Photo Credit: Warner Classics

Fatma Said is a soprano opera singer who has gained international success and recognition. Her upcoming album “Kaleidoscope” is something you do not want to miss out on; it is a blend of various cultures and multiple languages in which she captivates the authenticity of this genre. The album will be out on the 2nd of September. Today, we will discuss with Fatma her journey behind her album, and her collaboration with Tamer Hussein on her new single “Ad Ay Saab.”

What is your inspiration behind the name “Kaleidoscope”?

A kaleidoscope is a device consisting of mirrors that reflect images of bits of colored glass in a design through a viewer, and you can change the shapes you see to create a bigger picture, so with each combination, a new shape is created.

“This is what the album has done for me, it has given me an opportunity to play with my voice and present its different colors and facets throughout the album. My soul is there in every song, but what really changes is how I vocally and artistically adapt to each mood. It varies from opera to pop, with every song I am singing, every style I am singing, and every language I am singing.”

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Fatma Said فاطمة سعيد (@fatmasaid.sop)

How did you integrate your love for dancing into your upcoming album?

“I always want to do something authentic, and something I can personally relate to. Choosing dancing as a hobby was personal and important. I always think about which came first to me, is it dancing or music?

For me, both are inseparable. I cannot separate music from movement or vice versa. The sound of the sea is still music to me, and how we react to sounds is very artistic. Music was always there, inspired by nature.

I managed to incorporate both by choosing rhythms and being inspired by arrhythmic music from opera, to renaissance, to baroque, to today’s music.”

How does it feel to sing a song with Arabic lyrics written specifically for you, and how was your experience working with the iconic Tamer Hussein?

“Ad ay Saab” is the only song in the album with lyrics particularly written for this purpose, and I am certainly thinking about and want to pursue the path of having more original songs, written specifically for me.

It was a beautiful experience because when you’re working with someone like Tamer Hussein, the words were born for you. So you’re the first one to make them your own, you’re not covering it from someone else’s song. It felt very original and very “my own”. The beauty of this collaboration is that Tamer Hussein was artistically very keen to make sure that the words are authentic, and we worked closely together to fully create something genuine. He is a believer in authenticity, work ethic, and teamwork.

He made sure I was feeling every word he wrote, just like how Abdel Haleem used to sit down with his writers and be part of the writing process. This is the real meaning of “teamwork.”

I was very happy that he is open to the idea of working with an opera singer because he works with superstars and pop artists. I respect him a lot for taking a chance, specifically, because I came with a very clear rhythm and a musical pattern, and I gave him a more difficult task of adapting himself and his words into the composition and finding the right words to fit it.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Fatma Said فاطمة سعيد (@fatmasaid.sop)

Why did you find El Choclo a suitable tune to sing “Ad Ay Saab” to?

El Choclo is a known Argentinian tango dance that was translated into many languages, and I thought why not translate it into an Arabic song?

Listening to the pure music without listening to the words, I felt that it has a very strong sense of determination, will, and resilience that I thought would suit a strong Arabic text.

“I felt that I want to listen to it in Arabic and feel how does it feel like. I felt that if I found the perfect Arabic writer, we could come up with something very original.”

How many languages do you speak, and is it essential for an opera singer to be fluent in different languages to master the art of opera?

I speak 5 languages: Arabic, German, English, French, and Italian. Mastering several languages is something very common among opera singers. We need the languages, and we practice them all the time. I am constantly learning poetry in seven different languages, so I get much deeper into the languages.

Specifically, in the middle east, I believe that Arabs are talented with languages, especially in Egypt. From the colonization to being a francophone country one day, to having generations exposed to Greek and Italian language because so many nationalities live in this country. “By nature, we developed to be people with very good ears.”

The reason why opera is not flourishing in the middle east lies in the lack of education in a musical sense. Not a lot of people get the opportunity to get acquainted with classical music from a young age; they aren’t even given the opportunity to explore such music. We need encouragement and artistic emphasis on these types of music in order for a generation of diverse singers to be born.

Is it possible for an Egyptian opera song to break into the mainstream, or opera will always be categorized as elite music?

Opera already broke into the mainstream abroad, so this is something I have no doubts about. I am a believer that opera has become important because it is “people’s music,” music for all of us to relate to.

We have to break the stigma that opera is for the hierarchy; that was the idea back when Mozart used to compose. It was written for kings and queens, but now, it is completely different. In the 19th century, more relatable and common stories were incorporated into opera for people in the countryside, like a simple story of a lover who cannot find medicine to heal partner, and it turns into a financial, emotional, and economical struggle. All of which can be felt by the simple, common man.

If we explained these schools of opera, people would grasp that opera is not “elite” or anything. It does not require long, chic dresses. That’s not the point. Opera is accessible to everyone. You do not even need to understand the language it’s sung by, just feel it.

How did it feel performing John Lennon’s “Imagine” in The Global Citizen performance in front of thousands of people?

I was very honored to be invited; it is one of the biggest events I sang in, in front of 25 thousand people. The audience was welcoming, and it took all the fear away. “I felt so much love that made me feel comfortable… this is a very special experience.”

What are the most important collaborations you did in your career, and which collaborations do you wish you could do in the future?

The collaboration with Tamer Hussein was the most exciting one. The best collaborations are the ones that have a lot of contrast; it creates excitement.

Luciano Pavarotti was successful because of his unique voice but also because he decided to collaborate with the likes of Maria Carey and Celine Dion. People did not know what was coming.

I think I would love to do both English and Arabic collaborations. I want to mix pop and opera.

Why did you choose to include Offenbach’s Barcarolle’s “Belle Nuit O Nuit D’amour” in the album?

This song is one of the most famous duets in opera, and I wanted to collaborate with other singers to add more color to the album. The song starts with one person, then it evolves to her dividing herself into two people, two voices. Doing it with the right person, you won’t notice who is singing what. I like this trickiness in opera.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Fatma Said فاطمة سعيد (@fatmasaid.sop)

What are the inspirations that you heard growing up that made you want to be a soprano, and what is the exact moment you felt that this was your dream?

Growing up, I realized I love poetry and words in general. I felt like I can color words and paint in the color I want using my voice. And I was inspired by a lot of Arabic and English pop music from the 60s, 70s, and 80s. Specifically, Abdel Haleem, Abdel Wahab, Nagat, Shadya, and Sabah. This was the type of music in my household. “That’s why I make sure to always sing in Arabic as an opera singer.”

Photo Credit: Warner Classics

How do you choose the Arabic songs that you choose to cover like “Sahar El Layaly” or “El Helwa Di” in your debut album “El Nour”?

I choose them based on their familiarity with the Arab public. I believe that a real artist will always think that their music is everybody’s.

I would love to see people covering “Ad Ay Saab”, and I would love to see them changing it and putting their own character into it. Then I will feel I am an addition to music. Every musician was once inspired by someone and is a continuation of someone else’s legacy.

On Air Now

Non-Stop Music

You May like

Schedule

Non-Stop Music