Layal Watfeh

Layal Watfeh, born in Damascus in 1980, kicked off her music journey ridiculously early—like, age 9, violin in hand at the conservatoire. That didn’t last long, though, because her family packed up for Dubai. Couple years later, she ditched the strings for piano, digging into that for a while. But honestly, Layal’s voice is what ended up everywhere. By 17, she was already that go-to voice for radio jingles, TV, you name it—basically the soundtrack of the Middle East’s airwaves. Twenty years in, she’s still one of the most recognized voices around. But she didn’t just stick to voice work. At 21, Layal started composing her own music—in between stints at music studios, learning every trick in the book about sound gear and production. Big break? 2002, when MBC Group brought her on as a sound engineer, designer, and composer. She climbed fast and ended up running the department by the end of her six-year stint. 2009 rolls around and Layal’s like, “I gotta do my own thing,” so she opens her own studio, chasing her dream of scoring for TV and film. Her music has since popped up everywhere—ads, TV shows, films, you name it, across the Middle East, the US, Canada, and the UK. Oh, and she even dropped an album, Lemonada, back in 2004. Fast forward, she’s bagged eight international awards, including a big win at the Hollywood Music in Media Awards. Not bad for a kid who just wanted to play violin.