英語名人堂：中東麥當(dāng)娜

1976年3月10號，Haifa出生于黎巴嫩南部一個很小的村落，一個很普通的家庭。雖然遠(yuǎn)離黎巴嫩文化和藝術(shù)中心，但正如是金子總會發(fā)光一樣，當(dāng)她十六歲那年，人們終于發(fā)現(xiàn)了她的美麗和才智，經(jīng)過激烈角逐，Haifa從眾多美女中脫穎而出，當(dāng)選為黎巴嫩南部小姐。然后，在1996年的黎巴嫩小姐大賽中，她又榮獲黎巴嫩小姐亞軍的美稱。

這位黎巴嫩流行歌后被稱為中東的“麥當(dāng)娜”。十幾歲的時候，海法就當(dāng)模特兒，開始自己的演藝生涯。16歲的時候，海法就獲得“南黎巴嫩小姐”的桂冠了。2002年發(fā)行第一張專輯讓海法完成了從選美小姐到歌壇天后的華麗蛻變。2006年，她作為50 Cent在貝魯特首場演唱會的開場嘉賓;同年，她被《人物》雜志評為最美50人之一。

Haifa Wehbe was born in Southern Lebanon in 1976. She became a model when she was very young and became Miss South Lebanon when she was sixteen. She also married very young and had a daughter named Zeinab. In 1995, Wehbe was runner-up at the Miss Lebanon beauty contest, but was disqualified for not telling the judges about her marriage.

Wehbe and her beauty became famous all around the Arab world and appeared on over 100 magazine covers in 1996. She continued modelling but she loved singing and decided to use her fame to become a singer. In 2002, she released her debut album, titled ‘Huwa az-Zaman’, which was a huge hit across the Middle East. Other successful albums followed in 2005 and 2008.

Wehbe has become one of the most famous Arab singers. She has been on CNN and in 2006 became the first Arab artist to perform with rapper 50 Cent. She is also a TV star and has appeared oncountless shows. In June 2005, she launched her own jewellery brand, which is popular throughout the Middle East.

Wehbe is also known for speaking her mind on political issues. Her brother was killed in the 1982 Lebanon War. During the 2006 Israel-Lebanon conflict, she congratulated Hezbollah for its fight against Israel. She does raise eyebrows in more conservative Arab countries with her sexy image. In April 2008, Bahrain’s government banned her from performing in concert in Manama.