Hiba Tawaji and Ibrahim Maalouf come together on their first collaborative album, titled “À la Française,” in a new musical venture that revives a selection of the most prominent classics of French chanson and presents them with a contemporary spirit that blends orchestral music, jazz, and Middle Eastern influences.
The album was released with an artistic vision centered on reinterpreting works deeply rooted in the French musical memory through new arrangements that preserve the spirit of the original songs while giving them a fresh outlet for expression.
The project highlights Hiba Tawaji’s vocal artistry through a performance that blends power and sensitivity, while Ibrahim Maalouf leaves his distinctive musical mark through expansive arrangements that blend multiple styles, building on his reputation for openness to diverse musical traditions.
The album features 12 famous French songs and includes the French Republican Guard Orchestra alongside a jazz ensemble, giving the work a rich musical character based on a dialogue between classical music, jazz, and Eastern influences.
The project is not limited to the musical aspect alone; it also carries a personal dimension, as it brings together Touji and Maalouf as partners in life and on stage. This harmony is evident in the way the vocals interplay with the musical arrangement and in the shared vision that underpins the album.
Through this work, Hiba Tawaji continues to solidify her presence on the international scene, having participated in recent years in a number of prominent artistic events in France and beyond. Among the most notable of these is her participation in the reopening ceremony of Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris in 2024, alongside a career marked by numerous concerts and international collaborations.
As for Ibrahim Maalouf, he brings to the project more than twenty years of musical experience, during which he has collaborated with prominent international artists and presented works that blend jazz, classical music, Eastern music, and contemporary experiments.
The “À la Française” project extends from the album to the stage, as the duo prepares for a concert tour featuring more than 35 performances, kicking off in France on November 17, 2026, before moving on to a number of international cities and venues.
One of the tour’s highlights in the Arab world is the concert at the Dubai Opera on November 27, 2026, where Touji and Maalouf will present the project to the audience in a live performance blending French chanson, orchestral music, jazz, and Eastern influences.
This project marks a new chapter in the careers of Hiba Tawaji and Ibrahim Maalouf, as it brings together two musical identities and experiences in a single work, and presents French chanson from a different perspective that bears their unique artistic imprint, in an experience that transcends the boundaries between East and West.
