Hiba Michel Tawaji (Arabic: هبة ميشال طوجي; born 10 December 1987) is a Lebanese singer, actress, and director.
Born in Achrafieh, Beirut to Lebanese Orthodox parents Michel and Adele, she grew up in Elissar, a neighborhood of Mazraat Yachouh in the Matn District.
[2] In 2008, Tawaji released her first single, "Metl El Rih" (Like the Wind), which received extensive airtime on TV channels across Lebanon.
In the meantime, Tawaji launched her stage career by debuting in 2008 as the protagonist in the musical The Return of the Phoenix by Mansour and Oussama Rahbani, played in Byblos and Dubai, alongside Ghassan Saliba, Antoine Kerbage, and Takla Chamoun.
The record also contained the songs "Zat Ellafti", with pop influences, and "La Tkelli Ennak Meshtakli" which is reminiscent of Fairuz's music in her later jazzy era with her son Ziad.
Hiba Tawaji's second album, Ya Habibi, was released in 2014 and was also positively received as it was carried by the singles "Khalas" and "Awwal Ma Cheftou".
Tawaji has also performed in 2013 and 2014 with the National Symphonic Orchestra of Ukraine, headlining shows in Lebanon, Oman and the United Arab Emirates.
In the Battles Round, Tawaji faced Nög, another contestant in Mika's team, singing "Mon amie la rose" by Françoise Hardy.
In the second live round, she sang "Amoureuse" from Véronique Sanson again ending as public favourite from Team Mika with the biggest number of votes.
Following her appearance on the show, Tawaji was signed to Mercury Records in 2015 and released her first single in French, "Comme un symbole", which she performed on The Voice as a musical guest on the eleventh episode of the fifth season.
On that occasion, she re-released a special version of her song "Min Elli Byekhtar" (Who Chooses), accompanied by a music video celebrating the lifting of the driving ban on women in Saudi Arabia.
Following this event, Tawaji performed a special Christmas concert—which she has since made a yearly tradition—and released a Christmas-special album titled Hallelujah, produced by Oussama Rahbani.
"Tarik" boosted Tawaji's career as it showcased her versatility and ability to also tap into mainstream genres far from her jazzy, orchestral, and lyrical influences.
Collaborating with Disney for the third time, Hiba Tawaji was selected to dub Naomi Scott's voice as Jasmine in the French version of the 2019 Aladdin live-action remake, providing both speaking and singing vocals.
2020 marked Hiba Tawaji's debut on TV screens as an actress, as the lead role in Arab series Hawas (Obsession) alongside Syrian star Abed Fahed.
She is managed by Lebanese-Canadian executive Wassim "SAL" Slaiby, the CEO of the label, which he launched to promote Arabic music on a global scale.
She also conducted a one-time concert open to public for free, called Night of Hope, in the first large musical event after the 2020 Beirut explosion.
The track is penned by long-time collaborator Oussama Rahbani and Adonis frontman Anthony Khoury and is accompanied by a music video shot in Paris.
She cites Dalida, Lara Fabian, Celine Dion, Whitney Houston, Léo Ferré, Daniel Lévi, and Charles Aznavour as her influences since childhood, alongside her personal favorite Mariah Carey, but stated she has never limited her music preferences to one genre.