Samira Abdelrazak Bensaïd (; born 10 January 1958), professionally known as Samira Said (), is a Moroccan-

Egyptian ''Egyptian'' describes something of, from, or related to Egypt. Egyptian or Egyptians may refer to: Nations and ethnic groups * Egyptians, a national group in North Africa ** Egyptian culture, a complex and stable culture with thousands of year ...

singer who has lived in

Egypt Egypt ( , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a country spanning the Northeast Africa, northeast corner of Africa and Western Asia, southwest corner of Asia via the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to northe ...

for more than 40 years and is known for her

Egyptian Arabic Egyptian Arabic, locally known as Colloquial Egyptian, or simply as Masri, is the most widely spoken vernacular Arabic variety in Egypt. It is part of the Afro-Asiatic language family, and originated in the Nile Delta in Lower Egypt. The esti ...

genre. She represented

Morocco Morocco, officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It has coastlines on the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria to Algeria–Morocc ...

in the

Eurovision Song Contest 1980 The Eurovision Song Contest 1980 was the 25th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. It took place in The Hague, Netherlands, and was organised by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and host broadcaster (NOS), which agreed to stage the eve ...

, and is to date the only Moroccan entrant in the contest.

Career

Samira Said was born in 1958 in

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

, in

, to a father from Rabat and a mother from Fez. She began singing at the age of nine, and was discovered on the music program, ''Mawaheb'', broadcast on Moroccan TV. She then moved to

where her fame around the

Arab world The Arab world ( '), formally the Arab homeland ( '), also known as the Arab nation ( '), the Arabsphere, or the Arab states, comprises a large group of countries, mainly located in West Asia and North Africa. While the majority of people in ...

began. She has dual nationality in Morocco and Egypt, her resident home, as she moved to

Cairo 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 ...

in 1977. All her albums are in

, but she has also recorded some songs in

Moroccan Arabic Moroccan Arabic ( ), also known as Darija ( or ), is the dialectal, vernacular form or forms of Arabic spoken in Morocco. It is part of the Maghrebi Arabic dialect continuum and as such is mutually intelligible to some extent with Algerian ...

, such as "Kifash Tlakina" ("How we Met"), "Fayetli sheftek shi marra" ("I've seen you once"), "Sarkouh" ("They Stole Him"), and "Al Behhara" ("Mariners"). Her singles included "Maghlouba" ("Beaten") and "Wa'ady" ("My Love"). In 1980 she represented her native Morocco in the

Eurovision Song Contest The Eurovision Song Contest (), often known simply as Eurovision, is an international Music competition, song competition organised annually by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) among its members since 1956. Each participating broadcaster ...

singing a hit song in

Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...

at that time called '' Bitaqat Hub'', placing 18th out of the 19 contestants. Said has recorded many Arabic hits that were ranked highly in Egypt, such as "Ben Lef" ("The Circle of Life"), "Sayidati Sadati" (Ladies and Gentlemen"), "Malich 3inwan" ("Ready When You Are") and "Akher Hawa" ("Last Love"). She worked with the Egyptian composer Mohamed El Mougi, and sang and acted in the film ''Saaktob Ismak Ala Arrimal'' ("I Will Write Your Name in the Sand"), which included her singing "Yadamiiti Haddi" ("Tears, Fall from My Eyes"). Other recordings include "Lilet El Ouns" ("Magnificent Get-Together"), "Ech Gab Li Gab" ("A Cut about the Rest"), "Amrak Aagib" ("I Don't Get You"), and "Menghir Sabab" ("For No Reason"). In 2000, she released the song "Lilah Habeebee", ("One Night, My Love"), the album title track, which went on to win for best video in the Arab world in 2001 at the Cairo Arabic Music Festival. At the 15th annual

World Music Awards The World Music Awards was an international award show founded in 1989 under the patronage of Albert II, Prince of Monaco and co-founder/executive producer John Martinotti. The event was based in Monte Carlo. Awards were presented to the worl ...

in 2003, Said won a

World Music Award The World Music Awards was an international award show founded in 1989 under the patronage of Albert II, Prince of Monaco and co-founder/executive producer John Martinotti. The event was based in Monte Carlo. Awards were presented to the worl ...

based on worldwide sales figures for that year. She won the BBC award for world music for the best artist in the Middle East with her album ''Youm Wara Youm''. She has won more than 40 awards.''Samira Saeid; the Best-seller Moroccan Singer in Arabic Music History''
hitmarker.com Best Sellers; Stars Cafe Entertainment; 2009

Reception

Halina Hopkis called Said "an emblem of trans-nationality in her moves between Morocco and Egypt as well the different awards and shows she has received and participated in as a representative of the Arabic music community". In 2003, Said was chosen as the best singer in the Middle East by

BBC Radio 3 Awards for World Music The BBC Radio 3 Awards for World Music was an award given to world music artists between 2002 and 2008, sponsored by BBC Radio 3. The award was thought up by '' fRoots'' magazine's editor Ian Anderson, inspired by the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards. U ...

. She won the Rabab D'or prize at the Tétouan's Voix des Femmes Festival in 2008. She was the winner of the Murex d'Or Award in 2009. At the 2009 Timitar Festival in

Agadir Agadir (, ; ) is a major List of cities in Morocco, city in Morocco, on the shore of the Atlantic Ocean near the foot of the Atlas Mountains, just north of the point where the Sous River, Souss River flows into the ocean, and south of Casabla ...

, Said performed for a crowd of 100,000. In 2011, the Beirut International Award Festival (BIAF) honored a number of Arab and international singers, including Said. She has been both credited and criticized for bringing Arab music into the pop-driven, commercially fueled 21st century. According to Egyptian newspaper ''

Al Ahram ''Al-Ahram'' (; ), founded on 5 August 1876, is the most widely circulating Egyptian daily newspaper, and the second-oldest after '' Al-Waqa'i' al-Misriyya'' (''The Egyptian Events'', founded 1828). It is majority owned by the Egyptian governm ...

'', Said's albums have sold over 60 million copies. ''Aweeny Beek'' is the top selling Arabic album in the Middle East and worldwide to date, with over 10 million copies released in 2004.

Musical style

Halina Hopkins said that "One reason Said’s music is popular is because of the tonal beauty of her voice against the background instrumentation. The centrality of her voice represents her personal influence in her work.

Personal life

Said was married to Egyptian musician Hany Mehanna from 1988 to 1994. She then married businessman Mustafa Naboulsy, with whom she had her only son, Shady. In multiple interviews, Said has expressed her desire to return to Morocco and live near her family and loved ones.

Philanthropy and humanitarian work

Said spearheaded concerts to draw people together after the 2006 riots in immigrant suburbs across France and solidarize between faiths.

Discography

* ''El hob elli ana a'aycheh'' (1975) *''Ben Lif'' (1979) * '' Bitaqat Hub'' (1980) * ''Hikaya'' (1981) * ''Allemnah el Hob'' (1982) * ''Ketr al Kalam'' (1983) * ''Methaya'li'' (1984) * ''Lilet el Ouns'' (1984) * ''Ya Damaiti Haddi'' (1984) * ''Ehki ya Shehrazade'' (1985) * ''Youm akablak Fih'' (1985) * ''Ech gab li gab'' (1985) * ''Amrak ajib en'' (1986) * ''Ana walla anta'' (1989) * ''Moch hatnazel a'anak'' (1986) * ''Sibak'' (1986) * ''Ya ebn al halel'' (1987) * ''Ghariba'' (1988) * ''Sibni louahdi'' (1988) * ''Ensani'' (1989) * ''Ba'adin neta'ateb'' (1990) * ''Choft el amar'' (1991) * ''Hannitlak'' (1992) * ''Khayfa'' (1992) * ''a'ach'a'' (1993) * ''Enta habibi'' (1995) * ''Wallah Mahansak'' (1995) * ''Kolli de echa3at'' (1996) * ''A'al bal'' (1998) * ''Rouhi'' (1999) * ''Laila habibi'' (2001) * ''Youm Wara Youm'' (2002) * ''Awweeni Beek'' (2004) * ''Best of Samira Said'' (1995-2005) * ''Ayaam Hayati'' (2008) * ''Be winner'' ft. Fnaire (2010) * ''Khallouh'' (2010) * ''Mazal'' (2013) * '' Ayza Aeesh'' (2015) * ''Ensan 'Ali'' (2021)

References

External links

BBC.co.uk
''Samira Said: Youm Wara Youm''; review by Garth Cartwright; 16 November 2007;

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Said, Samira 1958 births Morocco in the Eurovision Song Contest Living people Naturalized citizens of Egypt Singers who perform in Classical Arabic Singers who perform in Egyptian Arabic Eurovision Song Contest entrants Arabic-language singers of Morocco Arabic-language singers of Egypt Moroccan emigrants to Egypt 20th-century Moroccan women singers 20th-century Egyptian women singers Actors from Rabat Musicians from Rabat World Music Awards winners Moroccan actresses Moroccan film actresses Moroccan television actresses 21st-century Egyptian women singers