THE VIEW FROM FEZ: Fes Festival Preview #9 ~ Samira Saïd

Saturday, April 09, 2016

Fes Festival Preview #9 ~ Samira Saïd

Originally the final concert of the 2016 Fes Festival of World Sacred Music. This has been changed with Oum Kelthoum Tribute on Sunday 15th. This Saturday night concert is an unapologetically populist choice - Samira Saïd (Arabic: سميرة سعيد‎, Samira Bensaïd) - a Moroccan Arabic pop singer who represented Morocco at the Eurovision Song Contest in 1980

Samira Saïd was born in 1960 and raised in Rabat, where, at the age of nine, she was discovered on the music program, Mawaheb, broadcast on Moroccan TV.

Over the years she has had many hits with Moroccan pop songs, such as: "Kifash Tlakina" ("How we Met"), "Fayetli sheftek shi marra" ("I've seen you once"), "Sarkouh" ("They Stole Him"), and "Al Behhara" ("Mariners").

In 1980 she represented Morocco in the Eurovision Song Contest 1980 singing Bitaqat Hub بطاقة حب "Love Card", coming in 18th (with only 7 points) out of the 19 contestants. Saïd did however beat Finland (6 points), represented by the famous singer Vesa-Matti Loiri. As one judge later pointed out singing in Arabic or Finnish was a difficult handicap to overcome!

Despite the loss at Eurovision, Saïd's career took off and she continued to grow in popularity in Morocco and Egypt. Said's albums have sold over 50 million copies.

In 2000, she released "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 in 2003, Saïd won a World Music Award based on worldwide sales figures for that year. Saïd won the BBC award for world music for the best artist in the Middle East with her album Youm Wara Youm.

Critics have described her as "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". However she has been both credited and criticised for bringing Arab music into the pop-driven, commercially fuelled 21st century.

If Samira Saïd has broken with the classical style of the Oum Keltoum and Mohammed Abdel Wahab generation, she nevertheless has a superb voice capable of remarkable vocal ornamentation and will be a huge hit with the locals.

Samira Saïd – Morocco

Bab Makina 21h00

May 14

Book your ticket here

The View From Fez is a Fes Festival official Media Partner
FULL FESTIVAL PROGRAMME HERE