When Barbara Streisand became the “Woman in Love”, its cover quickly becomes simply “SHE’S a Woman in Love” — Khalil Toumi’s Cover. Discover why Khalil Toumi’s heartfelt rendition of a beloved song strikes a chord. A personal story of childhood favourites, identity, and finding the perfect cover version.
Since I was a kid — over four decades now — one of my top-5 favourite songs has held steady.
(Yes, I invented the “Top 5” category, because in truth there are 30+ songs I keep rotating.)
It’s a song that always mattered. And now I’ve found a cover that taps into all of that.
Why this song matters so much
The original lyric starts with “I am a woman in love…”. For years, I mouthed it anyway, grinning awkwardly in the shower, party-karaoke, a bit embarrassed of being the guy singing “woman”. You know that feeling? On stage, in public, you try to embody the spirit — and you half-joke to yourself maybe it’s not “you” but the emotion. It never quite sat right.
Then I heard Khalil Toumi’s version, and he sings “She’s a woman in love”. With that switch everything flips and suddenly: Bingo. It made sense. The lyric aligns. The story shifts. The voice stays male-presenting, but the emotional truth is intact. I laughed out loud when I realised: Why didn’t I think of that? Why didn’t I find this cover earlier?
What I feel when I hear it: validation. That self-consciousness dissolves. The melody carries the sentiment. The voice carries the weight. And I’m allowed to love the song in the way it was meant — or at least in a way that now feels meant for me. That, in a nutshell, is why this cover touches me so deeply.
Khalil shots his acoustic take with clarity, modesty, sincerity. It’s not over-produced. It doesn’t need to be. It simply is. And in its simplicity, it becomes profound for someone like me — who sang the lines despite the odds, despite the mismatch. And now it fits.
Here’s to covers that fix what we didn’t know needed fixing. Here’s to singing loud when it matters.
Short Bio – Khalil Toumi
Khalil Toumi is a Dutch-based singer, songwriter and street performer originally from Utrecht.
He brings a warm acoustic guitar voice to his work, sharing covers and original songs through YouTube, SoundCloud and live gigs.
His style blends heart, simplicity and an intimate touch — the kind of performer you feel right beside, not up on a pedestal.
Khalil Toumi Official Website: https://www.khaliltoumi.com/
Barabara Streisand Cover on YouTube: https://youtu.be/5RvWSMFrbo4
More great covers here: gulleman.com/?s=cover
