Hiba Tawaji facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Hiba Tawaji
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Hiba at AL ULA 2021
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Hiba Michel Tawaji |
| Born | 10 December 1987 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 (born 10 December 1987) is a talented singer, actress, and director from Lebanon. Since 2008, she has become very well-known in the music world across Lebanon and other Arab countries. She is famous for her amazing 4-octave vocal range, which means she can sing very high and very low notes!
Hiba started her career playing lead roles in musicals by the famous Rahbani brothers. She also joined the fourth season of The Voice France. Her coach was the singer Mika, and she made it all the way to the semi-finals! After The Voice, she signed with Mercury Records in 2015.
In 2016, Hiba was chosen to play Esmeralda in the musical Notre-Dame de Paris. She has toured the world with this show, performing in many countries. Hiba has also released four studio albums. These albums were produced by Oussama Rahbani. She has worked on many projects in Arab countries like Egypt, Tunisia, and Saudi Arabia. In Saudi Arabia, she made history as the first woman to sing on stage after new rules made women's rights better.
Today, Hiba Tawaji works with Universal Music Arabia. This company is part of Universal Music Group and Republic Records.
Contents
Hiba's Early Life and School
Hiba was born in Achrafieh, Beirut, Lebanon, on 10 December 1987. Her parents, Michel and Adele, are Lebanese Orthodox. She grew up in Elissar, a neighborhood near Mazraat Yachouh. From a young age, Hiba trained in opera and classical singing. Later, she learned modern singing styles.
From 1990 to 2005, Hiba went to the Athenee de Beyrouth school. She earned a degree in literature. Between 2002 and 2007, she took singing and music theory lessons. She then studied audio-visual and film at Saint Joseph University of Beirut. She earned her bachelor's degree in 2010. Hiba also learned about directing and acting. In 2012, she made a short film called The Rope. This film won many awards at film festivals in the Arab world.
Hiba's Music Career
Starting Her Career (2008–2014)
Hiba sings in French, English, and Arabic. Producers and composers in the Middle East quickly noticed her talent. She was very interested in the work of the Rahbani brothers. She contacted Oussama Rahbani, who was very impressed by her singing. He immediately became her producer. Hiba has often said that her work with Rahbani is for life. She says they don't even need a contract!
In 2008, Hiba released her first song, "Metl El Rih" (Like the Wind). This song was played a lot on TV in Lebanon. She became a promising new singer with her second song, "Helm" (Dream). Hiba even directed the music video for "Helm" herself. Both songs were made with the Rahbani family.
At the same time, Hiba started performing on stage. In 2008, she played the main character in the musical The Return of the Phoenix. This show was by Mansour and Oussama Rahbani. It was performed in Byblos and Dubai. The next year, she played the main role again in the musical Sayf 840.
Between May and July 2010, Hiba took singing lessons in New York. She also took an acting workshop there. When she returned to Lebanon, she performed in more Rahbani musicals. These included Don Quixote and Moulouk Al Tawaef.
In 2012, Hiba released her first album, La Bidayi Wala Nihayi. This album was made with Oussama Rahbani. The main song from the album was an Arabic version of "The Windmills of Your Mind". This song was played a lot and made Hiba famous. Her second album, Ya Habibi, came out in 2014. It also did very well with songs like "Khalas" and "Awwal Ma Cheftou". The album also had Hiba's version of "Helwa ya baladi", a famous song by Dalida.
Hiba also performed with the National Symphonic Orchestra of Ukraine in 2013 and 2014. They had shows in Lebanon, Oman, and the United Arab Emirates. In 2014, she released a special song for the Lebanese Army. It was called Metl El Chajar Mazrouiin.
The Voice and French Career (2015–2017)
In January 2015, Hiba joined the fourth season of The Voice: la plus belle voix in France. During her blind audition, she sang a song in both Arabic and French. All four judges turned their chairs for her! Hiba chose to join Team Mika.
In the "Battles Round," Hiba sang "Mon amie la rose". Mika chose her to move forward. Later, she sang "Fighter" by Christina Aguilera. She made it into 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, Hiba sang "Pas là". She competed against David Thibault but did not win the public vote. She finished in the top 5 to 8 for the season.
After The Voice, Hiba signed with Mercury Records in 2015. She released her first French song, "Comme un symbole". Her strong voice and stage experience caught the eye of the producers of Notre-Dame de Paris. They asked her to play Esmeralda in the musical. The show opened in Paris in November 2016. Hiba then went on a worldwide tour with the cast. She performed in places like Taiwan, China, Turkey, Russia, Canada, South Korea, the UK, the United States, and Belgium. She also performed in France and her home country of Lebanon. Hiba is still performing with the musical's cast, even in New York City in 2022.
In 2015, Hiba worked with Disney. She sang "Nuits d'Arabie" from Aladdin for a French Disney album.
New Albums and Global Work (2017–2022)
In 2017, Hiba announced a new project with Oussama Rahbani. It was called Hiba Tawaji 30, to celebrate her 30th birthday. Before the album, she released a patriotic song called "Bghannilak Ya Watani". Hiba directed the music video herself. It 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 has Hiba's best old songs and covers of famous artists like Umm Kulthum. The last song on the album was made by Disney for the animated series Elena of Avalor. Hiba sang the main character's songs in Arabic for the show. The album came out on 30 March 2017.
In April 2017, Hiba was featured on a song called "Solidarité" (Solidarity). It was by French-Lebanese artist Matthieu Chedid.
Hiba Tawaji and Oussama Rahbani celebrated ten years of working together. They put on a special show called TEN. It was the closing act of the Cedars International Festival in Bsharri, Lebanon, on 5 August 2017. Over 120 dancers performed, and the Lebanese Orchestra played.
Hiba's fame grew even more in December 2017. She became the first female artist to perform on stage in Saudi Arabia. This happened after new rules for women's rights were made by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Her historic performance was shown and reported by news all over the world. It was seen as a big step for women in the Arab world. For this event, she re-released her song "Min Elli Byekhtar" (Who Chooses). The music video celebrated the ban on women driving being lifted in Saudi Arabia.
After this, Hiba performed a special Christmas concert. This has now become a yearly tradition for her. She also released a Christmas album called Hallelujah. The next year, she sang the main song for the TV series Tarik. This show was very popular during Ramadan in 2018. The song, also called "Tarik", became Hiba's most popular song. It showed that Hiba could sing many different styles 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 for the Miss Lebanon pageant.
Hiba worked with Disney for a third time. She was chosen to be the voice of Jasmine in the French version of the 2019 live-action Aladdin movie. She did both the speaking and singing parts. She was on the movie's official soundtrack. She sang songs like "Ce rêve bleu" (A Whole New World) and "Parler" (Speechless).
In 2019, the famous singer Andrea Bocelli invited Hiba to sing with him. They performed at a concert in Lebanon. The concert was shown live on Lebanese television.
In 2020, Hiba started acting on TV. She played the main role in the Arab series Hawas (Obsession). She also sang the main song for the series, Lahza Ya Rayt (If only one moment). In 2021, she released the song Aylan. This song was a tribute to Aylan Kurdi, a three-year-old child who died while trying to migrate.
Universal Music and New Album (2022–Present)
In 2022, Hiba signed a record deal with Universal Music Arabia. This company is part of Republic Records and Universal Music Group. She is managed by Wassim "SAL" Slaiby. He is the CEO of the label, which helps promote Arabic music worldwide. On 7 October 2022, Hiba released her first song with UMA. It was called "Que Será Será" (Law Nebka Sawa) and featured Puerto Rican star Luis Fonsi. The music video for the song got 3 million views on YouTube in just three days!
Hiba also performed a free concert called Night of Hope. This was the first big music event after the 2020 Beirut explosion. It was part of efforts to bring back culture during Lebanon's economic problems. The concert was held in Beirut and shown live on MTV Lebanon. Hiba sang a duet with Elissa, a very famous artist from Lebanon. She also performed a concert in Dubai for the luxury brand Louis Vuitton's 200th anniversary.
In February 2023, Hiba released "Habibi Khalas". This was the second song from her new album. The song was written by Oussama Rahbani and Anthony Khoury. The music video was filmed in Paris. Hiba released her studio album Baad Sneen in May 2023. This was her first album with Universal. The album came out with the music video for its third song. In this video, Hiba sings in the Egyptian dialect.
Hiba's Personal Life
On 19 September 2020, Hiba married French-Lebanese musician Ibrahim Maalouf. In 2021, they had a son named Nael. In 2023, Hiba announced that they had welcomed their second child, a daughter named Rita Aya.
Hiba's Musical Style
Hiba Tawaji is praised for her amazing singing skills. She can sing many different types of music. These include opera, Arabic pop, Western pop, jazz, blues, Tarab, Latin music, and French songs. She also sings religious hymns.
She says that artists like Dalida, Lara Fabian, Celine Dion, Whitney Houston, Léo Ferré, Daniel Lévi, and Charles Aznavour have influenced her since she was a child. Her personal favorite singer is Mariah Carey. Hiba says she doesn't limit her music to just one style. In her concerts, she has also sung jazz songs. She performs "I Can Explain" by Rachelle Ferrell, using a very high whistle register voice.
Hiba also likes to film behind-the-scenes videos of her projects and concerts. These are directed by Nader Mousally and shared on YouTube.
Hiba's 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
Hiba's 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)
Hiba's Musical Theater Roles
- 2008–2000: The Return of the Phoenix
- 2009–2010: Sayf 840
- 2010–2019: Moulouk Al Tawaef
- 2011: Don Quixote
- 2016–2022: Notre-Dame de Paris (worldwide tour)
See also
In Spanish: Hiba Tawaji para niños
