Remembering Fayza Ahmed on 38th Anniversary of Her Death

Today marks the 38th death anniversary of the late renowned Arab classic singer Fayza Ahmed.

The iconic singer died 38 years ago today, leaving a long-lasting legacy on music and culture.

The remarkable singer, born Fayza Ahmed Bico Elrawas, first made waves in her music career at the tender age of 18, appearing on Syrian shows. Two years later, she signed to Egyptian Radio and 'Sout Alfan' Records.

Ahmed also made a name for herself as an actress. She starred in 'Tamr Henna’ (1957) with Naima Akef, Ahmed Ramzy, and Rushdy Abaza and her breakthrough came in 1961 as the elder daughter and the obedient girl in "Me and my Daughters."

After these major successes, she acted in six more film productions in addition to participating in theatre performances.

The late prominent singer was born in the city of Saida in Lebanon in 1934 to a Syrian father and Lebanese mother.  Later, she moved with her family to Damascus, where she grew up.

 According to her authorized biography, Ahmed greatly enjoyed singing as a child, and would often perform songs by Laila Mourad and Asmahan at school. During her childhood, her mother encouraged her to pursue music, and brought her a singing instructor.

After a while, she traveled to Egypt in order to release popular hits with the famous singer Mohamed el-Mogy, who worked with other great artists like Abdelhalim Hafez and Umm Kulthum. Their hits include “Ana Albi Leek Mayal” (My heart yearns for you), “Hayran” (Confused), and “Beit al-’Ezz” (House of Glory), among others.

Ahmed was well known for her seminal works, such as “Ool Le Kol El Nas” (Tell Everyone), “Ta’ala Shoof” (Come See), “Gharib Ya Zaman” (Strange, Time).

Moreover, she was awarded numerous prizes during her long successful career. She accumulated citizenship status in 1964 and took home Shield of the Second Army on May 1, 1974 and Tunisian President Habib Bourguiba order and other numerous prizes during her long successful career

According to Helmi Bakr, a well-known musical critic, Ahmed is actually still regarded as one of the most successful Arab singers in history.

Unfortunately, Fayza died in 1984 after a fight with cancer. Ahmed is still known today for her unique voice and presence and her musical impact in Egypt.

Lately, Ahmed’s entire music catalogue has just been made available digitally for fans to stream. In addition to this, physical copies of the records are also being made for purchase.