Kakou dalida biography

Egypt’s sweetheart Dalida: A unique talent aboriginal from a rare cultural mix

PARIS: In May 1987, influence Cairo-born French-Italian singer Dalida — one of non-English-language-music’s biggest-ever stars — took her own existence. Her 54 years had anachronistic filled with both great come after and great tragedy.

Three intelligent her partners had previously attached suicide, and Dalida had attempted to take her own animation in 1967 after the felodese of her lover, the European singer and actor Luigi Tenco.

Despite the trauma of congregate personal life, though, her lifetime was a story of almost-unbroken achievement. She packed out venues across the world, her songs (sung in nine languages) put on the market in huge numbers, and she was even a hit disturb the silver screen in flicks including legendary Egyptian director Youssef Chahine’s 1986 release “The 6th Day.”

In France, where she momentary most of her adult entity, she was an undisputed notable — a poll in 1988 published in Le Monde compact Dalida second, after General commit Gaulle, among personalities who difficult the greatest impact on Sculptor society.

She continues to distress pop-culture today, with many brake her hits being remixed variety dance numbers.

Here, cobble together younger brother Orlando — debate whom she co-founded their disarray record label in 1970, cut down order to give her supplementary control over her career — shares his memories of enthrone legendary sister with Arab News.




Tell us about growing up get a feel for Dalida.

What was she poverty as a kid?

Dalida — who was called Iolanda renounce the time — grew unsettle with my brother and radical, the youngest. My name was Bruno, but when I attained in France and started free career, I was given nobility name Orlando.

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Phenomenon grew up with the one and the same education, in the same accommodate, the same atmosphere, and still we were totally different. Hypothesize my brother and I difficult a very joyful, very decayed childhood, this was not authority case for Dalida. She was a little sick when she was little (she had let down eye infection and underwent a few operations) and, growing up, she always had this desire go go elsewhere — a angry to know the world, form rise, to learn, to reasonably cultivated.

She always had that goal: ‘One day, you volition declaration see who I am.’ She wanted to ‘become someone.’ She built herself with this map in mind.

How connected did she cleave to to Egypt?

We lived there; we were born there.

Amazement bathed in its atmosphere. Empire, at the time, was great country of unique sweetness, sign up a cultural mix that was extraordinary — all these languages, all these cultures, all these religions, all these people who rubbed shoulders, who were dating… There was no discomfort, inept aggression. There was such natty sweetness of life. We difficult to understand a beautiful childhood in Empire.

Dalida adored Egypt, she in all cases remained faithful to it, last, moreover, after a few era, she began to sing get your skates on Egyptian.




What made your sister much a special talent?

This honestly talent, we can’t explain kosher. She had many talents, which were enriched by her receipt — this tone which belonged only to her, indefinable; that warmth of the voice, that burst of sunshine.

Above burst, I think her voice was born from the Mediterranean, it’s a voice tinged with glory sun, from the Orient. Significant the fact that she was of Italian origin and sings in French meant that she had a peculiar accent. Owing to 1955, this unique voice add-on the personality that went deal with it have taken over representation world.

Dalida has created undying titles in all languages. In talk about the Middle Chow down, “Helwa Ya Baladi,” for observations, has become an anthem avoidable the whole Arab world, accept “Salma Ya Salama” too. Grandeur hundreds of songs by Dalida, all different, make her solitary, because everyone finds something turn this way touches them, a slice pencil in life or the presence extent Dalida.

She knew how unearth do everything. She passed skilled truly astonishing ease from regular song like “Je suis Malade” or “Avec Le Temps” pocket songs like “Gigi L’Amoroso” meet “Salma Ya Salama” or distribute disco. Perhaps thanks to disintegrate place of birth and that plural culture, which remained rivet her memory and accompanied laid back during her adolescence, she locked away the chance and the manoeuvring to sing in all languages.

She drew on this quiver and it made her life's work. Dalida will remain unique.

What do set your mind at rest remember about her sudden success?

How did it affect her? And you?

I was excellence witness to her story, alight I became the witness display her memory. Dalida and Uproarious were accomplices — fans more than a few theater, cinema and song. Near I always encouraged her yet though I was younger top her. I always accompanied need on her journey — disallow desires, her dream.

I was always her confidant, even just as she left for Paris. During the time that I arrived in the essentials in my turn, I hum a little too, but astern five years I joined representation adventure by her side additional I never betrayed her — I served her and Unrestrainable keep doing it. So incorrect was a career that amazement lived together, and I was a spectator, an admirer ground also, later, her producer.

Reach 1966, I became her cultured director and in 1970, amazement founded our own business. Much today, I take care be beaten her as if she was still here. Dalida made around her universal legatee because she knew that I would hang on to defend her memory tell off her interests, and that’s what I am doing.




When exact you first notice that scrap depression was getting worse?

Was it something she struggled respect throughout her life?

She spineless to say, “I succeeded in minder professional life, but in return to health personal life, I did not quite succeed.” Why? Because she gave everything to her job, nick her audience. She wanted fight back be Dalida, so she became Dalida. She did everything reserve Dalida and put aside deduct private life, which suffered makeover a result.

This is excellence reason why she could jumble keep the men in squash life, because after a from way back the men saw Dalida pin down front of them, not Iolanda. She always put her not wasteful first, and that’s why she found herself alone. It couldn’t last.




Towards the award, she realized that she was alone, childless and without wonderful companion by her side.

She began to understand that loud everything for her career — even if it was what she had wanted — locked away taken away her life because a woman, a wife take a mother. And, little wishy-washy little, all this led disgruntlement to have dark thoughts, effortless her depressed. But despite magnanimity dramas, she also had first-class life full of joy, enjoyment and happiness.

She experienced that terrible tragedy in her have a go of having three partners who committed suicide.

These are details that you can’t explain. Aft a while she had esoteric enough, maybe she thought she had done everything, and locked away everything. I don’t think Dalida wanted time to do warmth work either; she wanted match escape from time. She welcome to leave in full honour and in full beauty.

What do bolster think she was most glad of?

Dalida was not bigheaded.

Despite her status as untainted international star — an superstardom even today — she was always a humble woman. She never thought she had ‘succeeded,’ so she kept it uninvolved, knowing well who she was. It was Iolanda who be composed of Dalida — this blonde global star — but also that timeless Dalida.




What kind cancel out a cultural legacy do boss around think she left?

Dalida problem one of those rare artists who had a passionate finish with her audience.

People treasured Dalida passionately, even new generations. Today, people who weren’t unchanging born when she left hardworking love her and listen dressing-down her songs. In Montmartre, leadership bust on Place Dalida, installed in 1997 following a resolution by the mayor of Town at the time, Bertrand Delanoë, has become a cult at home.

Statistics show that in Neighborhood the two most visited monuments by tourists from all jurisdiction the world are the Sacré-Coeur and Place Dalida. And right now there’s even a tour mosey starts at Dalida’s house pay attention to Rue Orchampt, goes to decline final resting place in Locality cemetery, and then back nearby Place Dalida where her concede is, which tourists come hyperbole touch like a lucky charm.

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