Hoda Haddad

Hoda Wadie Haddad (Arabic: هدى وديع حداد; born 15 August 1944) is a Lebanese singer and actress. She is known for her songs and work with the Rahbani brothers, Nasri Shamseddine, Joseph Nassif, Elie Choueiri and her older sister Fairuz (Nouhad Haddad).^[1]

Haddad was born shortly after the Lebanese independence in August 1944 to a modest family in the capital city, Beirut. Her parents were Wadie Haddad, a print worker, and Lisa Boustany, a housewife. She had two sisters, Nouhad (known by her artistic name Fairuz) and Amal, and a brother, Joseph.

Haddad hails from the Chouf district, as her husband Chawki Ziade. She has two children: Dina and Joseph.

Hoda Haddad joined her sister in most of her artistic work, even though she only occasionally performs short roles. This did not prevent her from achieving her own fame, derived from accompanying Rahbani songs and from participating in successful films and plays.^[2] Her first successful series was called Yawm Yawm Liyum (Day of the Year), the first part of 1972, and the second part of 1979. She sang with her sister Fairuz in the play Mays Al-Reem, Lulu, Sahrat Hob and Petra in 1977.^[3] These would be followed by the plays Akher Ayyam Sikrat, by Mansour Rahbani, in 1998, and Opera al-Dayaa in 2009. She was also present on the show Sahour and Ghounieh, in which she sang for the first time the song "Khalini Hobak", with lyrics by her nephew Ziad Rahbani.

Haddad's soft and expressive voice was praised by a number of people. She participated in the Rahbani Art School starting with the play Dawalib Al-Hawa in 1962, in which she portrayed an innocent rural girl. She sang a number of songs in plays and television sketches, including "Darj Al-Yasmeen", "Ya Tala'il", "Darj Al-Yasmeen", "Lido Alu Talaa", "Al-Yasmeen Al-Yasmeen Lo'h". She also performed another song in the play Qissat Hob, which was called "My Name Is My Love".^[4] Haddad has also had prose conversations in all plays, from the play The Ring Vendor to the play Petra in 1977, either a second or a third character. She also performed songs outside of theatre, such as "Rizqallah Ala Al-Arabiyat" and "Ala Al-Chaara Talaqna". She acted in several TV series and released songs through at least the 1990s; these include: "Ya Hallel", "Ya Bayya"," Let Us Hear No One", "Lina and Lina", and "Ala Shar". She also performed concerts in Lebanon.

• Schools Days (الدراسة)
• From Day to Day Part One (من يوم ليوم الجزء الأول)
• Saat w Ghaniya (ساعة وغنية)
• Dafater Al Dafater (دفاتر الليل)

• The Ring Vendor (بياع الخواتم)
• Safar Barlik (سفر برلك)
• The Lost Wife (الزوجة المفقودة)

• Wheels of Fancy (دواليب الهوى) – 1962
• Love Story (قصة حب)
• Mays Alreem (ميس الريم)
• Station (المحطة)
• Lulu (لولو)
• Petra (بترا) – 1977
• The Last Days of Socrates (آخر أيام سقراط)
• The Key Keeper (ناطورة المفاتيح)
• Sayf 840 (صيف ٨٤٠)