Biography 2025

Tania Saleh is a multidisciplinary Lebanese artist: singer, songwriter, and visual creator born in 1969. Widely regarded as a pioneer of the Arab alternative music scene, she has been at the forefront of blending contemporary artistic expression with regional cultural heritage since the release of her debut single "Ozone" in 1997.
Throughout her career, Saleh has continually explored diverse forms of artistic expression: musically, lyrically, and visually. A prolific songwriter, she has penned the majority of her own repertoire while simultaneously working to preserve and reinterpret traditional Lebanese and Arab musical and poetic legacies for young audiences.
Her collaborative work is notably diverse and includes artists such as Ziad Rahbani, Toufic Farroukh, Matteo (Chinese Man Records), Ibrahim Maalouf, Charbel Rouhana, Rayess Bek, Khaled Mouzanar, RZA, Nile Rodgers, Anneli Drecker, Lisa Nordström, Hazem Chahine, Lina Nyberg, Kjetil Bjerkestrand, Knut Reiersrud, Bugge Wesseltoft, Øyvind Kristiansen, Kari Bremnes, Terry Evans, Tarek Yamani, Joumana Haddad, Alaa Wardi, Sabrine Jenhani, Emel Mathlouthi, among others.

Since 1997, she has released nine studio albums and two live recordings, including:
• Tania Saleh (2002) self-produced
• Wehde (2011) self-produced
• Live at DRM (2012) self-produced
• A Few Images (2014) co-produced by KKV
• Intersection (2017) co-produced by KKV
• Live in Barcelona (EP, 2019) self-produced
• 10 A.D. (2021) co-produced by KKV
• Child’s Play (EP, 2024) self-produced
• Fragile (2025) self-produced

Her discography also includes several singles, such as “Ya Ghosna Naqa” (2006), “Slow Down” (2006), “Ya Baalback” (2015), “Show Me the Way-Remix” (2020), “Ya Reit” (2020), “Out of Sight” (2020), “From Me and You” (feat. Zãy) and most recently, “Matrah” and “Qul” (2025).

Saleh’s contributions extend to film and television. She wrote lyrics and coached singers for Nadine Labaki’s critically acclaimed films “Caramel” (2007) and “Where Do We Go Now?” (2011), and co-wrote the title track for Philip Araktinji’s Heritages (2014). Her music has been featured in numerous film and television soundtracks, including Fermin Muguruza’s animated film “Black Is Beltza 2” and Najwa Najjar’s “Between Heaven and Earth”. She has written songs for other prominent female vocalists such as Natacha Atlas, Abeer Nehme and Rasha Rizk.

Her work has received international recognition and exposure through numerous features, including in the Al Jazeera documentary series “Next Music Station” (directed by Fermin Muguruza), the PBS film “Dissonance and Harmony: Arab Music Goes West” (directed by Jon Brandeis), and various world music compilations by labels such as Putumayo (USA), Chinese Man Records (France), Galileo (Germany), Elkar (Basque Country), and more. In 2022, Saleh was featured in the single “Sakakeen” with the French label Chinese Man Records.

Her albums Intersection (2018) and 10 A.D. (2021), co-produced with Norwegian label KKV, both received the prestigious German Record Critics’ Award in the “World Music” category.

Notable highlights of her career include performances at:

• Hammamet Festival (Tunisia) – 2024
• Mawazine Festival (Morocco) – 2024
• UNESCO headquarters (France) – 2023
• Dubai Expo (UAE) – 2020
• The Barbican Centre & Liverpool Philharmonic (UK) – 2019 & 2017
• La Mercè Festival (Spain) – 2019
• Al Balad Festival (Jordan) – 2019
• Institut du Monde Arabe (France) – 2025 & 2018
• The Nobel Peace Center and Oslo World Music Festival (Norway) – 2019
• Bibliotheca Alexandria, Cairo Opera House (Egypt) – 2023, 2018, 2016
• Malmö Festival, Stockholm Kulturfestival, Kulturhuset Stadsteatern & Stallet (Sweden) – 2019 & 2018
• The Roxy – 2006 and Arlington Festival (USA) – 2008

In addition to her musical career, Saleh has been deeply involved in artistic residencies and educational workshops across the globe, including in Egypt, France, Italy, Sweden, Kuwait, the UAE, Switzerland, and Lebanon.

Her accolades include:
• Featured performer at the Byblos International Festival – 2002
• Guest artist for Ibrahim Maalouf at the Byblos International Festival – 2014
• Featured performer at the Baalbeck International Festival – 2015
• Carthage Music Festival: Jury member – 2019
• Lifetime Achievement Award from the Lebanese American University – 2018
• Stockholm International Film Festival: Best Film Soundtrack for "Where Do We Go Now?"
    Lyrics by Tania Saleh – Music by Khaled Mouzanar, Sweden (2011)
• Prix France Musique/SACEM: Best Film Soundtrack for "Where Do We Go Now?"
    Lyrics by Tania Saleh – Music by Khaled Mouzanar, France (2012)

Tania Saleh continues to be a vital voice in the contemporary Arab music scene, merging tradition and innovation to reflect the evolving cultural and emotional landscapes of the region.