Amal Hijazi

Biography

Amal Hijazi (Arabic: أمل حجازي; born 20 February 1977) is a Lebanese actress and singer. Hijazi released her first record in 2001 and made her breakthrough a year later with her second album. In 2017 the BBC reported that her 2002 album Zaman was "one of the best selling Arabic pop records of all time". She released her debut album, Akher Gharam, in 2001, followed by her second album, Zaman in mid-2002. The latter included four number one hit singles, "Zaman", "Oulhali", "Einak" and "Romansyia". Her third album Bedawwar A Albi was released in early 2004 followed by the release of her fourth album Baya al Ward in 2006. In 2007 she released "Nefsy Tefhamny" and she released her fifth studio album, Keef el Amar, in 2008. In September 2017 she announced that she was retiring from popular music and in December that year she released a song in honour of the Prophet Muhammad.

== Early life == Amal Hijazi was born in Beirut, Lebanon, to a Shia family originally from Kfarfila, a town in the Nabatieh Governorate, southern Lebanon. She has five siblings, and her father died when she was ten years old. She lived in France for ten years during the Lebanese Civil War, studied Architecture and graduated in 2001.

== Career ==

=== 2000–2003: Rise to fame === Her first single Halan ("Right Away") was released in 2000 and acted as a catalyst for Hijazi to establish herself as a female artist in Lebanon. Hijazi's managers asked her to record another. Hijazi's second single Rayyah Balak ("Put Your Mind at Ease") was released a year later, for which she also shot a music video. On the same year her debut album Akher Gharam was released followed the lead single of the same name. The album was produced by Dilara Master Production and distributed by Music Master. Hijazi released her second studio album in 2002 Zaman (Long Ago). The title track, "Zaman" (cover of the Turkish song "Zaman" from Bendeniz, released in 2001) is still considered to be Hijazi's signature song. Hijazi was invited by the Jordan River Foundation to hold a concert under the patronage of Queen Rania Al-Abdullah. In 2003, she re-sang "Zaman" with Turkish singer Bendeniz for her album "Demedim Mi". A music video was released for the song and aired on Turkish as well as Arabic channels

=== 2006–2008: Baya al Ward and Keef el Amar === After an absence that lasted for more than two years, Hijazi released her fourth, studio album, Baya al Ward in 2006. The album generated negative reviews due to its bold lyrical content and unusual artwork. Hijazi had returned with a look that generated controversy when she appeared with short hair and clothes that "promoted homosexuality and lesbianism" according to critics. A shirt Hijazi wore in the music video for the song Baya al Ward led to accusations that Hijazi was promoting homosexuality. Hijazi denied the allegations, clarifying she did not know what the symbols on the shirt meant. In the video, Hijazi cuts her hair off and drowns herself at the end out of depression over the man who left her. In 2007, Hijazi released a new single, "Nefsy Tefhamny" which was a traditional and modern Khaleeji song. In 2008, Hijazi's released her fifth album Keef el Amar, which includes the single "Nefsy Tefhamny".

=== 2009–2017: Waylak Min Allah and Fen el Dameer === The album's second single "Albi Nadak" was released in 2009, a year later. Hijazi has stated that she has dedicated the song to motherhood and appears in the clip as a pregnant woman, the video was directed by Salem al Turk. Amal Hijazi came out with the new album Waylak Min Allah, with a single from it released with the same title. The single has reached No. 1 in Lebanon 6 December 2010</ref> and the story line of the video related to her husband betraying her love and also the country. The words mainly deal with his betrayal of her love and the time they spent together in the past, and reminiscence about time lost. At the end of 2011, Amal filmed a new video clip for her song "Ba'ayounak Za'al" followed by another video clip for the song "Be a'melni" early on 2012. As the Arab revolutions began and the violation of human rights increased, Amal released her single "Fen el Dameer" "Where is the Conscience" in April 2013. The song lyrics dealt immediately with situation of the Arab World. Hijazi filed a lawsuit against the music production company, Rotana, following their failure to stick to the terms and conditions of their contract.

=== 2017–present === Hijazi retired from artistic life in 2017. She contained to release occasional songs, primarily with religious themes. In 2025, she publicly shared that she had stopped wearing the hijab.

== Personal life == Hijazi married Mohammed al-Bassam in 2008; they have two children, Karim and Lareen. Hijazi was diagnosed with cancer in the 2010s, although she only communicated publicly about her chemotherapy treatments in 2025. Hijazi is a Shia Muslim.