Elissa (Lebanese singer)  Elissar Zakaria Khoury (; born 27 October 1972), commonly known as Elissa (), is a Lebanese recording artist who is one of Lebanon's most famous singers and one of the best known artists in the Arab world. She has been among the highest-selling female Middle Eastern artists since 2005. In 2005, 2006 and 2010 she received the World Music Award for Best Selling Middle Eastern Artist and became the first Lebanese singer to receive the World Music Award for Best Selling Middle Eastern Artist in 2005. She has currently sold over 30 million albums worldwide. Elissa is also one of the richest celebrities in Lebanon, with a reported estimated wealth of over $40 million. As of 2019, Elissa has over 50 million followers on social media. In 2018, Elissa appeared as a judge on "The Voice Ahla Sawt", the Arab edition of "The Voice". Elissa was born in Deir el Ahmar to a Syrian mother and a Lebanese father. She has three brothers Ghassan, Kamil and Jihad and two sisters Norma and Rita. Elissa was raised in the Beqaa Valley with her other siblings. She graduated from the Lebanese University with a degree in Political Science. Although she had a degree in politics, she was additionally interested in making music. Therefore, after graduating, she decided to pursue a professional career in show business and in music. To successfully combine her passion of politics and theater, Elissa joined Le Théâtre de Dix-Heures, a Lebanese Theatrical Group. Elissa's musical career began in 1992, when she won the silver medal in Studio El Fan, a Lebanese music competition. Her first studio album, "Baddy Doub" (I Want to Melt), was released by EMI Records in 1999. For the album’s hit single, she included a second language by teaming up with Spanish singer, Gerard Ferrer. In the same year, Elissa got her first big brand deal when shampoo brand Head & Shoulders took her on as the empowering and bold face of the company in the Middle East. Elissa released her second album, "W Akherta Maak" (To the End With You), which included the duet, "Betghib Betrouh" (You Disappear, You Go...), sung with Lebanese recording artist Ragheb Alama. She was the only Arabic artist to perform in front of former United States President Bill Clinton at the Stars Charity show in Dubai.