Julia Boutros

Boutros was born in Beirut, Lebanon, on April 1, 1968. Her father is originally from Lebanon, while her mother is from Palestine, with an Armenian background. She was educated at the Rosary Sisters Schools where she sang in the school choir. Growing up, she and her brother were heavily influenced by Ziad Rahbani's works. When she was 12 years old, she recorded her first song, entitled "A Maman",[1] at Elias Al Rahbani Studios. She also recorded two other songs, "C'est la Vie" & "Viens dans Ma Vie".[1]

On October 11, 2006, she announced a new single called "Ahibaii" (Dearly Beloved). The lyrics are based on a letter sent by Hezbollah secretary-general Hassan Nasrallah to the fighters in South Lebanon during the 2006 Summer War between Hezbollah and Israel. The poet Ghassan Matar adapted the original text. The music is composed by Ziad, brother of Julia and arranged by Michel Fadel. The profits from the song's sale went to help the families of Hezbollah fighters and to all Lebanese who died during the Israel-Lebanon conflict. Sales eventually garnered USD$3 million for the families of the Lebanese civilians, soldiers, security forces, and Hezbollah fighters who have been killed in the Israel-Lebanon conflict. The sum was triple the original aim, which was only USD$1 million. The families of Lebanese soldiers killed during operation Naher el-Bared also received a portion of the money.

Besides support for Hezbollah she has also given her support for Palestinian armed resistance groups in Gaza with the song "Al-Haq Silahi" (Righteousness Is My Weapon) and for the Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.[4]

• National Order of the Cedar, 2007[5]

• Julia Boutros on Facebook