It has been seventy-nine years since the department of iconic singer Asmahan. However, she left a musical legacy across regional barriers for music lovers. On her death anniversary, let’s revisit the Queen of Arab Romantic Music's journey in Egyptian cinema.
Born on November 22, 1912, to a royal Syrian family, Asmahan catapulted to fame for her soulful voice and effortless singing. Her songs continue to inspire Arab world fans.
Known to be a soulful singer, Al-Atrash gave numerous hits that garnered attention from people across the Arab world.
Among her most popular evergreen tunes are "Ya Habibi Taala Elhaani", "Emta Hata’ Raf", "Dakhalti Marrah", "Aleik Salat Allah", "Ahwa", "Ya Toyour", "Elward", and "Layali El Ouns Fi Vienna".
Atrash was married three times and had only one daughter, Kamellia, with her first husband, Prince Hassan Al-Atrash.
She dated also the renowned director Ahmed Badrkhan before the relationship fell through, the TV presenter and well-known journalist Ibrahim Issa reported.
The nasal singer made her movie debut with her brother Farid Al-Atrash and Bishara Wakim in "Intisar Al-Shabab" (The Triumph of Youth) (1941).
The story follows Wahid (Farid El-Atras) and his sister Nadia (Asmahan), who come to Egypt with no money and no future but their beautiful voices in singing open up new horizons for them; they start by singing in the night club and little by little they work their way to the top crossing path with the love and suffering of life.
She was known for collaborations and associations with legendary Egyptian composers like Dawood Hosni and Riyad Al-Sunbati or names such as Mohamed El-Qasabgi and Medhat Assem.
Her second and last movie was "Gharam wa Intiqam" (Passion and Revenge), starring Anwar Wagdi, Mahmoud el-Meligy, and Youssif Wahabi.
The movie was about Suhair Sultan (Asmahan), a famous actress and songstress, who performs her final play before retiring so she can marry her lover, Wahid Izzat (Anwar Wagdi). On the first day of their honeymoon, Wahid is killed under mysterious circumstances.
The investigation reveals that the primary suspect in his murder is his friend, a mysterious figure named Gemal Hamdy (Youssef Wahbi). Suhair attempts to seduce Gemal to get her revenge, and avenge her lover's death.
Asmahan was paid EGP 17,000, the highest wage paid to a female star at the time, the Egyptian media unveiled.
Unfortunately, the Queen of Arab Romantic Music didn’t complete it because she died in curious circumstances before the end of filming in 1944.
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