Syrian singer and songwriter Rasha Rizk is an influential musician on a continuous rise to fame. Releasing acoustic versions of her well-loved songs on Instagram during the pandemic, her page following recently surpassed 500,000.
Rizk’s voice holds an irreplaceable place in the hearts of those who grew up in the early 2000s watching the cartoon channel SpaceToon. The echo of her angelic voice is easily recognizable in the Arab world, making her a fan-favorite and crowning her as a queen of young hearts.
Rizk has an extensive artistic background. As she mentioned in an interview on a talk show of France 24, there is footage of her singing at the age of two. Rizk has explored various genres of music including classical Arabic music, rock, jazz, opera, and cartoon music.
Snippets of Rasha Rizk’s early life
Rizk was born on March 5, 1976 in Damascus, Syria. She is the youngest of three children. Rizk developed a passion for singing from a very young age as she grew up in a musical household where her mother and siblings frequently sang.
At the age of nine, she started her formal vocal training. At the age of 12, Rizk won the Pioneers Children’s Singing Competition in Syria.
Upon graduating high school in 1994, Rizk studied French literature at Sorbonne University in France. In 2002, she graduated from the Higher Institute for Music in Damascus and began working there as an operatic singing professor.
Rizk and Syrian composer and guitar player Ibrahim Sulaimani founded a rock/jazz band titled “Itar Shameh” in 1998. Rizk and Sulaimani got married in 2003 and have a daughter named Sarah.
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Rasha Rizk’s career as an iconic Arab cartoon singer
Rasha Rizk began working with Venus Center, a Syrian dubbing company, in 1995. Venus Center was associated with the popular cartoon channel SpaceToon, which aired Arabic versions of Japanese anime cartoons.
Rizk sang several iconic opening songs of Arabic versions of Japanese cartoons such as Detective Conan, Digimon Tamers, Remi, Nobody’s Girl, Romeo’s Blue Skies, and Hunter X Hunter.
In addition to singing, Rizk dubbed the voice of several characters. Venus Center producers had noticed that she has great control over her voice and has the ability to change it drastically.
Rizk shaped the youth of the Arab world through her cartoon songs, which incorporated sophisticated and inspiring lyrics often written by the singer herself.
In Morocco, many look up to her and cherish childhood memories where they would come home from school, watch anime on SpaceToon, and sing along to Rizk’s songs. The singer is often referred to as “the golden voice.”
Rizk’s voice is often heavy with emotions when she sings cartoon songs, therefore appealing to the young audience, and to this day, Rizk’s cartoon songs are still highly popular.
‘Malak,’ Rasha Rizk’s latest album
Shortly after the Syrian revolution started, Rizk moved to Egypt, then Lebanon, until she finally ended up in France. The singer decided to leave Syria in 2012 out of fear for her daughter’s safety.
In 2017, Rizk released an album tackling the civil war in Syria and netizens have viewed the music video of its debut single “Sakru Shababik” over 4.9 million times on Youtube as of June 2020.
“In this album, I’m addressing Syrians in Syria and all the refugees. I created this album as a duty and a tribute to the suffering Syrian people. I wanted to talk about the consequences of war on a human scale,” Rizk told OnOrient, a media outlet that highlights creativity and art in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region.
“Although we talk about Syrians every day, they have become numbers of wounded and dead … yet behind these statistics, there are personal tragedies.”
The album met with significant success and was eventually nominated for a Grammy in 2018, within the category of “Best World Music Album.” Rizk was also nominated for the Grammy award of “Best New Artist.”
Rasha Rizk’s diverse musical creations continue to inspire millions of people all around the world. Through her cartoon songs, opera lessons, and rock and jazz pieces, the Syrian singer and songwriter continues to win the hearts of a widespread and adoring audience.
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