Um Kalthoum
| Umm Kulthum أم كلثوم |
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| Background information | |
| Native name | أم كلثوم |
| Birth name | Umm Kulthum Ibrahim |
| Also known as | Oum Kalthoum, Om Kalsoum, Om Koulsum, Om Kalthoum, Oumme Kalsoum, Umm Kolthoum, Om Koultoum, Ummi Kultsum, Ummi Kaltsum, Umi Kulsum, Umi Kalsum, El Set, Esset, Alset, Asset |
| Born |
December 31, 1898 Tamay Ez-Zahayra, El Senbellawein, Dakahlia Governorate, Khedivate of Egypt |
| Died | February 3, 1975 (aged 76) Cairo, Egypt |
| Genres | Egyptian classical music |
| Occupation(s) | Singer, actress |
| Years active | c. 1924–1973 |
| Labels | EMI Middle East and North Africa. |
| Associated acts |
Fairuz Abdel Halim Hafez Riad Al Sunbati Mohammed Abdel Wahab |
Umm Kulthum (Egyptian Arabic: أم كلثوم ʾOum Kulṯūm; Arabic pronunciation: [ʊm kʊlˈθuːm]; born Umm Kulṯūm ʾIbrāhīm as-Sayyid al-Biltāǧī (أم كلثوم إبراهيم السيد البلتاجي [ʊm kʊlˈθuːm (ʔe)bɾɑˈhiːm esˈsæjjed elbelˈtæːɡi];see Kunya) on an uncertain date (December 31, 1898, or May 4, 1904, died February 3, 1975) was an internationally renowned Egyptian singer, songwriter, and film actress active from the 1920s to the 1970s. She was given the honorific title Kawkab al-Sharq (كوكب الشرق) ("Star of the East").
Umm Kulthum was known for her extraordinary vocal ability and style, and she was one of the greatest and most influential Arab singers of the 20th century, where she has sold over 80 million records worldwide.
Umm Kulthum was born in the Egyptian village of Tamay e-Zahayra, belonging to the city of El Senbellawein, Dakahlia Governorate, in the Nile Delta. Her birth date is unconfirmed, as birth registration was not enforced throughout Egypt in that era. Some sources claim that she was born either on December 31, 1898; December 31, 1904; or May 4, 1904. She learned how to sing by listening to her father teach her older brother, Khalid. At a young age she showed exceptional singing talent. Her father, an imam at the local mosque, taught her to recite the Qur'an, and she is said to have memorized the entire book. When she was 12 years old, her father noticed her strength in singing so he asked her to join the family ensemble. She dressed as a boy in order for her father to not face disapprobation due to having a girl on stage. At the age of 16, she was noticed by Mohamed Aboul Ela, a modestly famous singer, who taught her the old classical Arab repertoire. A few years later, she met the famous Egyptian composer and oudist Zakariyya Ahmad, who invited her to come to Cairo. Although she made several visits to Cairo in the early 1920s, she waited until 1923 before permanently moving there. She was invited on several occasions to the house of Amin Beh El Mahdy, who taught her to play the oud, a type of lute. She developed a close relationship with Rawheya Al-Mahdi, Amin's daughter, and became her closest friend. Kulthum even attended Rawheya's daughter's wedding, although she normally preferred to avoid appearing in public (off stage).
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