Etab
Etab (Arabic: عتاب, romanized: ʻitāb; December 30, 1947 – August 19, 2007) was a pioneering Afro-Arab Saudi Arabian singer active from the 1960s to the 1990s.[1] Of Bedouin descent,[2] she was born Tarouf Abdel-Kheir Adam (Arabic: طروف عبد الخير آدم) in Saudi Arabia, but moved to Egypt soon after her second marriage to an Egyptian man in 1978 . Many Arab music historians agree that she was forced out of Saudi Arabia at the orders of then Saudi King Khalid due to her musical concerts considered risque in Saudi Arabia at that time.; in 1983 she became an Egyptian citizen.[1]
Etab عتاب | |
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Background information | |
Birth name |
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Born | Saudi Arabia | December 30, 1947
Died | August 19, 2007 59) Cairo, Egypt | (aged
Occupation(s) | Singer, actress |
Years active | c. 1960s–1990s |
Associated acts | Talal Maddah |
Considered one of the first female Saudi singers, Etab started singing in the 1960s, and performed at weddings with Sarah Osman and the ʻoud player Hayat Saleh.[3] She recorded more than 15 albums and appeared in three movies.[4] She became ill with cancer in 1997, and died in Cairo on 19 August 2007.[1] Her last few months saw her traveling between Cairo, Dubai and Saudi Arabia for treatment but her cancer had already spread and became terminal. She died at a Cairo hospital practically penniless. She is now considered an icon in her native Saudi Arabia and has regained her reputation as a courageous artist who defied convention to achieve her dreams. She had one daughter from her first marriage to a Saudi man. This daughter, who was a well-known radio presenter and producer, also died of cancer at a young age. She also had a son and daughter from her estranged Egyptian husband whom she had divorced after accusing him of stealing her money.
Etab was an advocate for women in music, and member of the Union of Arab Artists and the Musicians Syndicate in Egypt.[5] On December 30, 2017, Google designed a Doodle commemorating what would have been Etab's 70th birthday.[6]
References
- "First Female Saudi Singer Etab Dies at 69". Arab News. 2007-08-21. Retrieved 2017-12-31.
- "Profile: Etab, Saudi Arabia's first female singer". EgyptToday. Retrieved 2020-03-28.
- [s.n.] (30 December 2017). Google Doodle celebrates Saudi singer Etab. Al Arabiya. Accessed January 2018.
- "First Female Saudi Singer Etab Dies at 66". Arab News. 2007-08-21. Retrieved 2020-03-28.
- "Profile: Etab, Saudi Arabia's first female singer". EgyptToday. Retrieved 2020-03-28.
- "Etab's 70th Birthday". www.google.com. Retrieved 2020-10-12.