DUBAI: For Canadian Lebanese singer Maya Waked, music has always been inseparable from memory.

Some of her earliest recollections are rooted in her family home in Lebanon, where her late father’s love of music shaped the soundtrack of her childhood.

“He had a beautiful voice, so he used to sing a lot at home,” she recalled, adding that he made her and her sisters listen to Arab icons like Fairuz, Asmahan, Umm Kulthum and Mohammed Abdel Wahab. “These are my first memories.”

Music was not just something playing in the background; it was an experience her parents actively nurtured. Waked grew up attending weekly concerts, operas and musical events, an upbringing she describes as “a blessing.” But when she left Lebanon as a teenager, that connection briefly shifted. Living and studying in France for a few years, she found herself leaning into European culture, wanting to feel modern and influenced by her new surroundings.

It was only later, after moving to Canada, that her relationship with her Arab identity came into sharp focus. “This is where it hit me that my roots are my refuge,” she said. “My resources. This is where I find myself ... my stability.” In Canada she hosted a radio program for the Arabic diaspora, speaking Arabic on air and reconnecting with her culture while far from home.

Waked said she never felt torn between cultures. Instead, she learned to live comfortably in all of them. “You can have your identity that is a mix of everything,” she said, explaining that while she sings mainly in Lebanese, her music carries influences from French literature, jazz, bossa nova and global sounds. That multiculturalism has become the foundation of her artistic identity.

Waked’s sound today blends Arabic melodies with improvisation and international textures, resonating across borders.

Her recent performance in Saudi Arabia, at the Ritz-Carlton Jeddah, marked a new milestone in her regional journey. It was her first time performing in the Kingdom, and she said: “It was a very meaningful experience for me. I felt that the audience was very curious and very open. They are great listeners and very cultured. They know the songs and recognized some of the tunes.”

Looking ahead, Waked said she was currently in the process of recording new music and planning a music video following performances across the region.