Photo: Instagram.com
Umm Kulthum has been named among the 200 Greatest Singers of All Time, a list released by Rolling Stone at the beginning of the new year. Ranked at 61, the iconic Egyptian singer is the only Arab voice to be named on the list that is compiled by the publication’s staff and key contributors and looks at the past 100 years of popular music. The criteria are based on “originality, influence, the depth of an artist’s catalog, and the breadth of their musical legacy,” including those who “can remake the world just by opening their mouths.”
Known as the “Voice of Egypt,” Kulthum was born in 1898 and was a contralto with the ability to effortlessly sing in a register as low as the second octave. On the list, she ranks higher than Billie Eilish at 68, Rihanna at 68, Amy Winehouse at 83, and Michael Jackson at 86. “Umm Kulthum has no real equivalent among singers in the West,” reads the description. “Her death in 1975 brought millions into the Cairo streets to mourn, and while her influence among Arab singers is incalculable, it extended far beyond it.”
Throughout her career and posthumously, the Kulthum garnered praise from some of the most prominent artists in the world, including Bob Dylan, Maria Callas, Bono, and Robert Plant. “Enta Omri,” which is one of her best-known songs has been covered multiple times, and was also infamously sampled by Beyoncé in her 2016 tour choreography.
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