Maria Nalbandian (born 1 August 1983 in Beirut, Lebanon), also known by her… Read Full Bio ↴Maria Nalbandian (born 1 August 1983 in Beirut, Lebanon), also known by her artist name Maria, is a Lebanese pop singer and model of Armenian descent, signed to Egyptian record label Melody. Her mother is an author and her father a singer. Nalbandian started modelling in her early teens, and in 2002 she represented Lebanon in the Miss Asia Bikini pageant on Malta and won. Ever since she made her debut as a singer, Maria has caused controversy for her music videos, directed by Jad Choueiri, which have been found provocative and even pornographic by some due to Maria's appearance in them and the music videos' themes. Her debut single, "Elaab", garnered her the nickname Maria Elaab. When Jad Choueiri chose to work with fellow Lebanese singer Dana Halabi (also known as Dana), the two singers fell out with each other. After a birthday party in a club in Beirut where Maria literally danced all over her giant birthday cake, she has kept a low profile. In 2007 she made her comeback to the Arab pop scene with a more modest, Oriental influenced image and sound.