Sabah (Arabic: صباح, romanized: Ṣabāḥ, Lebanese Arabic pronunciation: [sˤɑˈbaːħ]; born Jeanette Gergis Feghali [جانيت جرجس فغالي]; 10 November 1927 – 26 November 2014) was a Lebanese singer and actress. She specialized in mawwal, a popular genre of traditional music in the Middle East, and performed in many Egyptian movies and songs.[2][3][4][5][6][7][8]
She was known as "Al-Shahroura" (الشحرورة, 'The Songbird') or "Shahruret el-Wadi" (شحرورة الوادي, 'The Songbird of the Valley') both in reference to her origins and her strong and rhythmic voice.[9][10][11][12]
Sabah was born to a Maronite Christian family in Bdadoun, Aley, as the youngest of three daughters. During her childhood, she reported experiencing bullying from her father, who had hoped for a son. Her brother later killed their mother, suspecting her of having an affair.[2][13][14]
Sabah emerged in a period when the field of Arab singers included many notable talents, such as Umm Kulthum (1898-1975), Nagat El Saghira (born 1938), Warda Al-Jazairia (1939–2012), Shadia (1931–2017), Fairuz (born 1934), among others. [citation needed]
Sabah began singing at a young age and released her first song in Lebanon in 1940 at the age of 13.[3] In the early 1940s, she was invited to Egypt by actress and producer Assia Dagher. Sabah acted alongside Dagher in her first movie, El-Qalb Luh Wahid (The Heart Has Its Reasons), released in 1945, which brought her regional fame.[3][15] She then became widely known by her character's name, Sabah, which means "morning" in Arabic.[3] Sabah also acquired several affectionate nicknames, including "Chahroura" ("songbird"), "Ustura" ("legend"), "Shams Al Shamoos" ("The Sun of the Suns"), and "Sabbouha," a diminutive of Sabah.[3][15][16]
Among Sabah's most popular films were The Night is Ours (1949), My Father Deceived Me (1951), That's What Love Is (1961), Soft Hands (1963), Three Women (1968), Paris and Love (1972), and The Second Man (1959), where she played a cabaret singer seeking to avenge her brother's death at the hands of a smuggling ring.[3]In the 1990s, Sabah and her former husband, Fadi Lubnan (Kuntar), produced a documentary about her life. Titled The Journey of My Life (مشوار حياتي), the documentary aired on Future Television.
Throughout her music career, Sabah recorded over 3,000 songs, collaborating with numerous renowned Egyptian composers, including the late Mohammed Abdel Wahab.[15] She specialized in the Lebanese folk tradition known as mawal, and among her most famous songs were "Zay el-Assal" ("Your Love is Like Honey on my Heart") and "Akhadou el-Reeh" ("They Took the Wind").[3][16] Sabah released more than 50 albums and appeared in 98 films.[3] Known for her youthful spirit and vibrant performances, she became a symbolic figure of the "belle époque" and the "joie de vivre" in the Levant and the Arab world.[13] Despite the Lebanese civil war, she continued to sing at weddings in Lebanon.[17]
Until 2009, Sabah performed in concerts and on television, including appearances on programs like Star Academy. She collaborated closely with singer Rola Saad in remaking some of her previous hits, such as "Yana Yana". The accompanying video, which pays tribute to Sabah as "the notorious diva", received significant airplay on Arabic music channels. Additionally, Sabah hosted the TV show Akher Man Yalam on 31 May 2010.
During the 2011 Beiteddine Art Festival, a performance was staged that retraced Sabah's journey as a singer and movie star.[18] Rouwaida Attieh played the title role, alongside more than 40 singers and dancers, paying tribute to Sabah's contributions. [citation needed]
In 2010, Sabah retired from public life due to health reasons, which resulted in paralysis affecting one of her arms and legs.[19]
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Sabah held passports from Lebanon, Egypt, Jordan, and the United States.[3]
She married Lebanese businessman Najib Chammas at the age of 18[17] and later married nine more times. Her notable spouses include Egyptian actor Rushdy Abaza,[20] Egyptian musician Anwar Mansy, Egyptian television presenter Ahmed Farraj, Lebanese politician Youssef (Joe) Hammoud, and Lebanese author-director Wassim Tabbara.[3] Hammoud reportedly divorced Sabah in the 1970s following a scandal related to a performance in which she wore revealing shorts.[17][16] Her second-to-last marriage, which lasted 17 years, was to the much-younger Lebanese artist Fadi Lubnan.[17] Her final marriage took place in 2013, at the age of 85, to Joseph Gharib.[17]
She had two children: Sabah Chammas, from her marriage to Najib Chammas, and Howayda Mansy, from her marriage to Anwar Mansy.[17] Sabah Chammas is a medical doctor, while Howayda Mansy is known as a singer, actress, and socialite.[21] Both of Sabah's children reside in the United States.[3]
After selling her house in Hazmieh, which she felt as "too big and cold for only one person", Sabah relocated to the nearby Hotel Comfort in Baabda, Mount Lebanon, a hillside city with views of Beirut and the Mediterranean Sea. Later, she resided in another hotel adjacent to Baabda. [citation needed]
Sabah was related to Brazilian congresswoman Jandira Feghali and her brother, Ricardo Feghali, who is a musician, songwriter, and member of the Brazilian band Roupa Nova.[22][23]
Rumors of Sabah's death circulated days before she died. Amused by the rumors, Sabah said, "Even in my death, I'm making people busy."[3][16]
Sabah passed away on 26 November 2014, at approximately 3:00 a.m., sixteen days after celebrating her 87th birthday, at her residence in Hotel Brazilia, due to unspecified reasons. The news was first published by Clauda Akl, the daughter of her sister, actress Lamia Feghaly, on her webpage around 6:45 a.m. It was mentioned that Sabah expressed a wish for people not to mourn her and to dance the Dabke at her funeral, stating "I've lived enough." Following her death, her hairdresser Joseph Gharib shared in an interview that Sabah had a fondness for wearing red lipstick during her final days.
On Sunday, 30 November 2014, four days after Sabah's passing, thousands of people gathered to pay their respects. Her family, Lebanese officials, and numerous Arab delegates attended the funeral held at St. George Cathedral in downtown Beirut to bid farewell to the renowned singer, actress, and entertainer.
Outside the cathedral, the official Lebanese Army band performed the national anthem, followed by several songs from Sabah's extensive repertoire, marking a historic occasion for the country. Fans applauded and sang along to their favorite Sabah tunes. Additionally, a group of dancers dressed in traditional attire performed to her music, which played through loudspeakers.
During the funeral mass, Sabah's coffin, draped in a flag, was placed near the altar alongside a large photograph of the singer during her younger years, featuring her distinctive voluminous peroxide-blonde hair. Following the service, mourners escorted the casket to a waiting hearse outside. People expressed their respects by applauding, throwing flowers, and reaching out to touch the coffin and take photographs. Sabah's body was transported through several towns to the church in her hometown of Bdadoun, where she was laid to rest.[24]
The TV drama Al Shahrourah, based on Sabah's life, aired during Ramadan in 2011,[25] with actress and singer Carole Samaha portraying her. Sabah generally responded positively to the series, though she noted some inaccuracies, such as the portrayal of her father in traditional Lebanese attire.[26] Months before her passing, Lebanese journalist Rima Njeim hosted a live TV episode on MTV Lebanon honoring Sabah.[27]
Her music is included in music classes in Lebanon.[citation needed] In 2015, graffiti artists Halwani and the brothers Omar and Mohammad Kabbani created monumental murals on buildings in Beirut to commemorate Sabah. These artworks celebrated her for challenging gender-based and other social taboos, and for offering an alternative to the dominant images of political leaders and their slogans in Lebanese culture.[28]
On 10 November 2017, Google honored what would have been her 90th birthday with a Google Doodle.[29] In Marvel's Moon Knight TV series, her song "Saat Saat" from the 1980 Egyptian movie A Night When The Moon Cried is featured at the end of Episode 5.[30][31]
On 6 September 2023, the Alexandria Film Festival announced the results of a poll it conducted to compile a list of the top 100 Egyptian musical films. Approximately 32 film critics and cinematographers participated in this poll. Sabah appeared in six of the selected films, including "Love Street" (1959), "The Unmarried Mother" (1950), "Bolbol Afandi" (1946), "Soft Hands" (1964), "Leila Baka Feha Al Qamar" (1980), and "He Stole My Wife" (1954).
In 2004, Sabah was recognized at the Alexandria Song Festival and the Cairo Film Festival.[32] Additionally, she was honored with a statue in Beirut during the same year.[32]
In 2010, she received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Dubai International Film Festival.[33]
She received multiple honors from the Lebanese Republic, including the National Order of the Cedar medal.[citation needed][34]
Sabah released more than 50 albums and appeared in 98 films, along with over 20 stage plays. She was known for having a vast repertoire of over 3,500 songs.