Only a select few women can be considered iconic Lebanese divas of music.
These include the internationally adored Fairouz and the elegant Majida El Roumi, who was also on the cover of Vogue Arabia’s June issue. It’s no surprise the late Sabah is also one of them.
Sabah was born Jeanette Gergis al-Feghali on November 10, 1927
She was a Lebanese singer, known all over the region
She was also a praised actress and stage performer
She released over 50 albums and acted in 98 movies as well as over 20 Lebanese stage plays
She was considered the “Empress of Lebanese Song” (إمبراطورة الأغنية اللبنانية)
In 1940, she released her first song when she was only 15 years old
“Sabah” was the name of a character she played in her first film.
That’s how she became known by this name.
People also called her “Sabbouha” and “Shahroura”
Shahroura means Blackbird, a bird known for its singing.
Like many successful icons, she had a tragic upbringing
Her father was abusive and her brother killed their mother after suspecting she was having an affair.
Sabah got married over half a dozen times and had two children.
According to Arab Weddings, Sabah was married 10 times.
She was unconventional, a rebel who broke so many taboos
“She was the example of a star, she was totally complete in her appearance, behavior, and voice. She shocked people all the time,” said Chady Maalouf, head of programming at Voice of Lebanon Radio.
“She broke so many taboos. I don’t know if she was even aware of it…”