Today marks birth anniversary of “Planet of the East” Umm Kulthum

CAIRO – 31 December 2020: “Planet of the East” Umm Kulthum, remains the icon of singing in Egypt and the Arab world, despite her death for decades.

She was born on December 31, 1898, in Sinbillawain.  Over the years she has achieved what no other in the Arab world has achieved in music and singing.

Umm Kulthum's career with singing started at a very early age.  She began singing as a little girl with her father in birthdays and weddings.

In 1922, she moved to Cairo and built her first musical instrument in 1926. Her starting point was when she got to know the poet Ahmed Rami then the composer Mohammad al-Qasabji.

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 the Egyptian Radio upon its inception in 1934, and was the first artist to join the station.

Umm Kulthum participated in several films, however, she decided to devote herself to singing completely.

She sang many patriotic songs and had numerous famous political stances.

In the seventies, she suffered from kidney inflammation and traveled to London for treatment.

She passed away on February 3, 1975.