Meet Egyptian songstress Angham

High powered vocals are her speciality, her private life has been splashed across the cover of almost every major newspaper but it's her undisputed reputation for being a diva that has catapulted her to fame. Meet Egyptian songstress Angham, who is to the Middle East what Mariah Carey is to the rest of the world.

Famous for her six-octave vocal range, Egyptian singer Angham, made a guest appearance at the Al Raha Theatre, Abu Dhabi on the reality show Prince of Poets last week. But her performance was not without the diva antics she has become renowned for.

Scheduled to arrive in the UAE capital last Wednesday, she turned up a day late because she simply didn't feel like flying.

"She just didn't get on the plane," said organisers breezely. "We were expecting her but she didn't arrive."

But her loyal fans didn't seem to mind, with many who were present at the impressive new theatre on Thursday night, attesting she was well worth the wait.

They waited patiently for signatures after a show-stopping performance during which Angham captivated the stage.

It seems a publicly reported divorce, fall-outs with her father and life as a single mother have provided no lack of inspiration for her heart-felt songwriting.

With more than 18 albums under her belt, Angham has established herself as one of the most influential women in the music industry.

Beginnings

She made her foray into the music industry after being signed up at Cairo's Conservatory of Music where she mastered her extraordinary voice as well as learned how to play the piano and Oud.

Famous for her Mariah-like "whistle vocals" which means the ability to hit the high notes — Angham sings from the heart.

"I cannot sing anything that I cannot feel. I really have to feel everything I sing. Anything I sing is about something I have done in my life or an experience I have had.

"I don't know how to deal with people I don't like, I can't sit with them or can't talk to them and in the same way, I can't sing anything that I don't love or that I can't feel. I have to feel like I have written the words and the song is just for me directly from my heart. If I don't reach this stage with the song, I feel like it's not mine."

Best seller

Angham's last studio album, Kol ma Inarrab, was released in 2007 and Angham collaborated with a variety of music composers and distributors to record an album that captured the joy and sadness in life.

The album became the best-selling record for a female artist in the Middle East in 2007 and earned Angham a platinum certification.

"If you couldn't sing, write or produce music I'm not sure what I would do. I have always dreamed of being a singer and there is nothing else I ever imagined or can imagine myself being. Music is my life and it is everything that I ever wanted to be in my life.

"Being content and satisfied is the main thing for me. Satisfaction of everything that is happening and has happened in my life. God gives you more when you are satisfied with what you have.

"From a young age I was influenced by Arabic classics and soul musicians such as Mohammed Abdel Wahab, Fairuz and Umm Kulthum."

Angham, 39, is said to be able to cover all the notes from alto vocal range through six-octaves, something only a handful of artists can boast.

"Singing in a low voice is far more difficult than screaming in high pitch notes. There are not so many artists today that are capable of doing so."

But Angham has been bestowed the gift not only to sing extremely low but also in the whistle register which has become her vocal trademark.

Angham was named the best selling female pop artist in Middle East in 2000, 2001, 2003, and 2007.

Coming to the uae

In Abu Dhabi last week, Angham performed to a packed theatre as well as for millions of viewers who tune in each week to watch the show.

She performed one song based on a classical Arabic poem that earned a standing ovation.

With a career full of highs and lows Angham recalls a few of the highlights.

"When I released my album Wahdaniya in 1999 it was the beginning of a new phase in my life.

"The next album Leih Sebtaha in 2001 was probably one of the highest and most important points of my career as I had to pick myself up and get on with things.

"I don't see any low points. They were all trials that I believe an artist had to go through. I passed through them but I don't see any point at which I would say I failed. I don't allow myself to see my failures so they don't affect me and my music.

"Before going on stage I have to be relaxed and sure everything is fine around me. I have to be calm and not bothered by anything. I try not to eat too much and most importantly, I have to have enough sleep. Sleep is the most important thing for me before I go on stage."

High point

So what have been the high points for a diva from Egypt who has experienced a significant amount of personal upheaval?

"To be honest I would struggle to pick just one moment. I can't pinpoint anything in particular as there are many things that I loved in my career.

"But if I had to say something it would prabably be when I sang with Mohammed Abdo live on the stage in Doha for a concert.

"Reaching a goal is much easier than keeping what you have achieved so far so I am always cautious about conserving the goals I have achieved already. I try to hold on to what people have already given me, like the trust and support from fans around the world."

Her life hasn't been easy but Angham has put every experience and emotion on paper in the form of notes and lyrics in order for her to find fame.

"I have the best job in the world and the thing I love most is singing in front of audiences worldwide. There isn't a downside and I am happy with every chance that I have been offered as an artist," she says.

Hard times

In 1999 Angham married Magdy Aref, an Egyptian businessman and music video director, and gave birth to a son, Omar.

But it wasn't long before the singer hit the headlines with reports of her father's strong dissaproval of her choice of husband.

With the pressures of a career in the music world, motherhood and family problems, Angham and Aref seperated a year later and eventually filed for divorce.

After a few years as a single mother, Angham was rumoured to have secretly married husband number two, music arrangist Fahd, in 2003, a rumour which was later confirmed by the birth of her second son Abdel Rahman in 2005. But a happy ending wasn't on the cards and the couple divorced last month.

Rather than let her personal troubles dampen her outlook, Angham is full of optimism.

Dressed immaculately in black, her long dark mane perfectly coiffed, the singer projects a demeanour that is overtly confident.

"Music has helped me a lot, especially through all the hard times. It is where I go to escape everything that is happening around me in my life and everything said about me in the media. When things get bad I just surround myself and lose myself in my music," she explains.

And many argue it is Angham's trials and tribulations in life which have helped make her name in the music industry.

Family matters

Born on January 19, 1969 in Alexandria, Egypt, Angham is the oldest child of Mohammad Suleiman, a former violinist, music composer, orchestra chief, and singer.

"I have loved music since I was a child and I was in the Conservatory Music College. When I was a child and I learned how to play the piano but I discovered I liked singing more. I discovered it was what I enjoyed more than anything in the world and wanted to make a career doing what I love.

"I have never thought about changing anything in my life. If it happened, it happened. I have learnt from every experience and I would not change any of it.

"Being a mother is the most beautiful feeling in the world to me, the most beautiful feeling in life in fact.

"I travel a lot with my music so when I'm in Cairo I make sure I spend all my time with my children to be involved in their lives."