Haifa Wehbe (Arabic: ???? ????); (also spelled Haifaa Wahbi, Haifa Wehbe, Hayfa Wehbeh, Hayfa Wehbi) (born March 10, 1976 in Beirut, Lebanon). Wehbe is an Arab model and singer from Lebanon who took the Arab world by storm after the release of her first album It is Time (Arabic: ?? ????? Howa el Zaman).

Biography

Wehbe was born to a Lebanese Shiite father and a Egyptian Coptic mother. She grew up in Beirut, Lebanon, listening to jazz and R&B. She became a model at a very young age and won the title of "Miss South Lebanon" at age sixteen.

Her next distinction came 9 years later in 1995 when she was runner up for Miss Lebanon. However it was discovered since her last win that she had married and had a daughter named Zeinab (Zaza). Her title was revoked since she obviously no longer qualified as a 'Miss'.

By 1996 she had recovered from the scandal and was doing quite a bit of modeling. She had been seen on over 100 magazine covers.

She released her first album, titled It is Time (Arabic: ?? ????? Howa el Zaman) which surprised many people given the low expectations. It was mainly a hit thanks to her debut single "Agoul Ahwak (English: I love you)". Many of the expectations were low for what her vocals would sound like. She is still not widely regarded as a talented singer (similiar to Britney Spears critics in the US), though she is famous for her fun music, performances, and sexy outfits.

Her second album I Want to Live (Arabic: ??? ??? Baddi 'Eish) was released in 2005 and lived up to expectations due to the success of its lead single Hayat Albi. In 2006 she released a follow up single Bous El Wawa that so far has done well.

On June 10th, 2006 Haifa became the first artist in the Arab World to introduce international hip-hop superstar 50 Cent when she performed as an opening act for his first concert in Lebanon, at BIEL in Beirut.

She remains popular among Lebanon's youth and makes countless television appearances. In July 2005, Wehbe, along with 14 other celebrities from the Arab world, began airing the live pan-Arab reality show series The Valley (Arabic: ?????? El Wadi), based on the French reality show La Ferme Célébrités.

The show aired for three months, 24/7. It was critically acclaimed and won over many of her harsh critics. The show featured weekly live performances in which Wehbe played a central role as well as singing songs from her new album. She also liked to talk about her engagement and show off her ring.

Her other non music successes include a few movie roles and presenting as well. Haifa has also stayed busy designing her own range or diamond jewelry and being a spokesmodel for Pepsi.

Personal Life

Haifa's first marriage ended and she later on announced her engagement to a Saudi businessman, Tariq Al-Jaffali, surprising many people in the Middle East and around the world. Rumors about the expensive gifts he offered her began to circulate immediately. However, after only a few weeks, she and her fiancée decided to split for personal and familial reasons (it was believed her family pressured her not to marry him).

Outside of her love life she has also had an image for being difficult and catty. She has been known to critcize singers for running around in skimpy outfits yet is guilty of that herself. She reportedly had issues with her family members (though she denies that), fellow musicians, and her record company.

Image

Haifa despite much success with her music is mainly known for her image. She constantly is seen in racy outfits that can sometimes be scandalous in the more conservative Arabic countries. In March of 2006 a reported video of Haifa's dress coming undone circulated on the web. However her management denied that it was true and refused commenting saying it wasn't worth worrying about.

Wehbe was ranked forty-nine in the 2006 Edition of the Top 99 Most Desirable Women by the popular website AskMen.com. She was also included in People's 2006 100 Most Beautiful People list.

Charity Work

Despite rumors of being difficult personally Haifa is well known for her charity work.

She was selected by BBC to promote the importance of learning English in the Middle East.

In 2006 she joined up with the 'British Breast Friend Association'; a Breast Cancer awareness campaign that sells pictures of famous people to support breast cancer charities.

Morocco denied Haifa access to their country to perform a charity concert for AIDS research. The concert had to be relocated to Tunisia

External links

• Official Website site
• Premiere Haifa fan site
• Haifa Wehbe Yahoo! Group
• Haifa Wehbe Fans Website
• Haifa Wehbe a News Website
• Haifa Wehbe Non-Official Forums
• Haifa Wehbe Bio, Pictures and Wallpapers
• Lebanon Wire: Article about Wehbe's plans running for Parliament
• Arabic Nights Haifa Wehbe profile