabic: هيفا وهبي also spelled Haifa Wehbeh, Haifa Wahbi, Hayfa Wehbe, Hayfa Wehbi; born March 10 1976[1]), is a Lebanese model, actress, and singer who rose to fame in the Arab world as runner up for 'Miss Lebanon' and later the release of her debut album Huwa az-Zaman (Arabic: هو الزمن It is Time).
Biography
Wehbe was born in a small farming town near Southern Lebanon from a shiite father and an Egyptian christian mother. Her mother is of Kurdish origin. .[2] She grew up listening to jazz and R&B. She became a model at a very young age and won the title of "Miss South Lebanon" at age sixteen.
Wehbe's next distinction came in 1995 when she was runner up for Miss Lebanon. It was shortly discovered that she was married and had a daughter named Zeinab (Zaza). Her title was thus revoked. By 1996, she had recovered from the scandal and continued to model. She was seen on over 100 magazine covers. In 2006, she was on People Magazine's 50 most beautiful people list.
She released her first album, titled Huwa az-Zaman (Arabic: هو الزمن It is Time) which was a hit thanks to her debut single "Agoul Ahwak" (I say I love you)".
Musical career
Her second album Baddi 'Ayš (Arabic: بدي عيش I Want to Live) was released in 2005 and lived up to expectations due to the success of its lead single "Hayat Albi." Released after the assassination of Lebanese politician Rafik Hariri, the song of the same name is about "freedom, considered to be among the most basic of human rights."[3]
Her follow-up single was her biggest hit to date, "Ana Haifa" (I am Haifa) which became her novelty song. In 2006 she released a follow up single Bus al-Wawa which so far has sold respectably.
On June 10, 2006 Haifa became the first artist in the Arab world to perform with rapper 50 Cent when she performed as an opening act for his first concert in Lebanon, at BIEL in Beirut.
Television appearances
She remains popular among Lebanon's youth and makes countless television appearances. In July 2005, Wehbe, along with 14 other celebrities from the Arab world, began airing the live pan-Arab reality show series The Valley (Arabic: الوادي Al-Wadi), based on the French reality show La Ferme Célébrités. The show aired for three months. The show featured weekly live performances in which Wehbe played a central role as well as singing songs from her new album.
Her other non-musical successes include a few movie roles and TV hosting. Wehbe has also designed her own range of diamond jewelry. She has also been a spokesperson for Pepsi.
Personal life
Her three sisters are Alia, Hanna and Rola.[4] The singer lost her brother at the age of 24 during 1982 Lebanon War.[5][6]
During Wehbe's marriage, she gave birth to a daughter named Zeinab Zaza. Wehbe has not seen her child since the divorce. Her ex-husband has engaged in parental alienation for over 10 years.[citation needed]
In 2005, she 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.
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.[3] In a concert in the Lebanese town of Jounieh, Wehbe congratulated Hassan Nasrallah for his stand against Israel during the war.[6]
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.[7]
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.[6]
Image
Her revealing outfits have been considered scandalous in some conservative countries [8] In March of 2006, a video of Wehbe's dress coming undone reportedly circulated on the web. Her management stated that the video was fabricated and "not worth worrying about." She was ranked forty-nine[9] in the 2006 Edition of the Top 99 Most Desirable Women by the website AskMen.com.
Discography
Albums
- Houwa El-Zaman [هو الزمن]
- Baddi Eesh [بدي عيش]
Singles
| Year | Title | Chart positions[10] | Album | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LBN | EGP | EMR | PAS | UAC | |||
| 2002 | "Agoul Ahwak" | 11 | 2 | 8 | 14 | 10 | Huwa az-Zaman |
| "Regab" | 3 | 2 | 2 | 9 | 22 | ||
| 2003 | "Tegy Izzay" | 19 | 30 | 11 | 34 | 33 | |
| 2006 | "Ya Hayat Albi" | 2 | 9 | 6 | 22 | 7 | Baddi Eesh |
| "Ana Haifa" | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | ||
| "Baddi Eesh" | 1 | 3 | 1 | 5 | 4 | ||
| "Ma Sar" | 6 | 14 | 17 | 9 | 8 | ||
| "Wahdi" | 25 | 39 | 17 | 13 | 42 | ||
| 2007 | "Bos El Wawa" | 5 | 4 | 6 | 2 | 8 | Baby Haifa |
| "Naughty" | 11 | 9 | 11 | 12 | 6 | ||
| "Mosh Adra Astana" | 14 | 7 | 12 | 8 | 9 | ||
References
- ^ Hezbollah chief wins unlikely fan in pop diva, Gulfnews.com, October 31, 2006 (accessed November 11, 2007), Lebanese Pop Star Haifa Wehbe Sides With Hezbollah, New York Sun, November 6, 2006 (accessed November 14, 2007).
- ^ Butters, Andrew Lee. The New Republic. Oriental Sexpotism
- ^ a b Braude, Joseph. Radar.com. Rock the Casbah
- ^ Haifa Wehbe Profile at NNCB
- ^ Sela, Yohai. Omedia.com.Haifa Wehbe - Portrait of a Lebanese Female Vocalist Retrieved March 11, 2007.
- ^ a b c Bayoumy, Yara (2006-10-30). "INTERVIEW-Hezbollah chief wins unlikely fan in sexy pop diva". Reuters. Retrieved 2007-12-23.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ Raissa (2006-11-06). "Haifa Congratulates Hassan Nassrallah" (HTML). Waleg.Com. Retrieved 2007-12-23.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ The New York Sun. Style=OliveXLib:ArticleToMail&Type=text/html&Path=NYS/2005/04/07&ID=Ar00900 Let the Sunshine in
- ^ http://www.askmen.com/specials/2006_top_99/haifa-wehbe-49.html Askmen.com
- ^ [1]
Further reading
- Arab youth revel in pop revolution by Sebastian Usher, 21 May 2007, BBC