At one point the Egyptian musicians guild she became a member of (and later the president of), rejected her because she had sung for the then-deposed king. In 1932, her fame increased to the point where she embarked upon a large tour of the Middle East, touring such cities as Damascus, Baghdad, Beirut, and Tripoli.įame By 1948 her fame had come to the attention of Gamal Abdel Nasser, who would later become the president of Egypt. El Kasabji introduced Oum Kalthoum to the Arabian Theatre Palace, where she would experience her first real public success. Furthermore, she was introduced to the renowned lute virtuoso and composer Mohamed El Kasabji. Rami also introduced her to French literature, which he greatly admired from his studies at the Sorbonne, Paris, and eventually became her head mentor in Arabic literature and literary analysis. At this point in her career, she was introduced to the famous poet Ahmad Rami, who wrote 137 songs for her.
She also maintained a tightly managed public image, which undoubtedly added to her allure. In Cairo, she carefully avoided succumbing to the attractions of the bohemian lifestyle, and indeed throughout her life stressed her pride in her humble origins and espousal of conservative values. However, she waited until 1923 before accepting the invitation. Digital Music: 'Enta Omri' 'Enta Omri' Go Cancel. At the age of 16 she was noticed by Abu El-Ala Mohamed, a modestly famous singer, and by the famous oudist Zakaria Ahmed who asked her to accompany them to Cairo.Įnjoy two different versions of the English-language translation for lyrics to Enta Omri, sung by Oum Kalthoum. When she was 12 years old, her father disguised her as a young boy and entered her in a small performing troupe that he directed. Her father, an Imam, taught her to recite the Qur'an, and she is said to have memorized the entire Qur'an. At a young age, she showed exceptional singing talents. Following much research, the Egyptian Ministry of Information places her actual date of birth as December 31, 1904. Untitled Document collections at MAQAM® - Oum Kalthoum Biography Early life Oum Kalthoum was born in Tamay-az-Zahayra village, within Al Senbellawein City, Ad Daqahliyah Governorate, Egypt.