Rajae Belmlih, also spelled Raja Belmalih (; 22 April 1962 – 2 September 2007), was a Moroccan-Emirati singer.

Career

Belmlih's career began with the Moroccan talent show, ''Mawahib''. Her first major hit in the Arab World was '' Ya-Jara Wadina'' in 1986. The young Rajae, a University undergraduate at the time, decided to sing her first hit song at her Hassan II campus in front of her fellow students prior to the official premiere that same day. She later settled and worked from

Cairo, Egypt Cairo ( ; , ) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Egypt and the Cairo Governorate, being home to more than 10 million people. It is also part of the List of urban agglomerations in Africa, largest urban agglomeration in Africa, L ...

while continuing her studies in Arabic literature and Philosophy at

Mohammed V University Mohammed V University (, ) is a public university in Rabat, Morocco. It was founded in 1957 under a royal decree ( Dahir). It is the first modern university in Morocco after the University of al-Qarawiyyin in Fez. It is named after Mohammed V of ...

in Rabat. She graduated in 1995 and enrolled for a doctorate. Belmlih was named a

UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador is an official postnominal honorific title, title of authority, legal status and job description assigned to those goodwill ambassadors and advocates who are designated by the United Nations. UNESCO goodwill ambas ...

in 1999 for her numerous actions in favour of charities within the Arab world. She was an outspoken supporter of women's education in the poorer parts of the Arab world. She was a widely admired and respected figure in her native Morocco but also elsewhere in the Arab world where her image as a highly educated singer is untainted. She was granted Emirati citizenship as a tribute by the ruling family in

Abu Dhabi Abu Dhabi is the capital city of the United Arab Emirates. The city is the seat of the Abu Dhabi Central Capital District, the capital city of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, and the UAE's List of cities in the United Arab Emirates, second-most popu ...

Death

Rajae Belmlih died in

Rabat, Morocco Rabat (, also , ; ) is the capital city of Morocco and the country's seventh-largest city with an urban population of approximately 580,000 (2014) and a metropolitan population of over 1.2 million. It is also the capital city of the Rabat-Salé ...

on 2 September 2007, aged 45, after a long battle with breast cancer.

Albums

*''Ya Jara Wadeena'' (1986) *''Sabri Alik Tal'' (1994) *''Ya Ghayeb'' (1996) *''Ietiraf'' (1998) *''Shoq el oyoun'' (2002) *''Haseb'' (2005)

References

External links

Rajae Belmlih Obituary
(French)
Le Journal de Tanger: Rajae Belmlih biography
(French) 20th-century Moroccan women singers 1962 births 2007 deaths Musicians from Rabat Naturalized citizens of the United Arab Emirates Moroccan emigrants to the United Arab Emirates Mohammed V University alumni Deaths from breast cancer Deaths from cancer in Morocco {{Morocco-bio-stub