JEDDAH: Google Doodle paid homage to iconic Saudi singer Etab on December 30 with a colorful illustration to commemorate her 70th birthday.
Etab was a Saudi Arabian musical pioneer, one of the very first female Saudi singers to perform publicly. Her talent was discovered when she was 13 years old while singing at weddings.
Etab mixed traditional and contemporary Arab songs to create a style of her own, collaborating with top poets and singers from around the region; she produced 29 famous songs, 5 singles and 20 albums. She was nicknamed “Brunette of the Arabian Song.”
She was a prominent member of the Union of Arab Artists and the Egyptian Music Syndicate. Google’s Doodle celebrates the cultural legacy of Etab, who would’ve been 70 years old today.
Over the years, Google has also paid homage in celebrating the birthdates of many other iconic Arab celebrities such as Nizar Qabbani, Abdel Halim Hafez, Asmahan, Faten Hamama, Youssef Chahine, Umm Kalthoum, Farid Shawki, Warda Al-Jazairia, Ismail Yasin, Khalil Gibran and many others.
Etab died on August 19, 2007 in Cairo at the age of 59, after a long battle with cancer.
