Tania Saleh is a Lebanese singer/songwriter who has been paving her own pat… Read Full Bio ↴Tania Saleh is a Lebanese singer/songwriter who has been paving her own path in the Arabic underground musical scene since 1990. Her voice is wise and true, a soft mix between the traditional Arabic music she was raised on and the western sounds she chose to follow. She writes about the daily worries of a troubled society, of love and hate and what’s in between. Her music follows the rhythm of her daily life and mirrors her changing mood, creating a boiling pot of tunes, feelings and love for innovation.
Tania graduated from La Sorbonne, Paris in 1992 and has been working in the creative industry since then.
She was an illustrator, a backing vocalist and an actress in famous Lebanese musician and playwright Ziad Rahbani’s musical and theatrical work between 1993 and 1996.
In 2002, she released her first album, "Tania Saleh" with Lebanese music veteran Issam Hajj Ali and music producer/sound engineer Philippe Tohme. In the meantime, she wrote the lyrics to “Mreyte Ya Mreyte”, the title song in Nadine Labaki’s first feature film "Caramel", composed by Khaled Mouzannar and lyrics to Natasha Atlas’ song “Communicate”.
In 2009, she shot the music video "Ya Wled", a critical ode to all Lebanese politicians prior to the parliamentary elections. She also released the single "Slow Down” to commemorate her first trip to the U.S.A., hosted by music producer Miles Copeland who chose her as one of the main Arab artists portrayed in the PBS-produced musical documentary entitled “Dissonance and Harmony/Arab Music Goes West”. The documentary was preceded by a 5-day musical workshop uniting American and Arab artists at SIR studios in Los Angeles. The musical documentary was directed by Jon Brandeis and aired on PBS, BBC and Al Jazeera.
She performed live in various cities of the world including Beirut, Cairo, Doha, Los Angeles and Washington, D.C.
In 2010, she was featured on Al Jazeera in one of a series of documentaries by musician and documentary filmmaker Fermin Muguruza who painted a 'soundscape' of the modern Arab music scene.
In 2011, she released her second studio album (co-produced by Philippe Tohme) and a music video entitled "Wehde” released on Youtube. The album immediately became number 1 on the TOP 10 list of best selling albums at Virgin Megastore, Beirut.
She also wrote the lyrics and coached the singers in Khaled Mouzannar’s soundtrack for Nadine Labaki’s second feature film "Where Do We Go Now?”, released worldwide in September 2011. The film soundtrack was also number 1 on the TOP 10 list of best selling albums at Virgin Megastore, Beirut. It won “Best Music Award” in Stockholm International Film Festival in November 2011.
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Wehde
Tania Saleh Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

في وحدة وطنية
بنت عيلة وبنت حلال
وفي وحدة عربية
آلاوية وعا راسها شال
وفي وحدة أوروبية
آية من الجمال
أي وحدة بدك؟ ما فيك تضلك وحدك
صار لازم تلاقي وحدة توقف حدك

أي وحدة بدك؟ ما فيك تضلك وحدك
صار لازم تلاقي وحدة توقف حدك
شي وحدة تفهم عليك
تتحملها وتتحملك
بتربيها عا إيديك
ملكة هي وانت الملك
أي وحدة بدك؟ ما فيك تضلك وحدك
صار لازم تلاقي وحدة توقف حدك
شي وحدة يكون حلمها تبقوا سوى طول الزمان
ما باس تمها إلا امها تجبلك ولد اسمه لبنان
أي وحدة بدك؟ ما فيك تضلك وحدك

صار لازم تلاقي وحدة توقف حدك
شي وحدة وطنية بنت عيلة وبنت حلال

Overall Meaning

Tania Saleh's song Wehde talks about the importance of unity, regardless of one's nationality or origin. The lyrics speak about different types of unity; national, Arab, and European, emphasizing that no matter which kind of unity is chosen, one cannot survive on their own. The chorus repeats the phrase, "ay wehde baddak, ma feek t'dalik wehdek," which means "which kind of unity do you want, you can't remain alone anymore."

The song stresses the idea that finding someone who understands and supports you is important, someone you can rely on and who can also rely on you. Tania talks about finding the perfect partner, someone who is compatible with you, and how taking care of them and they take care of you is a beautiful thing. The final lyrics emphasize the importance of home and how having children and raising them in the chosen unity is a vital part of preserving it.

The song's music, melody, and lyrics are all written by Tania Saleh, who is a Lebanese singer, painter, and visual artist. The song's title "Wehde" is an Arabic word that can be translated to "unity" or "oneness."

The song was released in 2018 as part of Tania Saleh's album, "10 a.k.a 10 Years Live in Cairo." The album celebrated 10 years of Tania's career, and the song Wehde was a tribute to her Lebanese Roots.

Tania Saleh has worked with many renowned musicians in the Middle East and Europe, including Norwegian producer Bugge Wesseltoft, the British Syrian composer Tarek Nasser, and the Lebanese composer Ziad Rahbani.

Tania Saleh's work reflects her political and social views; she is an advocate for freedom of speech and human rights. Her music has been described as combining Middle Eastern and western influences, with a focus on acoustic instruments and a minimalist approach to production.

The music video for Wehde was directed by Wissam Smayra and released in 2018. The video features Tania Saleh singing in a studio, surrounded by musicians and friends.

The song received critical acclaim for its message and Tania Saleh's vocal delivery. It was described as a beautiful ode to unity and the importance of finding someone who understands and supports you.

The chords for Wehde are not publicly available as Tania Saleh has not released them. However, the song has been covered by many musicians, and there are online tutorials available for learning to play the song on guitar or piano.

Line by Line Meaning

في وحدة وطنية
In a national unity

بنت عيلة وبنت حلال
A daughter of a respected family

وفي وحدة عربية
In an Arab unity

آلاوية وعا راسها شال
Proud of her heritage and wearing her headscarf

وفي وحدة أوروبية
In a European unity

آية من الجمال
A symbol of beauty

أي وحدة بدك؟ ما فيك تضلك وحدك
Which unity do you want? You can't stay alone

صار لازم تلاقي وحدة توقف حدك
You need to find a unity that supports you

شي وحدة تفهم عليك
Someone who understands you

تتحملها وتتحملك
Who can handle you and your burdens

بتربيها عا إيديك
You raise her with your own hands