Diana Haddad facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Diana Haddad
Haddad in 2013
Born	Diana Joseph Haddad ديانا جوزيف حداد (1976-10-01) 1 October 1976 (age 48) Bsalim, Lebanon
Occupation	Actress, singer, producer, television personality
Years active	1992–present
Spouse(s)	Suhail Al-Abdul [ar] ​ ​ (m. 1995; div. 2009)​
Children	2
Musical career
Genres	Pop folk, Emirati, Lebanese, Khaleeji
Labels	Stallions (1996–2002) Alam El Phan (2002–2005) Nojoom Music (2002–2009) Platinum (2011–2012) Rotana (2014–present)

Diana Haddad (Arabic: ديانا حداد; born October 1, 1976) is a famous singer and actress from Lebanon. She also has citizenship in the United Arab Emirates and lives there. Diana Haddad has been one of the most popular Arabic pop singers in the Arab World since the mid-1990s. Her first album, Saken, released in 1996, was a huge success. It sold so many copies that her music label, Stallions Records, certified it as platinum. This album also introduced her special Bedouin music style to many fans.

Diana Haddad became even more famous in late 1997 with her third album, Ammanih. The song "Ammanih" was a big hit. For many years, her ex-husband, Suhail Al-Abdul, directed all her music videos. In 2005, she started working with new directors. Diana also began singing in different Arabic dialects, not just Lebanese and Bedouin. Her fourth album, Yammaya (1998), included songs in Khaliji, Iraqi, and Egyptian styles. Throughout her career, she has released many memorable hit songs like "Saken," "Ammanih," "Mani Mani," "Mas & Louly," "Ya Aibo," "La Fiesta," and "Ela Hona."

Life and Music Career

Early Life and Discovering Music (1976–1992)

Diana Haddad was born in a small village in Lebanon called Bsalim. Her father was Christian, and her mother was Muslim. Because of the Lebanese Civil War, which started before she was born, Diana spent her early years in Kuwait. Her parents moved there in the 1970s, and she went to school in Fahaheel.

In 1990, when Iraq invaded Kuwait, Diana's family had to move back to Lebanon. During this time, she also spent time in the United Arab Emirates, where she met her future husband, Suhail Al-Abdul. Diana grew up with her four siblings: Lolita, Danny, Fadi, and Sameer. She was the third oldest. As a child, Diana was known for being very active and playful.

Her musical talent was noticed when she was only eight years old. In 1988, as a teenager, she performed at several national events in Kuwait. Even though she was interested in archeology, Diana did not go to college. She enjoyed filming her song "Yammaya" at the Giza pyramid complex in Egypt in 1998. In 1992, she earned a diploma in computer science before joining a popular singing competition called Studio El Fan in Beirut.

Rising to Fame (1993–1997)

Suhail Al-Abdul chose to shoot the music video for "Yammya" (1998) in Giza pyramid complex. He allotted a budget of £E1 million for the video. Actors such as Muna Wassef and Sawsan Badr make an appearance in the video along with 100 extras and 40 dancers. The video is still one of the most memorable moments in Haddad's career.

When Diana was sixteen, the TV show Studio El Fan helped her become famous. She joined the competition in 1993 with a song called "Tayr El Yammameh." This song was later included on her first album, Saken, in 1996. Diana was known for her traditional Lebanese folk song style.

At the start of her career, Diana Haddad was famous for her Bedouin music, which mixed traditional sounds with modern beats. People often compared her to another Lebanese singer, Samira Tawfik. Diana's music was seen as a fresh, modern version of Tawfik's older songs. Her first album also had other popular songs like "Lagaitek" and "Al-Sahra."

Her second album, Ahl Al Esheg, released in 1997, featured the hit song "Ahl Al Esheg." This song is still one of Diana's most famous and she often sings it at her concerts. Another song from the album, "Bizal Minak," had a music video filmed in London. The video showed people walking backward, while Diana walked forward, symbolizing her message about choosing the right path.

Big Hits and New Styles (1998–1999)

After her first two albums, Diana carefully planned her third album to keep her success going. In late 1997, radio stations started playing "Ammanih," the main song from her third album. It quickly became Diana's biggest hit. The song was special because it used a Turkish style called "Amanes" in a Bedouin song. The music video, filmed in Turkey, showed both modern and traditional parts of the country. This video helped introduce Turkish culture to the Arab world and encouraged tourism there.

On July 19, 1996, Diana had her first daughter, Sophie. Sophie inspired the second song from the Ammanih album, a ballad called "Ya Benti." The music video for "Ya Benti" was filmed in a poor area of Lebanon and showed two-year-old Sophie with her mother. The song's lyrics, which mean "Oh my daughter," are about a mother apologizing for not being able to afford luxuries for her child.

The song "Wainhom" from Shater (1999) was devoted to Kuwait's prisoners of war. Haddad lived most of her childhood in Kuwait until it was invaded by Iraq in 1990.

Diana's first three albums only had songs in Lebanese and Bedouin dialects. But her fourth album, Yammaya, released in late 1998, brought a big change. The main song, "Yammaya," used ancient Egyptian beats but still had a Bedouin dialect. The music video for "Yammaya" was filmed at the Giza pyramid complex in Egypt and had a large budget. Famous Arab actors like Muna Wassef and Sawsan Badr appeared in the video. It showed Diana in ancient Egypt, trying to get her throne back.

Both "Yammaya" and the second song from the album, "Emshi Wara Kidbohom," became popular even though there wasn't much promotion after Diana's mother passed away. "Emshi Wara Kidbohom" was Diana's first song in an Egyptian dialect, and it became very popular in Egypt. Yammaya also included songs in Khaliji, Iraqi, and classical Arabic dialects.

In summer 1999, Diana released her fifth album, Shater. The first song, "Shater," was one of the most popular songs of 1999, especially with young children, because "shater" means "clever." The music video for "Shater" was filmed in Dubai and featured colorful clothes and animals. Another song from the album, "Wainhom," was about Kuwaiti prisoners of war who did not return from Iraq. Diana dedicated this song to her childhood friends in Kuwait.

New Collaborations and Challenges (2000–2003)

"Mani Mani" (2000) was shot in Haddad's home country of Lebanon. The city of Beirut attractions such as the Pigeons' Rock in Raouché can be seen several times in the video.

In early 2000, the song "Al Fosol Al Arba'a" from Shater was released as a music video. This Khaliji song was about a love interest who changes like the four seasons. The video used green screen and 3D graphics.

In summer 2000, "Mani Mani" was released as the main song from Diana's sixth album, Jarh Al Habib. Diana returned to Lebanon for the music video because the song combined Bedouin and Lebanese lyrics. The song's unique sounds made it very successful. Jarh Al Habib also tried to reach the Egyptian music market, with four out of nine songs in Egyptian dialect. One of these was "Jarh Al Habib," a duet with Egyptian singer Mohammed Al Azabi.

In early 2001, "Adlaa Alaik" was released as the second song from the album. This Khaliji song had some success in the Persian Gulf. Its music video featured Diana's daughter, Sophie, who was four years old at the time. Diana's seventh album, Akhbar Helwa, came out in July 2001. "Elli Fe Bali" was the only music video from this album. It was an upbeat Egyptian song that became popular. The video was inspired by the musical Grease.

In 2002, Stallions Records, Diana's first music label, was sold to Rotana Records. This made it harder to promote Akhbar Helwa. However, Stallions released several "greatest hits" albums and a DVD with most of Diana's music videos in 2003. Around this time, Diana also faced personal challenges, including a miscarriage.

Diana signed with an Egyptian music label, Alam El Phan, in 2002. She released her first album with them, Law Yesaloni, in June. This album was Diana's first full album in Khaliji dialects. It included styles from many different Arab countries in the Persian Gulf. For example, "Kama Kom" was influenced by Omani music, which is not often heard in mainstream Khaliji music. The song "Law Yesaloni" was released as a music video and was a duet with Emirati singer Eida Al Menhali.

New Beginnings and Reconciliation (2004–2007)

Diana Haddad in 2005.

On March 12, 2004, "Waily," the main song from Diana's ninth album, Awel Marrah (2004), was first played on the TV show Star Academy Arab World. The album had been delayed for a long time. To make up for the delay, three songs from Awel Marrah were filmed as music videos: "Waily," "Saheby," and "Awel Marrah."

The "Waily" music video was released in June 2004. It featured Kuwaiti actress Mona Shaddad and included scenes at Dubai International Airport and a school basketball court. Diana even injured her leg while filming a scene where she was dunking a basketball. "Saheby," a cover of a song by Emirati artist Ahmed Al-Shibani, was also released in summer 2004. A concert was held in Cairo to promote the album, and it was later shown on the Mazzika TV channel. The "Awel Marrah" video came out in November 2004.

In early 2005, Diana worked with a new director for the music video of "Law Ma Dakhalt Ebrasi." This was her first music video not directed by her husband. This song was the fourth and final single from the album before Diana took a break to record her tenth album.

In December 2004, Diana and another singer, Nawal Al Zoghbi, became friends again. Diana called Al Zoghbi after hearing she was unwell. Diana felt it was important to wish her a quick recovery. Al Zoghbi was thankful, and the two artists appeared together on the cover of Zahrat Al Khaleej magazine. They began to respect each other.

On June 24, 2005, Diana performed a new song called "Hassafah" at the finale of the TV show Nojoom Al Khaleej. This song later appeared on her tenth album, Diana 2006. The album was released in March 2006, along with the main song "Mas & Louly." Diana had to leave her previous label, Alam El Phan, because they kept delaying the album. So, it was released under her husband's company, Al-Abdul records. "Mas & Louly" became an instant hit because its lyrics were simple and easy for most people in the Arab world to understand. It also featured Algerian musician Cheb Khaled, which gave the song an international feel.

No more music videos were released from the album for a while due to the 2006 Lebanon War. Later that year, "Zay El Sokar" premiered in late October. During the war, Diana was in the Emirates with her family. She honored Lebanon by filming a music video for two of her older songs, "Ana Al Ensan" and "Maghdouche." Diana worked with Egyptian director Yaser Sami for the first time on the "Zay El Sokar" music video, which helped the Egyptian song become popular.

New Paths and Personal Changes (2008–2010)

In late 2008, Diana announced her eleventh album, Men Diana Illa. This was her second album fully in Khaliji style. It's usually hard for non-Khaliji artists to succeed in the Gulf market with Khaliji music, but Diana managed to do it. She has been welcomed into Emirati culture. Two music videos were released from Men Diana Illa, both directed by Diana's friend Nahla Al-Fahd. The main song, "Sheft Itessalek," premiered in October 2008.

Before the second music video from the album, a Lebanese song called "Ya Aibo" was released in early 2009. "Ya Aibo" was also directed by Al-Fahd in Beirut. The song was successful in Lebanon, even though some people had mixed feelings about its unusual lyrics and video. "Ya Aibo" was a song that playfully criticized older men who flirt with young girls and cheat on their wives. Diana wanted to send a message for these men to respect their age and be good role models for their grandchildren. Some critics didn't like the funny approach, while others praised the idea. This was Diana's last song before she announced her separation from her husband, Suhail Al-Abdul, in August 2009, after more than ten years together.

After her divorce, Diana kept busy with a mini summer tour in 2009. She performed concerts in France and Morocco. Her concert in Morocco set a record for attracting over 150,000 people. After a concert in Algeria, Diana ended the tour in Lebanon with two concerts. One of these was her first show ever in her hometown of Maghdouche, attracting over 6,000 people. Videos from this concert can be seen in the second music video from Men Diana Illa, "Ya Zalan." The video also shows Diana enjoying her life as a single woman.

New Albums and Awards (2011–2015)

In 2009, Diana shared that she was working on a duet with R&B artist Alicia Keys for her twelfth album. However, the duet didn't happen because Keys asked for a very large amount of money that Diana couldn't afford. After more than three years, Diana announced her twelfth album, Bent Osol, in December 2011. Several songs were released before the album, including an Egyptian Islamic song for Ramadan 2010 called "Ya Hadieh Min Rabna," and two Khaliji songs, "Majnona" (November 2010) and "Gaalat Diana" (May 2011). Diana also recorded "Ya Wagt" for a Kuwaiti TV show. Only "Ya Wagt" and "Gaalat Diana" were included on Bent Osol. Diana paid for this album herself after her divorce. She also signed a deal with Platinum Records to distribute and promote the album.

In late 2013, Diana signed a contract with Rotana, one of the biggest music labels in the Arab world. Her first album with Rotana, Ya Bashar, was released in December 2014. Before the album, several songs were released as music videos, including "Albi Wafi" (2012), "Naam Seedi," "El Kathab," "Thaleth Alaaiad," and the Moroccan hit "La Fiesta" (2013), as well as "Hala We Ahleen" and "Habebi Masry" (2014). Only "Hala We Ahleen" made it onto Ya Bashar. Diana supported the album with three more music videos for "Haflet Hob," "Elard Ghanat (Megana)," and "Ya Bashar" throughout 2015. Diana also started producing music on the album, with a track called "Farhet Qalbi." In June 2015, Diana received an honorary award at the Murex D'Or in Lebanon for her contributions to music.

Recent Music (2016–Present)

In 2016, Diana stopped promoting Ya Bashar and started releasing new songs. She had a duet with Lebanese musician Assi El Helani called "Romeo & Juliet." She also covered a song by Kuwaiti singer Mohammed Almesbah called "Tibassam." In summer 2016, Diana released "Nisfi Althani" with Saudi social media personalities. On January 1, 2017, "Taabr Qalbi" premiered on radio stations. This song marked Diana's return to Lebanese dialect since her 2012 song "Albi Wafi." A lyric video for the song was uploaded to YouTube. Another Lebanese song, "Nayma Bel Asal," was released on August 13, 2017.

Diana filmed a song called "Ela Hona" in Tbilisi, Georgia, with her director friend Nahla Al-Fahad. The video, which premiered on October 11, 2017, was Diana's first Iraqi music video in four years. Throughout 2018, the song slowly gained popularity, especially after Iraqi artists covered it. It became a "sleeper hit," meaning it became very popular over time, reaching over 100 million views on YouTube by early 2020. Because of this unexpected success, Diana postponed plans for new albums. She released a follow-up song, "Ahebak W Katha," in July 2019, with the same team. In early September 2019, Diana released another Egyptian song called "Gamalo." On February 10, 2020, Diana premiered the music video for "Ma Had Yehes Bi ElAasheq." This new Bedouin Arabic song is expected to be the main song from her upcoming fourteenth album. Diana has said that this song "will bring back the glory of the single "Ahl Al Esheg" released in 1997."

Personal Life

Diana Haddad is from the southern Lebanese town of Maghdouche. The song "Maghdouche" from her album Jarh Al Habib was dedicated to her hometown.

In the 1990s, Diana married Emirati businessman Suhail Al-Abdul. They have two daughters: Sophie (born July 19, 1996) and Mira (born November 26, 2007). Diana and Suhail divorced in August 2009. Diana has said that they are still on good terms and share custody of their children.

When Diana married Al-Abdul, she was still a teenager. She later said that she was too young to marry, even though she was in love.

In 1999, it was reported that Diana had embraced Islam to honor her Muslim mother, who passed away in 1998. She then went on a religious pilgrimage called Umrah to Mecca that same year. Her decision was initially met with strong opposition from her Christian father and some relatives, but her father eventually respected her choice. She is the only one of her siblings who practices Islam.

Diana rarely talks openly about her religious beliefs, saying that these matters are "personal and only between her and God." Before her conversion, Diana researched Islam thoroughly. She has said that attending lectures by Islamic scholars also motivated her. Diana describes herself as a "private, yet observant Muslim" who prays, reads the Qur'an, and fasts during Ramadan. She has denied rumors that she changed her religion again after her divorce. Diana's father passed away in late 2011. The song "Rajaa Al Sheti" on her 2011 album Bent Osol was dedicated to her parents.

Diana has lived in Dubai since she married Al-Abdul, but she often visits Lebanon, where she owns property. In late 2009, Diana and her driver were attacked by armed people in Beirut. Her driver bravely escaped, and Diana called the incident traumatic. She later said she hoped that "God protects every Lebanese official who puts Lebanon over his personal interests."

Diana has also shared her thoughts on body image. She is not against plastic surgery as long as it is not overdone, and she has admitted to having a nose job. Diana is known for being quite small in size and height.

Helping Others

Diana Haddad has been involved in helping people during social and political challenges. In 2000, when the Palestinian Intifada began, Diana released a song dedicated to the Palestinian cause called "Al Haq Yaktubo Min Dami" (meaning: the truth is written with my blood). She canceled a planned US tour to show her support for the Palestinian people.

In 2003, Diana helped with a campaign against drugs and smoking in the UAE. She released a song called "Bi Edak El Qarar" (meaning: the decision is in your hands). She was chosen for the campaign because of her influence on young people in the UAE.

In 2007, she took part in a charity concert in the UAE to raise money for Lebanese children. A year later, she was honored for her work with children with disabilities.

In 2008, Diana was asked to join a group of artists for a charity song called "El Dameer Al Arabi" (meaning: the Arab conscience). The song was about the difficult situations in the Middle East, including conflicts. "El Dameer Al Arabi" was a follow-up to "Al Helm Al Arabi" ("The Arab Dream"), a project from 1997 that Diana had been part of. Many of the original artists agreed to join again. However, Diana declined the offer, explaining that she felt "patriotic songs proved useless and vain in the Arab world."

Music Albums

Studio Albums

• Saken (1996)
• Ahl Al Esheg (1997)
• Ammanih (1997)
• Yammaia (1998)
• Shater (1999)
• Jarh Al Habib (2000)
• Akhbar Helwa (2001)
• Law Yesaloni (2002)
• Awel Marrah (2004)
• Diana 2006 (2006)
• Men Diana Illa (2008)
• Bent Osol (2011)
• Ya Bashar (2014)

Live Albums

• Anida (1996)

Compilation Albums

• Best of Diana Haddad (2002)
• Best of Diana Haddad 2 (2003)

Songs (Singles)

1990s

2000s

2010s

2020s

Duets (Songs with Other Artists)

Special Recordings and Live Tracks

• Lematha Al Moshtaka
• Al Helm Al Arabi
• Ya Rayheen Ommi (1997)
• Jabalak Kanz (live in concert ) (1998)
• Mush Beedi (1999)
• Ya Carthage (2000)
• Naam Zayed (2001)
• Ard El Emarat (2001)
• Wily Mennak (2001)
• Asma Bilad
• Roof Roohi (2002)
• El Lilah Ghair (2002)
• Noor Aini (2002)
• Ela Falastin... (2002) (Live)
• Saat Kheir (2003)
• Ainawi (2003)
• Yal Samra (2003)
• Lgenawi (2003)
• Ya Keef Al Rooh (2003)
• Ya Fakr
• Ya Baad Omri
• Enta Al Shams (2001) (Song most famously by Najwa Karam) (Unreleased Studio Recording)
• Al EIn Molayetin (2005) (Live in concert in Algeria)
• Lanat Emaraa (Theme Song for a Drama in Bahrain) (2008)
• Yal Samra (2003)