Carole Samaha

In 2004, she won the Arab Music Award for best female newcomer. She has also won multiple Murex d'Or awards and was nominated for best Arabia New Act in the MTV Europe Music Awards 2008. Before starting her pop music career, Carole Samaha was a classical actress and worked extensively with Mansour Rahbani and Marwan Rahbani. Her first music single was Bi Sabah el Alf el Talet in 2000. In 2007, Carole Samaha returned to the theater to play Zenobia in the Rahbani musical with the same name. She established her own production company, Lacarma, in 2009. In 2011, Carole Samaha starred in the TV series Al Shahroura, broadcast during Ramadan, as the singer and actress Sabah. In 2013, she was a judge on The X Factor (Arabic TV series) and she was the mentor for Young Pharoz, Maraya and Les Bledards Ninja. Later that year, she created the musical show "The Lady", produced by Rotana, which premiered on August 10, 2013.

• Name — Carole Samaha • Native Name — كارول سماحة • Born — 25 July 1972 • Birthplace — Beirut, Lebanon • Genre — Arabic pop music • Occupation — Singer, actress • Years Active — 1999–present • Website — https: carolesamaha.com/

Samaha was born on July 25, 1972, in Beirut to Antoine Samaha from Khenchara, Metn, a direct relative of Lebanese politician Shafik Mebarak Samaha (who left Zahlé, Lebanon for Colombia at the beginning of the 20th century) and Nouhad Hawi from Dhour El Choueir, Metn. Through the former, she is also related to Shafik Mebarak, nephew of Shakira. She has two brothers. Her parents supported different political factions, and according to Samaha that fact made her become "more open" to the different views of people, learning a great deal from that experience.

On November 1, 2013, Samaha married Walid Mostafa, an Egyptian businessman, in a civil ceremony in Limassol, Cyprus, following an 18-month courtship and short engagement. On August 31, 2015, Carole Samaha gave birth to a baby girl, Tala. She is a Maronite Christian. She holds both Lebanese and Egyptian citizenships, and in 2014 she began residing in Egypt with her late husband.

In July 2014, Samaha visited the Zaatari refugee camp in Jordan as a goodwill ambassador for the International Network for Rights and Development, where she met Syrian refugees and distributed gifts to children. In 2017, Samaha expressed support for a Lebanese court ruling that stated homosexuality was a natural right and not a criminal offense, praising the judge who issued the decision. She also expressed support for LGBT rights, stating that people should accept homosexuals "as they are", while saying she remained uncertain about same-sex adoption. During the 2019–2020 Lebanese protests, Samaha supported the protest movement and women's rights, including by performing a modified version of the Lebanese national anthem that explicitly included women. In 2020, Samaha attracted controversy after describing the COVID-19 vaccine as "the deal of the century" and expressing opposition to vaccination on social media. She also promoted disputed claims linking some vaccines to autism, drawing criticism from social media users and medical professionals. In 2021, Samaha sparked controversy after saying she did not identify as a feminist, arguing that men and women were not physically equal. She later clarified that she supported equal rights but rejected what she viewed as extremist forms of feminism. In 2023, Samaha sparked controversy over gender identity comments, saying humans are biologically either male or female and claiming that some doctors abroad delay assigning a newborn's sex until their gender identity is determined, calling such ideas an "agenda." She also linked COVID-19, vaccination, climate change, and LGBTQ-related campaigns to population reduction claims, and said that the film Barbie promoted avoiding marriage and having children. In 2026, amid the conflict in southern Lebanon, Samaha stated that "the South is not for sale" and criticized contact with Israeli military officials.

• 2003 — Helm (حلم – A Dream) • Oughniat El Toufoula (اغنية الطفولة – Children Songs) • 2004 — Ana Horra (انا حرة – I'm Free) • 2006 — Adwa' Al Shohra (أضواء الشهرة – Lights of Fame) • 2009 — Hdoudi Sama (حدودي السما – The Sky Is My Limit) • 2013 — Ehssas (إحساس – A Feeling) • 2016 — Zekrayati (ذكرياتي – Memories) • 2020 — Christmas Carole (Christmas songs)

• Year — Song — Album — Lebanese Charts — Egyptian Charts — Translation — Notes • 2003 — Oughniat El Toufoula — Oughniat El Toufoula — Childhood Songs • Habib Alby — Helm — 3 — 1 — My Love — First release apart from the Rahbani • 2004 — Etalaa Feyi — 1 — 4 — Look at Me — Casting Mister Lebanon 1997 Ghassan El Mawla • 2005 — Ghali Alayi — Ana Horra — 1 — 3 — You Mean A Lot To Me • Nezlet El Sitara — 48 — 32 — The Curtain Fell • Habbeit Delwa't — 28 — 2 — Now That I Loved — Movie soundtrack • 2006 — Esmaani — Adwa' Al Shohra — 1 — 19 — Listen To Me • Zaelni Mennak — 1 — 18 — I'm Upset With You • 2007 — Adwa'a El Shohra — 13 — 78 — Lights of Fame — Sponsored by Pepsi • Ya Rabi — Ana Wel Leil – Marwan Khoury — 1 — 3 — Oh God — Ft. Marwan Khoury • 2008 — Yama Layali — Hdoudi Sama — 43 — 3 — How Many Nights — Sponsored by Pepsi • Jeet (Majnouni) — Pepsi Sea of Stars – V/A, Hdoudi Sama — 1 — 3 — You Came (I Must Be Crazy) — Movie soundtrack • Ali — Hdoudi Sama — 7 — 1 — Ali — Promotional single • 2009 — Laily Lail — The Gipsy Man Sings from the Middle East – Mario Reyes — – — Ft. Mario Reyes, filmed in Morocco • Rag'aalak — Hodoudi Sama — 1 — 9 — Coming Back To You — Promotional single • Zabahny — 97 — 112 — "Slaughtered" Me — Promotional single • Ma Bkhaf — 1 — 1 — I Am Not Scared — First official single • 2010 — A'oul Ansak — 1 — 1 — I Try To Forget You — Second official single • Khallik Bhalak — 1 — 1 — Stay Away • 2011 — El Masry Ya Abu Dam — rowspan="3" • Malika Ala El Ard — Queen on Earth — A song from the TV series Al Shahroura • 2012 — Wahshani Bladi — I Miss My Country • Weta'awadet — Ehssas — And I Got Used [To It] • | 2013 — Ehssas — Ehssas — Feeling • 2014 — Sahranin — 7 — We're Partying/Staying Up — Written by Samaha, in collaboration with composer Mohamed Raheem, and arranged by Sleiman Damien. Popular in the nightlife scene. • 2016 — Rouh Fell — 17 — Leave — Top one in the Arab world on the music streaming service Anghami. • 2017 — Rejih Albi — 7 — My Heart Is Back • 2018 — Ensa Hmoumak — 5 — Forget Your Worries • 2018 — Mabrouk La Albi — 15 — Congratulations To My Heart • 2019 — Bet'amen Bel Sodfi — 4 — Do You Believe In Change • 2020 — Bon Voyage — 5 — _ — Co-written by Samaha. Top charting on Anghami • 2021 — Ya Shabab Ya Banat — 5 — Hey Boys And Girls • 2022 — Fawda — 1 — Chaos • 2026 — "Rise Up"(with Leona Lewis, Rita Ora & Rashed Al Nuaimi)