Umm Kulthum: The Voice of Egypt

 Umm Kulthum’s music transcended throughout the Middle East. Umm Kulthum is indisputably the Arab world's greatest singer. Her undulating voice and ineffable words found it's way into the hearts of all Arabs around the world. Her career was not ephemeral rather extended, as her heyday stretched from the 1930s to the 1960s, and her music delineated Arab nationalism and unity. Without further digress, let us commence in an interview with the phenomenon Umm Kulthum…

Q: Please enlighten us with a little background about yourself.

A: My beginnings were fairly simple. My childhood was not different from that of many children of my country. I was born into a poor family in a rural community. Yet I always saw potential to have a positive impact on the world. I began my career at a young age reciting Quran in local homes of wealthy people. They were awestruck by my compelling voice. It was not long before my name suffused among a horde locally.

Q: How did your career then gather pace, and what impact did it have on the Arab community?

A: Arabs found comfort within my words as it created unity among the community. In the early 1920’s, my family and myself moved to Cairo in order to pursue a professional career. After this move my fame rose impetuously in the 1930s. As mentioned earlier I always saw potential in creating an impact. This was my chance to rise to the stage and change lives. But as I began I did not have a cornucopia of strategies to go about my career, however I tackled things I believed in. My status heightened by the breadth of my polemical words as I took a political approach and managed to connect with listeners. As Arabs we are all part of one large community, often our way of perceiving facets is rather similar. This honed my success when connecting with my audience. This is the reason as to why unity was created through my words. Many artists sang beautiful lyrics about love and life, though the rhythm was exquisite, not everyone was able to fully adhere with the words. At first my aim seemed like a chimera, but soon I was able to immerse in my writing and be heard. 

Q: What hardships did you face throughout your career?

A: I did not encounter extraordinary adversities, however a number of people criticized my work for collaborating with political regimes such as Nasser’s. But nonetheless, I managed to let that aside and became a nationalist, disregarding the endless critics that came my way. My music was still able to touch millions in addition to my charity work. Notably, after Egypt’s defeat in the Six-Day War, I toured the Arab world to raise money for my country’s unfortunate weakened military. This again touched the hearts of many. My aim is not to selfishly display my successes but be an inspiration to more change in the world. It is imperative that we all strive to reach our full potential. One must take their talent and put it to good use. Many might have thought that it was not a good idea to entangle myself with politics, but in retrospect I feel as though it was what gave me the sense of unity with my listeners.

That’s all we have enough time for today, thank you Umm Kulthum for the insight into your life. We truly hope you continue to unite the Arab community and impact our lives with your impeccable voice.