All too often we feel like it’s the men who dominate the stage here in Cairo. After all, how many female-fronted bands do you know? We know a few, actually, and there are a lot more women in on the action than you may realize, from musical theater to jazz to rock. So here are 30 Egyptian women who have rocked Cairo’s stages:
Massive Scar Era
These ladies make up an (almost) entirely female band – this particular lineup had Dalia & Yasmine Samy, Cherine Amr, and Nancy Mounir. If you don’t know Massive Scar Era, you really should. They’ve been around for more than a decade, taking their usual hardcore act down a few notches to play this acoustic gig with Sofar Sounds.
Youssra el-Hawary
Let’s be honest, we all loved her post-revolution song “The Wall,” and we still love listening to her.
Michelle Rounds
Like jazz? Then you’ve got to see the fantastic Michelle Rounds in action. We caught her here at Cairo Jazz Club, but you’re just as likely to find her singing at brunch at the Nile Ritz-Carlton or perhaps at Maadi’s gem, Villa Belle Epoque.
Nesma Mahgoub
If we’re talking stage presence, this chick has definitely got it. We absolutely LOVE watching her on stage!
Al Nour Wal Amal
This group is incredible on so many levels – it’s an orchestra comprised entirely of blind girls, and hearing and watching them play is beyond inspirational. ‘Al Nour Wal Amal’ translates to ‘light and hope,’ and that is exactly what their performances bring.
Nancy Mounir
We know her best as violinist for Massive Scar Era, but apparently she also plays bass (how many girls here do that?!) and here we found her playing violin and recorder with Abu. She’s played with Hany Must and others as well.
Nada Ayoub
We were super lucky to catch this girl on stage a few years ago, playing the title role in the Tim Rice & Elton John version of Aida. The girl can sing! We wish we saw her on stage more… (*hint hint*)
Nathalie Saba
When we caught Nathalie singing at Jazz Mate back in 2013, she was only 14!! We have no idea what she’s up to now, but we DO wonder.
Update: apparently Nathalie has since signed with Sony and has released an EP titled “This is Me.” You go, girl!
Nadine El Seragy
This young woman definitely wow’ed us as Fantine in Fabrica’s production of Les Misereables in Egyptian Arabic a few years back.
Amira Reda
Amira Reda does it all: from beloved Egyptian melodies like Lamabada Yetathana to musical theater to classical, her lovely voice makes us fall in love with them all.
Salma Amr
We just found her this month on stage with Kareem el-Ghalid of Karkadan and we have no idea who she is, but she looks so serene with her tabla (which GLOWS! So cool.).
Ally Salem
If you want to see a girl who can really rock, you need look no farther that Ally Salem, on stage here with Pink Floyd cover band Andromida.
Farida El-Gueretly
If you’ve never heard her sing, you’re really missing out. We absolutely love her voice and wish she played in Cairo more often!
Yasmine Samy
From the stage at the Cairo Opera House to accompanying HanyMust, like the above gig at Funk n Pop, Yasmine and her violin always captivate our attention. She sings, too – definitely check her out at HanyMust’s next gig!
Nouran Khalil
We haven’t seen Nouran on stage in a while, but we definitely loved her in this production of El Leila El Kebira, as well as in other Fabria performances (including Les Mis).
Nour Emam Refai
We found Nour on stage at Sofar Sounds Cairo last year, at a special gig honoring International Women’s Day. Don’t you just love her smile? We wish we could share her voice too!
The Three Muses
Technically they’re referred to as “the doo-wop girls” in the script, but Eman Badr, Myrna Ghanem, and Hana Ghoneim called themselves (appropriately, don’t you think?) The Muses in AUC’s production of Little Shop of Horrors last year. We loved it, and we love them!
Malak Makar
…and that time she looked like a ghost on stage at the Jazz Club. Of all the things she’s done over the years, we loved her jazzy group Grey Grass. Come back Grey Grass, we miss you!!
Amy Frega & Rita Ashkar
You might find them on stage elsewhere, but these two lovely ladies definite rock some Bach.
Mariam Ali
We first saw Mariam on stage as half of AbuMariam back in 2011, but you might also remember her from Revival or from her solo work. Speaking of revivals… Mariam, where did you go? Come back, we miss you!
May Mansur
When we saw Living Too Late for the very first time at a Sofar Sounds gig, we absolutely loved watching May!
Perry Moataz
Who, of course, was not to be outdone by her bandmate on bass. Way to rock, ladies.
Malak Salama
We first saw Malak when she joined some of our favorite Cairene musicians in a tribute to David Bowie earlier this year, and more recently we found her on stage as lead singer of The Banned.
Nathalie Alain
We absolutely love Nathalie’s rich mezzo-soprano voice. Whether she’s singing love songs at Sakia or medieval canticas with the Lions of Cairo, we think she’s just great.
Alia Megahed & Nora ElFangary
Finally, they may not be musicians themselves but we definitely want to give a shout out to these two lovely ladies, who brought Sofar Sounds to Cairo back in 2014 and are doggedly continuing to introduce new music and new audiences together, and we love them for it.
WE SAID THIS: You all rock, ladies. Keep it up!