Umm Kulthum (left) dressed as a boy
Umm Kulthum was born to a poor Egyptian family sometime between 1889 and 1904 (her exact birthday is unconfirmed) in the Nile Delta. Her father was the head of a village mosque and her mother stayed at home raising Umm Kulthum and her two siblings. From a very young age, she toured with her father singing at weddings and various religious functions. He had to pass her off as a boy since girls could not publicly recite and sing Quranic verses. People were awestruck at the power of her voice, coming from someone so young.
In the early 1920’s, Umm Kulthum and her family moved to Cairo in order to pursue a professional career for the rising star. There she pursued music lessons, often with private teachers since women were not admitted to the Oriental Music Club in Cairo. Once she began holding performances, she was seen as quite the novelty to modern, wealthy Cairo audiences. With her rural background and traditional approach to music, she became known as “the Bedouin,” as her attire reflected her country origins. She wore traditional men’s clothing including a loose ankle length tunic and a long scarf on her head with a cord tied around her forehead. Her repertoire still included songs of village holiday celebrations and Quranic melodies, mixed with more modern love songs and poetry.