Om Kulthumm is a legendary Egyptian singer that everyone knows about in the middle east and north Africa. She is really iconic and her music is still widely popular even today. Her popularity took off during the 1940-1950 and coincided with a surge in Egyptian influence in the region and the rise of Jamal Abdel Nasser. It is known that he timed his monthly speeches to air on the radio before her popular Thursday concert every month.
Among her admirers is Bob Dylan who during an interview replied to a question about the musicians he listened to and saying “I like Middle Eastern music a lot, Um Kulthumm, she was a great Egyptian singer. I first heard of her when I was in Jerusalem.”
She is known to sing classical Arabic music and most of her popular songs are 30 min to 50 minutes often recorded during live audience with the microphone at few feet away from her. She is known to have a voice spanning from 3 to 7th octaves. She is deeply revered by Egyptians. In her honor, they opened a small museum dedicated to her and her legacy. I grow up listening to Om Kulthumm, so it was a must for me to visit the the museum. Her are some pictures from the museum.
