Hiba Tawaji facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Hiba Tawaji
Hiba at AL ULA 2021
Background information
Birth name	Hiba Michel Tawaji
Born	(1987-12-10) 10 December 1987 (age 37) Achrafieh, Beirut, Lebanon
Origin	Lebanese
Genres	Arabic music, jazz, opera, funk, pop music
Occupation(s)	Singer, actress, director
Years active	2008–present

Hiba Michel Tawaji is a talented singer, actress, and director from Lebanon. She was born on December 10, 1987. Since 2008, she has become very well-known in the music world across Lebanon and other Arab countries. She has an amazing singing voice that can reach four octaves!

Hiba started her career performing in musicals by the famous Rahbani brothers. She also joined the French TV show The Voice in 2015, where she was coached by the singer Mika and made it to the semi-finals. After The Voice, she signed with Mercury Records. In 2016, Hiba was chosen to play Esmeralda in the musical Notre-Dame de Paris. She has traveled all over the world performing this role. Hiba has also released four music albums in Arabic, produced by Oussama Rahbani. She has performed in many Arab countries, including Egypt, Tunisia, and Saudi Arabia. In Saudi Arabia, she made history as the first woman to sing on stage after new rules gave women more rights.

Hiba Tawaji is now signed with Universal Music Arabia. This company works with Universal Music Group and Republic Records to share Arabic music globally.

Early Life and Education

Hiba was born in Achrafieh, Beirut, Lebanon. She grew up in a neighborhood called Elissar. From a young age, she trained in opera and classical singing. She also learned modern singing styles.

Hiba studied at the Athenee de Beyrouth School until 2005. She then took singing lessons and learned music theory (solfeggio) from 2002 to 2007. Later, she went to Saint Joseph University in Beirut. She studied audio-visual and film production, earning her degree in 2010. Hiba also learned about directing and acting. In 2012, she made a short film called The Rope, which she wrote and directed. This film won several awards at film festivals in the Arab world.

Career Highlights

Starting Her Music Journey (2008–2014)

Hiba Tawaji sings in French, English, and Arabic. Her talent caught the attention of music producers in the Middle East. She was especially interested in the work of the Rahbani brothers. She met Oussama Rahbani, who was very impressed by her singing. He quickly became her music producer. Hiba has often said that her work with Rahbani is a lifelong partnership, not just a contract.

In 2008, Hiba released her first song, "Metl El Rih" (Like the Wind). It was played a lot on TV in Lebanon. She became a rising star with her second song, "Helm" (Dream), and she even directed its music video herself. Both songs were made with the Rahbani family. At the same time, Hiba started her stage career. In 2008, she played the main character in the musical The Return of the Phoenix. This show was performed in Byblos and Dubai. The next year, she also starred in the musical Sayf 840.

Between May and July 2010, Hiba took singing lessons in New York. She also attended an acting workshop there. After returning to Lebanon, she performed in more Rahbani musicals, including Don Quixote and Moulouk Al Tawaef.

In 2012, Hiba released her first album, La Bidayi Wala Nihayi, with Oussama Rahbani. The main song from the album was an Arabic version of "The Windmills of Your Mind". This song became very popular and helped Hiba become widely known. Her second album, Ya Habibi, came out in 2014. It was also well-received, with popular songs like "Khalas" and "Awwal Ma Cheftou". This album also included Hiba's version of "Helwa ya baladi", a famous song by Dalida.

In 2013 and 2014, Hiba performed with the National Symphonic Orchestra of Ukraine. They had shows in Lebanon, Oman, and the United Arab Emirates. In 2014, she also released a special song for the Lebanese Armed Forces, called Metl El Chajar Mazrouiin.

The Voice and French Career (2015–2017)

In January 2015, Hiba Tawaji joined the fourth season of The Voice: la plus belle voix in France. During her audition, she sang a song in two languages, "La Bidayi Wala Nihayi". All four judges turned their chairs, and Hiba chose to join Team Mika.

In the "Battles Round," Hiba sang "Mon amie la rose" and Mika chose her to move forward. She then performed "Fighter" by Christina Aguilera and made it to the Top 4 of Team Mika. In the live shows, she sang songs by Britney Spears and Véronique Sanson. The public voted for her to stay in the competition. In the semi-finals on April 18, she sang "Pas là" but did not get enough public votes to reach the final. Hiba finished among the top 5 to 8 contestants that season.

After The Voice, Hiba signed with Mercury Records in 2015. She released her first French song, "Comme un symbole". Her amazing voice and stage experience caught the eye of the producers of Notre-Dame de Paris. They asked her to play the role of Esmeralda in the musical's new production. The show opened in Paris in November 2016. Hiba then went on tour with the cast, performing in many countries like Taiwan, China, Turkey, Russia, Canada, South Korea, the UK, the United States, and Belgium. She also performed in France and her home country, Lebanon. As of 2022, Hiba was still performing with the musical's cast, including shows in New York City.

In 2015, Hiba also worked with Disney. She sang "Nuits d'Arabie" from Aladdin for the French album We Love Disney compilation best of.

Hiba Tawaji 30 and Global Activities (2017–2022)

In 2017, Hiba announced a new project with Oussama Rahbani called Hiba Tawaji 30. This album celebrated her 30th birthday. Before the album, she released a patriotic song, "Bghannilak Ya Watani". Its music video, directed by Hiba herself, showed a hopeful vision for Lebanon's future. Hiba Tawaji 30 has 30 songs on two CDs. The first CD has 15 new songs. The second CD is a collection of Hiba's best past works and covers of songs by famous artists like Umm Kulthum. The last song on the album was produced by Disney for the animated series Elena of Avalor. Hiba voiced the singing role of Princess Elena in Arabic for this show. The album was released on March 30, 2017.

In April 2017, Hiba was featured on the song "Solidarité" (Solidarity) by French-Lebanese artist Matthieu Chedid.

Hiba Tawaji and Oussama Rahbani celebrated ten years of working together with a special live show called TEN. This show was performed at the Cedars International Festival in Bsharri, Lebanon, on August 5, 2017. The show included over 120 dancers and the Lebanese Orchestra.

Hiba's respected status grew even more in December 2017. She was chosen to be the first female artist ever to perform on stage in Saudi Arabia. This happened after new rules were made to improve women's rights in the country. Her historic performance was reported by news outlets worldwide. It was seen as a big step for women's freedom and equality in the Arab world. For this event, she re-released a special version of her song "Min Elli Byekhtar" (Who Chooses). The music video celebrated the lifting of the driving ban for women in Saudi Arabia.

After this, Hiba performed a special Christmas concert, which she now does every year. She also released a Christmas album called Hallelujah. The next year, she sang the official song for the TV series Tarik, which was very popular during Ramadan in 2018. The song, also called "Tarik", became Hiba's most popular song. It showed that she could sing many different types of music. That year, she also performed a sold-out concert in Dubai. She also remade the song "Lil Sabiyi Al Malaki", the official song of the Miss Lebanon pageant.

Working with Disney for the third time, Hiba Tawaji was chosen to be the voice of Jasmine in the French version of the 2019 live-action Aladdin movie. She provided both speaking and singing voices. She was featured on the movie's official soundtrack, singing songs like "Ce rêve bleu" (A Whole New World) and "Parler" (Speechless).

In 2019, Hiba was invited by the famous tenor Andrea Bocelli to perform with him at a concert in Lebanon. The concert was shown live on Lebanese television.

In 2020, Hiba Tawaji started acting on TV. She played the main role in the Arab series Hawas (Obsession). She also sang the official song for the series, Lahza Ya Rayt (If only one moment). In 2021, she released the song Aylan in memory of Aylan Kurdi, a three-year-old boy who died during a migration journey.

Universal Music and New Album (2022–Present)

In 2022, Hiba Tawaji signed a music deal with Universal Music Arabia. This company aims to promote Arabic music around the world. On October 7, 2022, Hiba released her first song with Universal, "Que Será Será" (Law Nebka Sawa). It featured the Puerto Rican star Luis Fonsi. The music video for the song quickly reached 3 million views on YouTube.

Hiba also performed a free concert called Night of Hope. This was one of the first big music events after the 2020 Beirut explosion. It was part of efforts to bring back culture during Lebanon's economic challenges. The concert was broadcast live on MTV Lebanon. Hiba sang a duet with Elissa, another very famous Lebanese artist. She also performed a concert in Dubai for the luxury brand Louis Vuitton's 200th anniversary celebration.

In February 2023, Hiba Tawaji released "Habibi Khalas," the second song from her new album. The song was written by Oussama Rahbani and Anthony Khoury. Its music video was filmed in Paris. Hiba released her studio album Baad Sneen in May 2023. This was her first album under her Universal deal. The album came out with the music video for its third song, also called "Baad Sneen," which Hiba sings in the Egyptian dialect.

Personal Life

On September 19, 2020, Hiba Tawaji married the French-Lebanese musician Ibrahim Maalouf. In 2021, they welcomed their son, Nael. In 2023, Hiba announced that they had a second child, a daughter named Rita Aya.

Musical Style and Influences

Hiba Tawaji is praised for her amazing singing skills. She can sing in many different styles, including opera, Arabic pop, Western pop, jazz, blues, and French songs. She also sings religious hymns.

She has mentioned many artists who influenced her since childhood. These include Dalida, Lara Fabian, Celine Dion, Whitney Houston, Léo Ferré, Daniel Lévi, and Charles Aznavour. Her personal favorite singer is Mariah Carey. Hiba says she doesn't limit her music tastes to just one type. In her concerts, she has also performed jazz songs, showing off her unique vocal abilities.

Hiba Tawaji is also known for making behind-the-scenes videos of her projects and concerts. These videos are directed by Nader Mousally and shared on YouTube.

Music Albums

• 2009: Sayf 840
• 2012: La Bidayi Wala Nihayi
• 2011: Don Quixote
• 2014: Ya Habibi
• 2016: Notre Dame de Paris (official soundtrack album)
• 2017: Hiba Tawaji 30 (double album)
• 2017: Hallelujah (Christmas album)
• 2019: Aladdin (official soundtrack album)
• 2023: Baad Sneen

Film and TV Work

As a Director

• 2013: Al Habla (The Rope) (short movie)

As an Actress

• 2020: Hawas (Obsession) (TV series)

As a Voice Actress

• 2017: Elena of Avalor (Arabic version, singing)
• 2019: Aladdin (French version, speaking and singing)
• 2021: Les mystères de la chorale (French TV movie, singing)

Musicals

• 2008–2000: The Return of the Phoenix by Oussama Rahbani
• 2009–2010: Sayf 840 by Mansour Rahbani and Oussama Rahbani
• 2010–2019: Moulouk Al Tawaef by Oussama Rahbani
• 2011: Don Quixote by Marwan Rahbani, Ghadi Rahbani and Oussama Rahbani
• 2016–2022: Notre-Dame de Paris by Riccardo Cocciante and Luc Plamondon

See also

In Spanish: Hiba Tawaji para niños