Today marks the 123rd birthday of the iconic Arab singer Umm Kulthum, the so-called "Lady of Arab singing".
She was cited as one of Egypt’s and Arab soft power symbols and an original part of its artistic history; her interest in music drove her into Egypt's cinema and later the Radio.
Kulthum, who was born on December 31, 1898, participated in several films. However, she decided to devote herself to singing completely.
The late singer ruled the music industry with her marvelous romantic and partonic songs for six decades and bagged several awards.
The Lady of Arab singing was honored by many political and social leaders including King Farouk, Shaikh Zaid, Gamal Abd-El-Naser, and Anwar Al-Sadaat. She also influenced “The Soft- Spoken Woman”, Nagaat El-Sagheera.
Kulthum is the most renowned name in the history of Egyptian Music. She was born in the village of Tamay e-Zahayra, belonging to the city of Senbellawein, Dakahlia Governorate, in the Nile Delta.
In the earliest years of her life, she learned how to sing by listening to her father who was teaching her older brother, Khalid. From a young age, she showed exceptional singing talent.
In 1928, she released her first monologue which made her very famous, which was a gateway for her to enter the film industry through her voice in the movie “Awlad el-Zawat” in 1932.
She then joined Egypt's Radio upon its inception in 1934, and was the first artist to join the station.
Later that year, her fame as a singer increased through sales of her records to the point where she embarked upon a major tour of the Middle East and North Africa, performing in prominent Arab capital cities such as Damascus, Baghdad, Beirut, Rabat, Tunis, and Tripoli.
Kulthum married four times; the first was an Imam named Abdel-Hamid. The second was an Egyptian composer named Mahmoud Sherif who cheated on her. The third was to the well-known journalist Moustafa Amin. Her last marriage was to Hassan El-Hefnawy who was her personal physician.
It’s worth noting that the story and the making of Umm Kulthum, who was born Fatemmah Ibrahim El-Sayed in the Egyptian countryside in the late years of the 19th century, was turned into a soap opera and produced in 1999 and is now being replayed by Egyptian TV drama channels in memory of her.
This historical daytime serial depicts the life of a countryside girl who made her way to fame and splendor, despite many challenges.
In 1975, the remarkable singer passed away at the age of 76 after a struggle with heart disease.
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