Top 10 Classic Arabic Music Artists

Fairouz is Lebanon's most revered cultural icon, a soprano whose voice has been described as "the voice of Lebanon" and who has sold an estimated 80 million records throughout her career spanning over six decades. Her morning radio broadcasts became a ritual for hundreds of millions across the Arab world, and her songs of love, longing, and Lebanese mountains continue to be among the most recognized Arabic songs globally. Jean-Claude Carrière, the French screenwriter, once described her as "one of the most moving musical phenomena of the twentieth century."

Abd El Halim Hafez is Egypt's "Dark-Skinned Nightingale," one of the most beloved romantic singers in Arab music history who dominated the 1950s-1970s with his passionate baritone and expressive vocal style. His songs like "Sawah" and "Zay El Hawa" are still played at weddings and celebrations across the Arab world five decades after his death in 1977 at age 47. He was one of the few Arab artists to gain genuine crossover recognition in Europe, performing to sold-out venues in Paris and London.

Mohamed Abdel Wahab was Egypt's most influential composer and singer of the twentieth century, responsible for modernizing Arabic music by introducing Western instruments including the electric guitar, bossa nova rhythms, and orchestra arrangements into the classical Arabic form. He composed music for Umm Kulthum, Fairouz, and virtually every major Arab singer of his era, including the legendary "Enta Omri" which he composed for Umm Kulthum in 1964 and which is considered one of the greatest Arabic compositions ever written. He was awarded the Order of the Republic and the Order of Merit from multiple Arab governments in recognition of his cultural contributions.

Warda Al-Jazairia was an Algerian-born Egyptian singer known as "The Rose" whose powerhouse mezzo-soprano voice made her one of the most distinctive and beloved voices in Arabic music from the 1960s through the 2000s. She recorded over 300 songs and 13 studio albums, and her live performances were celebrated for their emotional intensity and the remarkable control she brought to classical Arabic tarab-style singing. She was one of the few North African artists to achieve pan-Arab superstardom equal to that of Egyptian and Lebanese stars.

Sabah was a Lebanese singer and actress who had a performing career spanning over seven decades, from the 1940s until her death in 2014 at age 87, making her one of the longest-active Arab entertainers ever. She recorded over 3,500 songs and appeared in over 100 films, becoming one of the most prolific artists in Arab entertainment history. Known as "Shosho," she was awarded Lebanon's highest civil honor and is regarded as a cornerstone figure in Lebanese and Arab popular culture.

Asmahan was a Syrian-born Egyptian singer and actress active in the 1930s and early 1940s, whose short life and mysterious death in a car accident in 1944 at age 26 or 32 added mythical status to her already remarkable legacy. Her voice was widely considered technically superior even to Umm Kulthum by some music scholars, and her song "Layali Al Uns Fi Vienna" remains a masterpiece of Arabic classical singing. Her life inspired numerous films and documentaries, and she continues to be celebrated as one of the greatest "what could have been" figures in Arab music.

Najwa Karam is a Lebanese singer who emerged in the late 1980s and became one of the leading stars of contemporary Arabic music through the 1990s and 2000s, known for her distinctive blend of Lebanese folklore, classical Arabic music, and modern pop production. She has released over 20 studio albums and has sold an estimated 40 million records throughout her career. Her 2023 concert tour of the Gulf was one of the region's highest-grossing musical events of the year, demonstrating her continued commercial relevance.

Kazem Al Saher is an Iraqi singer and composer known as the "Caesar of Arabic Song" and is one of the most sophisticated and literary figures in Arab pop music, setting poems by Nizar Qabbani and other major Arab poets to music. He has recorded over 30 studio albums since the 1980s and performed across the Arab world, Europe, and the Americas, building one of the largest and most loyal fan bases in Arab music. His 2018 concert in Los Angeles sold out the Dolby Theatre, reflecting his massive popularity among the Arab diaspora.

Majida El Roumi is a Lebanese soprano considered one of the purest and most technically accomplished voices in Arabic classical music, having studied at the National Conservatory of Beirut and built a career on songs of profound emotional and national resonance. Her song "Beirut Sitt Al Donia" (Beirut, Mistress of the World) became the unofficial anthem of Lebanese national identity, particularly powerful in the context of the civil war era. She has represented Lebanon and the Arab world at international cultural forums including UNESCO events and has received honorary doctorates from Lebanese and international universities.

Fairouz is Lebanon's most revered cultural icon, a soprano whose voice has been described as "the voice of Lebanon" and who has sold an estimated 80 million records throughout her career spanning over six decades. Her morning radio broadcasts became a ritual for hundreds of millions across the Arab world, and her songs of love, longing, and Lebanese mountains continue to be among the most recognized Arabic songs globally. Jean-Claude Carrière, the French screenwriter, once described her as "one of the most moving musical phenomena of the twentieth century."

Abd El Halim Hafez is Egypt's "Dark-Skinned Nightingale," one of the most beloved romantic singers in Arab music history who dominated the 1950s-1970s with his passionate baritone and expressive vocal style. His songs like "Sawah" and "Zay El Hawa" are still played at weddings and celebrations across the Arab world five decades after his death in 1977 at age 47. He was one of the few Arab artists to gain genuine crossover recognition in Europe, performing to sold-out venues in Paris and London.

Mohamed Abdel Wahab was Egypt's most influential composer and singer of the twentieth century, responsible for modernizing Arabic music by introducing Western instruments including the electric guitar, bossa nova rhythms, and orchestra arrangements into the classical Arabic form. He composed music for Umm Kulthum, Fairouz, and virtually every major Arab singer of his era, including the legendary "Enta Omri" which he composed for Umm Kulthum in 1964 and which is considered one of the greatest Arabic compositions ever written. He was awarded the Order of the Republic and the Order of Merit from multiple Arab governments in recognition of his cultural contributions.

Warda Al-Jazairia was an Algerian-born Egyptian singer known as "The Rose" whose powerhouse mezzo-soprano voice made her one of the most distinctive and beloved voices in Arabic music from the 1960s through the 2000s. She recorded over 300 songs and 13 studio albums, and her live performances were celebrated for their emotional intensity and the remarkable control she brought to classical Arabic tarab-style singing. She was one of the few North African artists to achieve pan-Arab superstardom equal to that of Egyptian and Lebanese stars.

Sabah was a Lebanese singer and actress who had a performing career spanning over seven decades, from the 1940s until her death in 2014 at age 87, making her one of the longest-active Arab entertainers ever. She recorded over 3,500 songs and appeared in over 100 films, becoming one of the most prolific artists in Arab entertainment history. Known as "Shosho," she was awarded Lebanon's highest civil honor and is regarded as a cornerstone figure in Lebanese and Arab popular culture.

Asmahan was a Syrian-born Egyptian singer and actress active in the 1930s and early 1940s, whose short life and mysterious death in a car accident in 1944 at age 26 or 32 added mythical status to her already remarkable legacy. Her voice was widely considered technically superior even to Umm Kulthum by some music scholars, and her song "Layali Al Uns Fi Vienna" remains a masterpiece of Arabic classical singing. Her life inspired numerous films and documentaries, and she continues to be celebrated as one of the greatest "what could have been" figures in Arab music.

Najwa Karam is a Lebanese singer who emerged in the late 1980s and became one of the leading stars of contemporary Arabic music through the 1990s and 2000s, known for her distinctive blend of Lebanese folklore, classical Arabic music, and modern pop production. She has released over 20 studio albums and has sold an estimated 40 million records throughout her career. Her 2023 concert tour of the Gulf was one of the region's highest-grossing musical events of the year, demonstrating her continued commercial relevance.

Kazem Al Saher is an Iraqi singer and composer known as the "Caesar of Arabic Song" and is one of the most sophisticated and literary figures in Arab pop music, setting poems by Nizar Qabbani and other major Arab poets to music. He has recorded over 30 studio albums since the 1980s and performed across the Arab world, Europe, and the Americas, building one of the largest and most loyal fan bases in Arab music. His 2018 concert in Los Angeles sold out the Dolby Theatre, reflecting his massive popularity among the Arab diaspora.

Majida El Roumi is a Lebanese soprano considered one of the purest and most technically accomplished voices in Arabic classical music, having studied at the National Conservatory of Beirut and built a career on songs of profound emotional and national resonance. Her song "Beirut Sitt Al Donia" (Beirut, Mistress of the World) became the unofficial anthem of Lebanese national identity, particularly powerful in the context of the civil war era. She has represented Lebanon and the Arab world at international cultural forums including UNESCO events and has received honorary doctorates from Lebanese and international universities.