Famous Lebanese Women

Nancy Ajram is a Lebanese singer and businesswoman. She began performing as a child and was just 15 when she released her debut album. As a young woman, she became known as a sex symbol. She has sold millions of records worldwide and is one of the best-selling Middle Eastern music artists. She has numerous accolades to her name.

Lebanese singer-actor Nuhad al-Haddad, better known by her stage name Fairouz, began her career with Radio Lebanon. Now considered a cultural icon of Lebanon, she soared to fame with her collaborations with the Rahbani Brothers and was married to Assi El Rahbani. Itab remains her best-known hit.

One of the bestselling Arab music artists of her time, Lebanese-Egyptian singer Haifa Wehbe soared to fame with hits such as Touta. The 6-time Murex d’Or Award-winning artist has also starred in movies such as Dokkan Shehata and TV series such as Kalam Ala Warak and Maryam.

Born to a Lebanese father and a Tunisian mother, Nadine Nassib Njeim was crowned Miss Lebanon 2004 and later represented Lebanon at the Miss Universe pageant. She exhibited her acting skills in series such as Samra. After being injured in the deadly 2020 Beirut explosion, she underwent a 6-hour surgery.

Lebanese diva Cyrine Abdelnour made her mark in modelling working with fashion-designers like Zuhair Murad. She received the title Model of the World. She has acted in many Arabic television serials and films and won four Murex D'or awards as the best Lebanese actress. Her song Law Bas Fe Aini emerged as one of the most-popular Lebanese songs in 2006.   

Legendary Lebanese singer Sabah, nicknamed Shahruret-el Wadi, was one of the first international music icons from her country. She had not only performed at prestigious venues such as the Carnegie Hall and the Royal Albert Hall, but was also a star of Egyptian movies such as El-Qalb Louh Wahid.

Lebanese singer, actor, and dancer Myriam Fares is regarded as the Queen of the Stage and is often compared to Shakira. A Christian star in the Arab world, she has faced cyber trolling in the past for her religious views. She is known to international audiences for her documentary Myriam Fares: The Journey.

Singer-songwriter and fashion-icon Najwa Karam rose to prominence as a leading Lebanese singer and a Middle Eastern pop-icon with albums like Oyoun Qalbi and Nedmaneh. The latter won her a Murex d'Or award and several Rotana Records awards. Known for her unique style of blending traditional and contemporary Arabic music, Karam has appeared as a judge at Arabs Got Talent.

Lebanese-American author and activist Brigitte Gabriel is known for her prominent anti-Muslim stance. She went through a troubled childhood in Lebanon, after her village was bombed by Muslim radicals. She lived in Israel as a refugee, before moving to the US and launching the anti-Islam organization ACT! for America.

A singer, known for her patriotic songs, Julia Boutros is also the wife of former defense minister of Lebanon, Elias Bou Saab. She soared to fame with tracks such as Ghabet Shams El Haq and once donated the profits garnered from one of her tracks to the Lebanese victims of the Israel-Lebanon conflict.

Lebanese pop star Nawal Al Zoghbi is often compared to Madonna for her sassy style. Politically outspoken, she supports the Palestinian cause. Known for using the oud, she has achieved popularity with tracks such as El Layali and Habeit Ya Leil and won honors such as the Murex d'Or Award.

Lebanese singer-actor Diana Haddad has been one of the most popular artists from the Arab pop world. Known for her versatility, the singer first soared to fame at age 16, when she appeared on the talent show Studio El Fan. Some of her greatest tracks include Ammanih, Mani Mani, and Ya Aibo.

Singer Yasmine Hamdan began her career with the rock band Lombrix and then soared to fame as part of Soapkills, an indie electro-pop band, with Zeid Hamdan. An Arab music icon, she later stepped into the French electronic new wave scene. Now married to filmmaker Elia Suleiman, she stays in Paris.

Rula F. Saadah Ghani is the wife of Ashraf Ghani who served as fifth President of Afghanistan until his government was overthrown by the Taliban on August 15, 2021. The Ghani family fled from Afghanistan on the same day. Rula advocated for women’s rights as the First Lady and was named to the Time 100 list by Time magazine in 2015.

Josephine is a Greek singer who took part in the Eurovision Song Contest in 2014 where she represented her country with the song Dancing Night. She became a household name in Greece in 2020 when she won the fourth season of the popular reality show Just the 2 of Us.

Lebanese singer Majida El Roumi was 16 when she first gained attention on the show Studio el Fan. The soprano artist is also a human rights activist and has been a UN Food and Agriculture Organization ambassador. She has also worked for osteoporosis prevention and environmental concerns.

Lebanese-Swedish singer Darine is best known for her hit tracks such as Aiwa and Ma Fi Ella Enta. Her tracks cater to both English and Arabic listeners. She has remained away from the music industry for a while but plans to release an extended play by mid-2022.

Daniella Semaan is a Lebanese model who achieved popularity after marrying popular Spanish football star, Cesc Fàbregas. As a model, Daniella Semaan has graced the covers of many famous fashion magazines. She is also popular on social media platforms, such as Instagram where she has more than three million followers.

Mai Ghoussoub was a Lebanese artist, human rights activist, writer, and publisher. Ghoussoub is credited with co-founding the London-based Saqi publishing house and bookshop. Established in 1979, the bookshop was the first of its kind in London to specialize in Arabic works.

A pioneering Arab feminist and romantic poet, May Ziadeh was a major figure of the Nahda, or the Arab Enlightenment of the 20th century. She initially mostly wrote in French, using the pseudonym Isis Copia, while she later drifted toward Arabic. Al-Mûsawât and Sawâneh fatât remain 2 of her best-known works.

Lebanese-born author and set designer Juman Malouf mostly grew up in London. Educated in art history and costume design in the US, she later designed sets for various films and plays. She penned the novel The Trilogy of Two. Married to filmmaker Wes Anderson, she has also been part of his films.