biography
Haifa Wehbe was born on March 10, 1976, in Beirut, Lebanon. Growing up, she listened to jazz and R&B, all the while dreaming of becoming a singer and performing in front of huge crowds. But her first steps toward Middle Eastern stardom came from how she looked, not how she sounded.
At age 16, after she had begun entering beauty contests, she won the title of Miss South Lebanon.
haifa wehbe is miss lebanon
Haifa's next distinction came nine years later, in 1995, when she was a runner-up in the Miss Lebanon competition.
But in the intervening years, Haifa had gotten married and had a daughter, Zaza. When this was discovered, Haifa's title was revoked, although many still considered her the most beautiful young woman in Lebanon.
haifa wehbe releases howa el zaman
Despite the scandal, by 1996, Haifa's modeling career took off. She was in great demand at fashion shows, and photographs of her could be seen inside and on the covers of every major magazine in the Middle East -- over 100 of them. Haifa had become a star throughout the Arab world.
Encouraged by fans and the supportive Rotana music company, Haifa released an album, marking a career change from model to singer. Howa el Zaman was a smash hit, propelling Haifa to new heights of stardom. She appeared with Omar Sharif at the Cannes Festival, and was interviewed by reporters at CNN and Arte TV.
She performed in many concerts over the next few years, including Kartaba and Rayfoun in Lebanon, which drew crowds of 20,000. By early 2005, Haifa's popularity was such that she even considered running for a seat in the Lebanese parliament.
haifa wehbe at the carthage festival
But Haifa's place at the top hasn't been without problems. Arab media criticized her for being too sexually provocative, and in 2004, a mere 200 unenthusiastic spectators attended her concert at the Carthage Festival in Tunisia. Haifa, for her part, claimed that she had been forced into it by her record company, Rotana; their relationship was further strained when one of Haifa's videos was broadcast by a competing music channel.
Nevertheless, her second album, Badi Aish, was released to acclaim.
haifa wehbe fights with marwa
In 2005, Haifa accused rival Lebanese songstress Marwa of stealing her ideas in a music video for the song "Rajab." Haifa was supposed to appear in the same dress worn by legendary Egyptian actress Hind Rustom in the film Bab Al Hadeed (The Iron Door), but Marwa apparently did just that and released her video first.
haifa wehbe's engagement to tareq al jafali broken
Haifa has had hiccups in her personal life, too. Her first marriage ended, and although she was engaged to Saudi businessman Tareq Al Jafali in the summer of 2005, he broke off the engagement in September, reportedly because his family put pressure on him.
The incident was very public, since Haifa had announced the engagement (and showed off her ring) on the reality TV show Al Wadi, a kind of Arabic The Simple Life. In addition to TV, Haifa has also appeared in the play In Kibir Ibnak and the movie Rasa' el Al Bahr.
