Haifa Wehbe

Biography

Haifa Mohammed Wehbe (Arabic: هيفاء محمد وهبي, pronounced [hæjˈfaː ˈwehbe]; born 10 March 1976) is a Lebanese singer and actress. She is considered one of Lebanon's most famous and successful singers, and one of the best-known artists in the Arab world. Haifa Wehbe is celebrated as an icon of Arabic beauty, widely recognized for setting the standard of what is considered a "beautiful" Arab woman. Her looks have been considered to be so influential, inspiring many Arab women to emulate her appearance popularizing the term "Haifa Wehbe lookalikes" (Arabic: شبيهات هيفاء وهبي). She is widely regarded as one of the most commercially successful female entertainers in the Middle East, achieving significant sales and popularity across the region. Throughout her career, she has received numerous awards recognizing her work as a singer, performer, and actress. In 2006, she was included on People magazine’s list of the “50 Most Beautiful People,” People Magazine's 50 most beautiful people list. and the same year she was ranked eighth on AskMen.com’s list of the “99 Most Desirable Women.” She has released seven studio albums and expanded her career into film with her acting debut in the 2008 Pepsi-produced film Sea of Stars. She has also been cited among the wealthiest Arab celebrities, with an estimated net worth reported to exceed $57 million. In 1991, at the age of sixteen, she was selected as Miss South Lebanon and subsequently awarded the title of Miss Lebanon 1992. However, the title was later withdrawn after it was determined that she had violated the competition’s eligibility rules, which required contestants to be unmarried and without children. She began her career as a model, appearing in several music videos and television commercials, before transitioning into broadcasting, where she worked as a television presenter Arab Radio and Television Network in 1999. She then entered the music scene in the early 2000s, releasing her debut album in 2002, followed by several additional albums over the subsequent years. During this period, she also performed in numerous concerts across various Arab countries, establishing herself as a recognized figure in regional entertainment. In 2008, she expanded her career into acting, making a guest appearance in the film "Bahr Al Nojoum". The following year, in 2009, she was selected for a leading role in another film, Dokan Shehata, marking her continued transition into the film industry.

== Life and career ==

=== Early life === Haifa Wehbe was born on March 10, 1976, in Mahrouna, Tyre District, in Lebanon’s South Governorate. She is the daughter of Muhammad Wehbe, a Lebanese Shia Muslim father, and an Egyptian mother, Sayeda Abd al-Aziz Ibrahim. Although born in southern Lebanon, she was raised in the capital city, Beirut. She has three sisters and one brother. At the age of sixteen, Wehbe won the title of Miss South Lebanon. She later competed in the Miss Lebanon pageant, where she was initially named a runner-up. However, the title was subsequently withdrawn after it was discovered that she had violated the competition’s eligibility rules, which required contestants to be unmarried and without children. Following her early exposure through beauty pageants, Wehbe began working as a fashion model. She appeared in a number of advertising campaigns and fashion shoots, which helped establish her presence in the regional entertainment industry. During this period, she also appeared in several music videos and television commercials, further increasing her visibility across the Middle East and laying the groundwork for her later transition into music and acting.

=== Career ===

==== 2002–2007: Baddi Aech and television career ==== Wehbe entered the music industry in the early 2000s and quickly gained recognition within the Middle Eastern pop scene. Her debut studio album, Houwa El-Zaman (Arabic: هو الزمان; “It Is Time”), was released in 2002 and introduced her as a prominent emerging pop performer in the Arab music market. The album received widespread attention through its accompanying music videos and television broadcasts, which contributed to her growing popularity across the region. In early 2005, she released her second studio album, Baddi Aech (Arabic: بدي عيش; “I Want to Live”). The album followed the success of its lead single “Ya Hayat Albi” and was released during a period of political tension in Lebanon following the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri. The album’s title track reflected themes of freedom and resilience. Another single from the album, “Ana Haifa” (Arabic: أنا هيفاء; “I Am Haifa”), became one of her most recognizable songs and further strengthened her presence in the Arab pop industry. During the summer of 2005, Wehbe appeared as a guest participant on Al Wadi, the Arabic adaptation of the reality television series The Farm. The program attracted significant viewership across the Arab world and generated considerable media attention. Wehbe’s participation in the series further increased her public profile and contributed to her growing recognition as a widely known entertainment figure in the region. In 2006, she released the single “Boos al-Wawa” (Arabic: بوس الواوا), which achieved considerable regional popularity and was later featured in a regional advertising campaign for Pepsi. The song received extensive radio play and was voted “Song of the Year” in 2006 by Radio Scope and Sawt Al Musika.

==== 2008–2009: Film career beginnings and Habibi Ana ==== In early 2008, Wehbe expanded her career into film with an appearance in the Pepsi-produced musical film Sea of Stars, which brought together several prominent artists from the Arab entertainment industry, including Carole Samaha, Wael Kfoury, Brigitte Yaghi, and Ruwaida al-Mahrouqi. The project marked one of her early appearances in cinema and reflected the growing crossover between music and film within the regional entertainment industry. Later that year, on July 4, 2008, Wehbe released her third studio album, Habibi Ana (Arabic: حبيبي أنا; “My Love”). The album featured fifteen tracks and continued to develop the contemporary Arabic pop style that characterized her earlier work, blending modern pop arrangements with traditional Middle Eastern musical elements. The lead single, “Moush Adra Estana,” received significant airplay on regional music channels and radio stations and was supported by a widely broadcast music video. The album included collaborations with several prominent composers and lyricists in the Arab music industry and addressed themes commonly explored in contemporary Arabic pop music, including romance, personal independence, and emotional expression. Habibi Ana further reinforced Wehbe’s position within the regional pop music landscape and contributed to the continued expansion of her audience across the Middle East.

==== 2010–2012: Baby Haifa, and Malikat Jamal Al Kawn ==== In March 2010, Wehbe released a children’s album titled Baby Haifa through Rotana Records. The album represented a departure from her earlier pop-oriented releases and was aimed at younger audiences. One of its most recognized songs, “Baba Fein,” gained widespread popularity across Arabic-speaking audiences and became a frequently circulated children’s song on television and digital platforms. In April 2010, Wehbe collaborated with French DJ and producer David Vendetta on the track “Yama Layali,” which appeared on his album Vendetta. The collaboration represented a crossover between Arabic pop and European electronic music styles. On May 8, 2012, Wehbe released the album Malikat Jamal Al Kawn (Arabic: ملكة جمال الكون; “Miss Universe”) through Rotana Records. The album features fourteen tracks that blend contemporary Arabic pop with elements of Western and Middle Eastern musical styles and includes songs performed in Lebanese, Egyptian, and Gulf dialects. The album achieved notable commercial success and reached the number-one position on the iTunes worldwide albums chart, making Wehbe one of the first Lebanese artists to reach the top position on the platform.

==== 2013–present:Breathing You In, and Mariam ==== In 2014, she collaborated with director and producer Tarik Freitekh on the single “Farhana,” which was performed and filmed during the 2014 season of the television program Your Face Sounds Familiar (Arabic: شكلك مش غريب). The performance reflected her continued engagement with regional television entertainment platforms. Later that year, Wehbe released the English-language single “Breathing You In,” accompanied by a music video featuring dancer and choreographer Casper Smart. The project marked one of her efforts to incorporate English-language material and international collaborations into her work. In 2018, Wehbe expanded her acting career by starring in the Egyptian television drama Lanaat Karma. The series marked her return to television drama and broadened her presence within the Egyptian entertainment industry. In September 2018, she released her seventh studio album, Hawwa (Arabic: حوا). The album contains fifteen tracks and was produced independently by Wehbe. Following its release, Hawwa reached the number-one position on the iTunes charts in several markets and received significant digital streaming activity across the Middle East. In 2021, Wehbe released the duet single “Law Kont” with Egyptian actor and singer Akram Hosny. The song achieved significant digital viewership shortly after its release and ranked among the most widely viewed Arabic music videos on YouTube during its debut period.