Layal Mounir Abboud (, ; born 15 May 1982) is a Lebanese pop singer,

folk music Folk music is a music genre that includes #Traditional folk music, traditional folk music and the Contemporary folk music, contemporary genre that evolved from the former during the 20th-century folk revival. Some types of folk music may be ca ...

entertainer An entertainer is someone who provides entertainment in various different forms. Types of entertainers

* Acrobat * Actor * Archimime * Barker (occupation), Barker * Beatboxer * Benshi * Bouffon * Cheerleader * Circus arts, Circus perform ...

sound In physics, sound is a vibration that propagates as an acoustic wave through a transmission medium such as a gas, liquid or solid. In human physiology and psychology, sound is the ''reception'' of such waves and their ''perception'' by the br ...

- lyric poet,

concert dance Concert dance (also known as performance dance or theatre dance in the United Kingdom) is dance performed for an audience. It is frequently performed in a theatre setting, though this is not a requirement, and it is usually choreographed and perf ...

r, fit model and

Muslim Muslims () are people who adhere to Islam, a Monotheism, monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God ...

humanitarian Humanitarianism is an ideology centered on the value of human life, whereby humans practice benevolent treatment and provide assistance to other humans to reduce suffering and improve the conditions of humanity for moral, altruistic, and emotiona ...

. Born to a musical family in the Southern Lebanese Tyrian village of Kniseh, Abboud is a former ISF

officer An officer is a person who has a position of authority in a hierarchical organization. The term derives from Old French ''oficier'' "officer, official" (early 14c., Modern French ''officier''), from Medieval Latin ''officiarius'' "an officer," fro ...

and studied

English literature English literature is literature written in the English language from the English-speaking world. The English language has developed over more than 1,400 years. The earliest forms of English, a set of Anglo-Frisian languages, Anglo-Frisian d ...

at Lebanese University,

translation Translation is the communication of the semantics, meaning of a #Source and target languages, source-language text by means of an Dynamic and formal equivalence, equivalent #Source and target languages, target-language text. The English la ...

at Beirut Arab University and musical expression at the American University of Science and Technology. She appeared for the first time in the Studio El-Fan series debuts as a South Lebanese competitor from 2001 to 2002. Abboud's musical career flourished with the release of her first album '' Fi Shouq'' () published in late 2007. Sings in different

Arabic dialects Varieties of Arabic (or dialects or vernaculars) are the linguistic systems that Arabic speakers speak natively. Arabic is a Semitic languages, Semitic language within the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic family that originated in the Arabian P ...

, famous for her presentation of Lebanese folklore music and internal summer concerts and tours. Abboud is a singer member in the Syndicate of Professional Artists in Lebanon.

Early life and education

Layal Abboud was born into a large Shiite Muslim family in the southern village of Kanisah in Lebanon's Tyre District. Abboud's father and mother, named Mounir and Maryam, had three brothers and six sisters between them. As a child Abboud started singing and dancing and was a fan of

Egypt Egypt ( , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a country spanning the Northeast Africa, northeast corner of Africa and Western Asia, southwest corner of Asia via the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to northe ...

ian pop singer Amr Diab. Her father encouraged her and bought her a violin while she was six years old. Starting at age 14 she worked as a private tutor for more than 13 students. Abboud studied English literature at the Lebanese University and translation in the Beirut Arab University, graduating with a

master's degree A master's degree (from Latin ) is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional prac ...

. She went on to study music at the Lebanese National Higher Conservatory of music for two years. Abboud served as an

for the Lebanese Police Force, working security for two years in the

Beirut–Rafic Hariri International Airport Beirut–Rafic Hariri International Airport (, , previously known as Beirut International Airport) () is the only operational commercial airport in Lebanon. It is located in the Dahieh, Southern Suburbs of Beirut, Lebanon, from the Beirut Cen ...

's Inspection Department.

Musical career

Abboud appeared on TV for the first time on the hit show Studio El-Fan as a competitor for its 2001–02 season. She sang at various Beirut cafés and restaurants, eventually networking with musicians like Richard Najm, Tony Abi Karam, and Salim Salameh. Abboud went on to study music under Richard Najm, and in 2006 became a

multi-instrumentalist A multi-instrumentalist is a musician who plays two or more musical instruments, often but not exclusively at a professional level of proficiency. Also known as woodwind doubler, doubling, the practice allows greater ensemble flexibility and mor ...

skilled in the oud,

organ Organ and organs may refer to: Biology * Organ (biology), a group of tissues organized to serve a common function * Organ system, a collection of organs that function together to carry out specific functions within the body. Musical instruments ...

and

guitar The guitar is a stringed musical instrument that is usually fretted (with Fretless guitar, some exceptions) and typically has six or Twelve-string guitar, twelve strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming ...

. Her first album, '' Fi Shouq'' (: ''On Longing'') was released in late 2007. In an interview with Egyptian media about her penchant to

music Music is the arrangement of sound to create some combination of Musical form, form, harmony, melody, rhythm, or otherwise Musical expression, expressive content. Music is generally agreed to be a cultural universal that is present in all hum ...

, Abboud has stated, "

Music Music is the arrangement of sound to create some combination of Musical form, form, harmony, melody, rhythm, or otherwise Musical expression, expressive content. Music is generally agreed to be a cultural universal that is present in all hum ...

is my

life Life, also known as biota, refers to matter that has biological processes, such as Cell signaling, signaling and self-sustaining processes. It is defined descriptively by the capacity for homeostasis, Structure#Biological, organisation, met ...

!" Abboud's inspirations include Ammar El Sherei, Baligh Hamdi and

Sabah Sabah () is a States and federal territories of Malaysia, state of Malaysia located in northern Borneo, in the region of East Malaysia. Sabah has land borders with the Malaysian state of Sarawak to the southwest and Indonesia's North Kalima ...

whom Abboud called the "ideal of my art career." In July 2014 Abboud also said that she is "very much drawn to French musicians, possibly because I’m a bit of a hopeless romantic." In addition to being a singer and musician, Abboud is also a poet and

composer A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. Etymology and def ...

, though says that she refrains from publishing her poetry or compositions in order to focus on her musical career as advised by her manager Dory Shehade.

Business and fashion

Layal Abboud - Plaza Palace Ceremony - Beirut - July 2015 - Lebanon 19

In 2014, Abboud called Akel Fakih "the mastermind" behind the way she dresses in her professional, social, and daily life. In 2015, Akel Fakih said he works with Layal Abboud "in a very distinctive and upscale way, going on to say that, "there is a chemistry that brings me together in fashion. She trusts my opinion and tastes, and this is one of the reasons why Layal chose me in her concerts." Abboud has elaborated on her fashion team, saying, "Elie Samaan does my hair and makeup; my stylist is Serene Assaad, and my photographer is Hussein Salman."
On 12 October 2017, She appeared publicly for the first as a fit and fashion model dressed and designed by Akl Fakih, in ''Design & Brands Event'' held at the Four Seasons Hotel of Beirut.
Abboud is founder of

Amman Amman ( , ; , ) is the capital and the largest city of Jordan, and the country's economic, political, and cultural center. With a population of four million as of 2021, Amman is Jordan's primate city and is the largest city in the Levant ...

-based wedding planning company Loulou Secret. She also runs Layal Productions for her music.

Media issues

Sometimes called a seductive artist and

femme fatale A ( , ; ), sometimes called a maneater, Mata Hari, or vamp, is a stock character of a mysterious, beautiful, and Seduction, seductive woman whose charms ensnare her lovers, often leading them into compromising, deadly traps. She is an archetype ...

by '' Al Akhbar'' and other critics, Abboud appeared on the program ''Bala Teshfir'' on the Al Jadeed network in 2015, stating, "Being bold is not seduction". She believes there is a bias against her and said, "I am a normal artist and contemporary with

fashion Fashion is a term used interchangeably to describe the creation of clothing, footwear, Fashion accessory, accessories, cosmetics, and jewellery of different cultural aesthetics and their mix and match into Clothing, outfits that depict distinct ...

." In 2016,

counterfeit A counterfeit is a fake or unauthorized replica of a genuine product, such as money, documents, designer items, or other valuable goods. Counterfeiting generally involves creating an imitation of a genuine item that closely resembles the original ...

images were published attributed to Abboud's likeness. She appointed attorney Haitham Tarshishi to file a

lawsuit A lawsuit is a proceeding by one or more parties (the plaintiff or claimant) against one or more parties (the defendant) in a civil court of law. The archaic term "suit in law" is found in only a small number of laws still in effect today ...

against "all those involved in the forgery of a picture attributed to her through

social media Social media are interactive technologies that facilitate the Content creation, creation, information exchange, sharing and news aggregator, aggregation of Content (media), content (such as ideas, interests, and other forms of expression) amongs ...

sites, accompanied by words beyond the limits of fitness." In August 2016 the Lebanese Broadcasting Corporation reported that a suspect had been arrested. In April 2017, as a guest on the LBCI

satirical Satire is a genre of the visual arts, visual, literature, literary, and performing arts, usually in the form of fiction and less frequently Nonfiction, non-fiction, in which vices, follies, abuses, and shortcomings are held up to ridicule, ...

program ''La-hon Wa-bas'' hosted by Hicham Haddad, Abboud condemned an issue of '' Nadine'' magazine for its depiction of her chest and face shape with the words, "Bigger than this chest" emblazoned on its cover, based on her quote while she used Arabic word of ṣadr which can be an invocation for conscience and heart. She accused the magazine of trying to increase readership by

dumbing down Dumbing down is the deliberate oversimplification of intellectual content in education, literature, cinema, news, video games, and culture. Originating in 1933, the term "dumbing down" was movie-business slang, used by screenplay writers, meanin ...

and oversimplifying its content. Earlier in Jun 26, 2017 strongly criticized yellow-pens of Lebanese music journalists.

Personal life

Moved to

Beirut Beirut ( ; ) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Lebanon. , Greater Beirut has a population of 2.5 million, just under half of Lebanon's population, which makes it the List of largest cities in the Levant region by populatio ...

in 2009. Abboud cares about her

physical health Health has a variety of definitions, which have been used for different purposes over time. In general, it refers to physical and emotional well-being, especially that associated with normal functioning of the human body, absent of disease, pain ...

and

elegance Elegance is beauty that shows unusual effectiveness and simplicity. Elegance is frequently used as a standard of Taste (sociology), tastefulness, particularly in visual design, decorative arts, literature, science, and Mathematical beauty, the ...

. In June 2017 she publicly confirmed that she had undergone

rhinoplasty Rhinoplasty (, nose + , to shape), commonly called nose job, medically called nasal reconstruction, is a plastic surgery procedure for altering and reconstructing the human nose, nose. There are two types of plastic surgery used – plastic sur ...

, but that the rest of her features were not the result of plastic surgery, stating, "The secret of my beauty is sport". She is an advocate for a public

smoking ban Smoking bans, or smoke-free laws, are public policies, including criminal laws and occupational safety and health regulations, that prohibit tobacco smoking in certain spaces. The spaces most commonly affected by smoking bans are indoor employ ...

for Lebanon, saying, "Smoking and non-smoking areas must be allocated". Having had an interest in sport and horseback riding since childhood, Abboud has four horses, which she keeps in the village of Tanbourit in Lebanon's Sidon District. Their names are Rim, Loulou, Khaybar (named after Khaibar-1) and Layal (named after her given name). Abboud is a practising Muslim. She fasts and abstains from performing during

Ramadan Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar. It is observed by Muslims worldwide as a month of fasting (''Fasting in Islam, sawm''), communal prayer (salah), reflection, and community. It is also the month in which the Quran is believed ...

, and holds the pre-dawn and post-sunset meals of

Suhur ''Suhur'', ''sahur'' or ''sahoor'' (; ), also called ''sahari'', ''sahri'', or ''sehri'' (), is the meal consumed early in the morning by Muslims before fasting ( sawm), before dawn during or outside the Islamic month of Ramadan. The meal is eat ...

and

Iftar ''Iftar'' () is the Fasting in Islam, fast-breaking Supper, evening meal of Muslims in Ramadan at the time of ' (call to prayer) of the Maghrib prayer. Iftar is the second meal of the day; during Ramadan, the daily fast begins immediately a ...

with her family. Involved in philanthropic activities and has described herself as an "abnormal generous person." On mid-January 2018, her home was burglarized and robbed of jewelry and cash, estimated at 100,000 US $ by her assistant.

Marriage and family

Abboud married at the age of sixteen in 1998 and gave birth to her only son, Jad, in 2004. She eventually divorced her husband, later describing the marriage as "very formal," adding, "My early marriage was the result of a love story. I am a romantic and dreamy woman." In June 2017 she said, "By respect among us, we divorced and I chose my career in art." In August 2017, Abboud spoke about her relation with a Lebanese diplomat, saying that it had ended because of their divergent career paths. On May 5, 2015, said there is a new love story in her life. About her relationship with her family, on June 15, 2017, said she was very much related to her father Mounir when lived between her family. But later when she grew up and had a son "who realized her mother's value", presented a song and gifted it to her mother, Maryam, which caused to her parents' return from staying in Saudi Arabia to Lebanon and decided to live close to each other.

Discography

Studio albums

* 2008: '' Fi Shouq'' * 2011: ''Ma Ba'eesh''

Non-album singles

* 2007: ''Winni Ya Winn'' * 2007: Albi Yamma * 2007: Tshoobi * 2007: Abouya 2alli * 2007: Aam Bihlamak * 2007: Hawasi Kella * 2007: Fi Shoo' * 2008: Wad Al Hetta * 2009: Shid El Jaroufe * 2009: Bjnoun * 2010: Lazem Taaraf * 2010: BIBI * 2010: Ahla Zaffe * 2010: Dinyi Wlad * 2010: Ma B3eesh * 2010: Ya Tayr El Tayer * 2012: Ya Ana Ya Ana * 2013: Khashkhash hadid El Mohra * 2014: Khaliha Bi Albi Tijrah

Filmography

;Casting/Starring * ''Satw Mosalas'' (2016) as cast member.

Awards and commemorations

* February 14, 2010: Honorary Award by Lebanese Armed Forces: Valentine's Day of 2010. * November 23, 2011: Honorary Award by Lebanese Armed Forces. * March 6, 2012: Lebanese festival of cinema and television. * June 15, 2014: Wazzani Folk Award. * December 10, 2014: Best 2014 Arabic Song, A Golden Award by ''Cairo Mondial Festival of Art and Media'': * November 24, 2015: Honorary Award by Lebanese Armed Forces. * April 27, 2016: Honorary Award by Lebanese Armed Forces. * March 19, 2016 : Recognition Award by Viken Tchaparian. * August 13, 2016 : Qousaya Folk Award * August 28. 2016 : Maghdouché Folk Award. * September 22, 2016: Revered by Guy Aswad. * April 17, 2017: 2017 Cultural Award for Artistic Creativity by ''Al-Aseel Association for Heritage Revival''. This award confused by Lebanese

Music journalists Music journalism (or music criticism) is media criticism and reporting about music topics, including popular music, classical music, and traditional music. Journalists began writing about music in the eighteenth century, providing commentary on ...

as an '' Authentic Award from Lebanese Ministry of Culture''. * May 11, 2017: AUL University Commemoration. * July 19, 2017: Bziza Folk Award.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Abboud, Layal 1982 births Living people 21st-century Lebanese businesswomen 21st-century guitarists 21st-century multi-instrumentalists 21st-century organists 21st-century Lebanese women singers American University of Science and Technology alumni Beirut Arab University alumni 21st-century Lebanese businesspeople Lebanese diarists Lebanese female dancers Lebanese dancers Lebanese women pop singers Lebanese guitarists Lebanese multi-instrumentalists Lebanese organists Lebanese oud players Lebanese philanthropists 21st-century police officers Lebanese pop singers Lebanese Shia Muslims Lebanese University alumni Members of Syndicate of Professional Artists in Lebanon People from Tyre District Lebanese women company founders Lebanese women philanthropists Lebanese folk singers Folk-pop singers Women police officers Lyric poets Sound poets Lebanese women poets 21st-century Lebanese poets Lebanese female models Dabke dancers Women organists 21st-century women guitarists Arabic-language singers of Lebanon