Lesser-known Facts about Warda on Her Death Anniv.

Today, May 17 marks the 11th death anniversary of legendary Algerian singer Warda, also known as “The Princess of Arab Singing”.

On this occasion, the outstanding Nuira band will perform a selection of Warda's remarkable songs and iconic pieces from her extensive repertoire at the Cairo Opera House, reminding people of the legacy and spirit of the late singer.

This includes pieces like "Hekaity ma'a' Zaman", "Fe Youm we Leila", "Akdab Alik", and "Lailina".

Warda Al-Jazairia who is regarded as one of Arab’s greatest singers of all time alongside Umm Kalthoum and Fayrouz, passed away in 2012, leaving a gaping hole in the Egyptian music industry. She was 82.

The most acclaimed singer in her generation died in her house in Cairo after she had recorded a song to celebrate Algeria’s 50th independence anniversary.

Born in France in 1939 to an Algerian father called Fatouki and a Lebanese mother named Yamout, she began her showbiz career as a young singer at the Tam-Tam, a cabaret owned by her father Located on rue Saint-Séverin, in the Latin Quarter in Paris.

After Algeria gained her independence from France, Warda went to Algeria for the first time and married an officer who forbade her to sing. She took a ten-year hiatus from music, instead choosing to raise her children.

Throughout her long-standing career, Warda featured in a number of remarkable Arab films, such as (Almaz and Abdo El-Hamouly), 'Lih Ya Donya', ‘Amirat Al Arab’, and ‘Hekayti maa al-Zaman’, starring Rushdi Abaza and Samir Sabri, and also performed several concerts across the world.

Her breakthrough came with “Al-Watan Al-Akbar” (the greater homeland) performance, a pan-Arabist song composed by the late Egypt’s iconic star Mohammed Abdel Wahab. Following her overwhelming success with Abdel Wahab and other Egyptian musicians, she decided to stay in the Arab world for the rest of her life.

In the 1970s, Algerian Warda married the renowned Egyptian composer Baligh Hamdi, and together they created some of their most famous works. At that time, the soft-spoken singer was well-known to possess one of the most versatile voices in the golden era of Egypt’s cinema.

The remarkable star had also recorded many songs in a short time and was a favorite for many composers. Her biggest songs, including, (Hekayty Maa El Zaman), (Batwannes Beek), (Tab Wana Maly), (Lola el malama), ( Bawadaak), (Haramt Ahebak),(Laialena), and (Akdeb Alek).

Despite her death, her soul-stirring singing continues to remind music fans of her voice more than years later.

The late singer has been also an inspiration to millions of people across the Arab world and many stars model themselves like her even today.