Elissa

Birth Place	Deir el Ahmar, Lebanon
Education	Degree in political science, Lebanese University
Ethnicity	Lebanese

Biography

Elissa, born Elissar Zakaria Khoury, is a Lebanese singer and television personality from Deir el Ahmar in the Beqaa region of Lebanon. She was born on 27 October; most sources give the year as 1972, though some list 1971. Known for her romantic ballads, she is often called the "Queen of Emotions" and is one of the best-selling artists in the Middle East, with reported album sales of 30 million.

She first came to attention on the Lebanese talent show Studio El Fan in 1992, released her debut album in 1998 and became a regional star with the 2002 single "Ayshalak". Elissa was the first Lebanese artist to win the World Music Award for best-selling Middle Eastern artist (2005), and she won it again in 2006 and 2010.

Beyond music, she is known for campaigning on women's rights in Lebanon and for raising awareness of breast cancer.

Early Life

Elissa's father, Zakaria Khoury, was a poet, and her mother, Youmna Suud, is of Syrian-Lebanese background. She is one of six children and was raised in the Beqaa Valley. She has described a difficult childhood marked by her parents' frequent disagreements, and has said she was especially close to her father.

At her father's request she and her sister attended a French boarding school, where a nun noticed her singing ability. She later earned a degree in political science from the Lebanese University before committing to music.

Career

Elissa won a silver medal on Studio El Fan in 1992. Her first album, Baddy Doub, was released through EMI Music Arabia in 1998, and her second, W'akherta Maak (2000), included "Betghib Betrouh", a duet with Ragheb Alama. The title track of her third album, Ayshalak (2002), became a major hit.

After moving to Rotana she released a long run of albums, including Ahla Dounya (2004), Bastanak (2006), Ayami Bik (2007), Tesada'a Bemeen (2009), Asaad Wahda (2012), Halet Hob (2014), Saharna Ya Leil (2016), Ila Kol Elli Bihebbouni (2018) and Sahbit Raey (2020), and became the label's best-selling artist. Her World Music Awards came for Ahla Dounya, Bastanak and Tesada'a Bemeen, making her the only female artist to win that category more than once. She was also nominated for Best Arabian Act at the 2007 MTV Europe Music Awards.

After a dispute over her master recordings, Elissa founded her own label, E-Records, in 2022 and released the album Ana Sekketen in 2024. She has reported more than a billion streams on Anghami, where she is the most-streamed female artist.