Sunday, January 25, 2009

Hoda Haddad

Hoda is the sister of Fairouz. However, her participation in the Rahbani projects since the early 1960s is due to her talent and not to her family relationship to Fairouz. When Fairouz started to become a major star in Lebanon and in the Middle East in the 1950s, Hoda Haddad was a child. It was not until the start of the Baalbeck International Festivals that Hoda appeared on the scene.
While Hoda had a sweet voice, it lacked the power and charisma of Fairouz's presence on the stage and Fairouz's strong vocals. In the Rahbani's major productions, Hoda played the role of the innocent teenager in love with the charming fellow in the village, or the pretty villager who does a comic part. However, this does not discount Hoda's talents as a singer and a performer. It is her long association with Fairouz that paradoxically prevented her from developing a shining solo career.
Hoda played in every Fairouz major production. She appears in all three Fairouz movies (Bint al Hares, Baya al Khwatem, and Safarbarlek). She also participated in Fairouz's shows in and outside Lebanon. Hoda had her own TV series in which she plays the principal heroine (Min Yawm la Yawm). She also sings the theme song of the series that was very popular in Lebanon in 1971.
Currently Hoda is still playing a major role in the Rahbani's projects, most recently in "Socrate" by Mansour Rahbani. Hoda has at least 50 own songs (all by the Rahbanis), but does not have any album under her name. You may find her songs throughout Fairuz's large repertoire.
Hoda's Biography By Kamal Dib.

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