Julia Boutros (Arabic: جوليا بطرس, romanized: Jūliyā Buṭrus; born April 1, 1968)[1] is a Lebanese singer.
Early life
Boutros was born in Beirut on April 1, 1968, in a Maronite Christian family. Her father is originally from the costal City of Tyre in South 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, fellow musician Ziad Boutros, were heavily influenced by Ziad Rahbani's works.[1]
Career
When she was 12 years old, Boutros recorded her first song, entitled "À Maman", at Elias Al Rahbani Studios. She also recorded two other songs, "C'est la vie" and "Viens dans ma vie".[1] She rose to prominence in the 1980s with a series of songs like "Ghabet Shams El Haq" (The Sun of Justice Has Gone) and "Wein el Malayeen" (Where Are the Millions).[citation needed]
On October 11, 2006, she released a new single titled "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 Lebanon War between Hezbollah and Israel. The poet Ghassan Matar adapted the original text. The music is composed by Boutros's brother Ziad and arranged by Michel Fadel.[2]
In December 2023, during the Israel–Hamas war, she sang a song titled "Yamma Mwel Lhawa" (Oh Mother, What's with the Wind?) in support of Palestinians.[3]
She destined the profits from the sales of "Ahibaii" ($3 million) to help the families of Hezbollah fighters and of all the Lebanese who were killed during the 2006 war. The sum was triple the original aim, which was only $1 million, and the families of Lebanese soldiers killed during 2007 Lebanon conflict also received a portion of the proceeds.[2] 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), as well as Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.[6][7][8]
In July 2007, Lebanese president Émile Lahoud named Boutros an Officer of the National Order of the Cedar for her initiatives and artistic work in support of the national cause.[9]
