Biography

Ziad Rahbani was a Lebanese composer, pianist, performer, playwright, and political commentator.

Ziad Rahbani, a staunch supporter of the Lebanese Communist Party and a fierce critic of the country's sectarian system, remained in Beirut during the civil war (1975-1990), settling in the city's western sector.

In recent years, Ziad Rahbani had largely withdrawn from the artistic scene, making only rare public appearances - most notably in 2018 at the Beiteddine Festival.

He began his artistic career in the early 1970s with the play Sahriye (evening), which was followed by several others that offered sharp critiques of Lebanese society.

At just 17, he composed his first song, Sa'alouni el nas ("People asked me"), performed by his mother Fairuz. He would go on to write other notable songs for her, including Kifak enta ("How are you?") and Bektob esmak ("I write your name").