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Viral singer in hijab Ghaliaa Chaker paves the way for other girls to achieve music dreams

Ghaliaa Chaker is part of an all-girl biker group, sings mostly in Arabic, has 439,000 followers on Instagram – and she performs in a hijab

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Syrian singer Ghaliaa Chaker performs during her concert in Beirut on August 25, 2024. She has 439,000 followers on Instagram, is part of all-girl biker group, sings mostly in Arabic – and wears a hijab. Photo: AFP

In a Dubai recording studio, hijab-clad Ghaliaa Chaker tunes her guitar and belts out original songs as she builds a career that is turning heads for more than just her music.

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The 26-year-old Syrian, who was raised in the United Arab Emirates, has become a social media sensation, with 439,000 followers on Instagram and millions of views on her YouTube channel.

She offers not only a unique sound but also an unusual look in a region where artists who wear the hijab, the head covering characteristic of Muslim women, are few and far between.

“I hope that I have paved the way for other” hijabi singers, Chaker says at the studio.

“It is a very beautiful thing to know that you have … given a push to a girl who has many dreams and is unable to achieve them because she has never seen another girl do the same thing.”

Ghaliaa Chaker plays a keyboard at a recording studio in Dubai. The 26-year-old Syrian has become a social media sensation. Photo: AFP
Ghaliaa Chaker plays a keyboard at a recording studio in Dubai. The 26-year-old Syrian has become a social media sensation. Photo: AFP

Chaker, a keen motorbike rider who is part of an all-hijabi biker squad in Dubai, began composing and writing lyrics at the age of 16.

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