Umm Kulthum

Born Fatima Ibrahim as-Sayyid al-Beltagi, in Senbellawein, El Dakahlia, Egypt on December 31, 1898, singer and actress Uum Kulthum – nicknamed ‘the Eastern Star’ – is now considered the greatest voice of the 20th century in the Arab world. Her musical journey began as a child when she showed a talent for singing. She chanted verses from the Koran and performed in religious festivals, although she had to dress like a boy in order to join theater companies. She was discovered by singer Cheikh Abou al-ila Mohamed and oudist Zakaria Ahmed, which precipitated her move to Cairo in 1923. Her early repertoire included her singing the poems of Ahmed Rami. She then formed her own ensemble which featured oud player Mohamed El Qasabji. Signing with Gramophone Records, Umm Kulthum achieved great success all across Egypt, which spread to the Middle East after a 1932 tour through the region. Her popularity led to her involvement in a series of movies including Weddad (1936), The Song of Hope (1937), Dananir (1940), Aïda (1942), Sallama (1945) and Fatma ( 1947). She scored many hits in the 1930s and 1940s including “Ghaneely Shwaya Shwaya” (1944) and “Walad Al Hoda” (1946). Her music mixed popular music with Arab scholarly music and became a huge success, influencing many other singers in her wake. She recorded hundreds of songs and saw her popularity grow into the 1960s and 1970s with recordings such as “Hayyart Alby” (1961), “Betfakker Fe Meen” (1963), “Inta Omri” (1964), “Al Atlal” (1966) “Fat Al Mi’aad” (1967), “Zekrayat” (1970), “Aghadan Alqak” (1971), and “Lasto Fakir” (1972). Suffering from health issues, she gave her final performance in 1973 and then underwent kidney surgery in London, England and underwent further treatments in the US. Umm Kulthum died in Cairo, Egypt on February 3, 1975, at the age of 76. Her state funeral was said to be attended by five million people. Since her death, there have been numerous compilations celebrating her musical legacy including Ifrah Ya Qualbi (2001), Arabian Masters: The Mother Of The Arabs (2002), Uum Kulthum, The Legend Of Arab Music (2008), and The Very Best of Umm Kulthum (2011).

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