layal abboud was born into a large shia muslim family on may 15, 1982 in the southern village of kanisah in lebanon's tyre district. abboud's father and mother, named mounir and maryam, had three brothers and six sisters between them. as a child, abboud started singing and dancing and was a fan of egyptian pop singer amr diab. starting at age 14, she worked as a private tutor.