شهرزاد

Shahrazad was an Egyptian singer and actress born in El Helmiya, a neighborhood of Cairo, on the 8th of January 1928. At a very young age she took part in various films and played a role in the operetta "Al’ashara al Tayyiba" written by Muhammad Taymur and set to music by Sayyed Darwish, a metaphorical work on the domination of the Mammelucks in Egypt. She got her first hit with the song "Awal ma jayt fy al mi'ad", composed by Riad Al Sunbati and played on national radio in 1952. Active during the golden age of Egyptian music, she was shown respect by cult figures like Mohamed Abdel Wahab and Umm Khultum, who said: "Shahrazad is the only singer besides me who can be on stage singing for hours". Collaborated with the best Egyptian composers including: Kamal Al Taweel, Baligh Hamdy, Mohamed El Mougy and Sayed Mekawy. In the early 1960s she began performing monthly concerts in the theaters of El Gomhouriaand Azbakeya consolidating her fame. Although much loved at her home country, Shahrazad is almost unknown to the Western public. Her fame has often been obscured by singers like Najat al Saghira and Umm Khultum. In 2007 the Egyptian Academy of Arts has honored Shahrazad for her exceptional contribution to the development of the fine arts. Shahrazad passed on April 6, 2013. Her niece, film director Heba Yousri, made a documentary on the life and career of the singer titled “ Stu Zad, Awal Ashq” in 2011.