Hiba Tawaji's The Voice Audition Stirs Controversy

MTV Exclusive

Amid a wave of positivity enrobing Hiba Tawaji’s participation in France’s The Voice, one journalist felt the urge to downgrade her performance and imply that it was all a pre-planned act to draw in viewers.

The journalist felt that Tawaji’s performance was neither innocent nor spontaneous, but quite the opposite. She claims that her participation was encouraged by one of the show’s producers who wanted to take advantage of her voice by using it in the promo press conference.

She believes Tawaji auditioned to break the routine and bring some of her homeland’s “wonder” to France.

All tweets and posts cheering for Hiba and voicing pride in Lebanon’s route to worldwide fame are wasted compliments for a premeditated agreement with a producer who wanted to garner ratings and more votes, the journalist wrote.

This isn’t about the critics or Hiba’s performance. We don’t think this is a national phenomenon. But let us look at it as a young Lebanese talent who has achieved, despite her young age and in such a short period, more success than many dream of.

This is why this shouldn’t be blown out of proportion but at the same time, we should address it with the proper excitement. Not too much and not too little is the way to go here.