Hanan Bulu Bulu (Arabic: حنان بلوبلو, born as Hanan Abdallah Abdelkarim, 4 May 1966, Omdurman, Sudan), is a modern Sudanese singer-songwriter and recording artist. In her music, she combines both songs by older Sudanese musicians as well as her own compositions. Her songs are characterized by modern arrangements ٫ played by her own band of professional musicians, and she enjoys wide popularity in Sudan as well as abroad.

Hanan Bulu Bulu
Birth nameHanan Abdallah Abdelkarim
Born (1966-05-04) 4 May 1966 (age 58)
Omdurman, Sudan
GenresSudanese music
Occupation
  • singer, composer, music producer
Years active1980–present

Personal life and artistic career

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Hanan Bulu Bulu was born in Omdurman, one of the three cities that make up the metropolitan area of Greater Khartoum. Singing many popular songs about her country, she has produced several albums and music videos. In 1986, she was one of the few female singers who appeared in modern Western outfits, even without the headscarf that was obligatory during the government of Omar al Bashir up to 2019. Before the abolishment of Public Order Law, the authorities had imposed many restrictions for women's appearance in public.[1]

In the Rough Guide to World Music, she was mentioned along other Sudanese women singers of the 20th century, such as the pioneer of Sudanese music Aisha al-Falatiya and the internationally successful musical group Al-Balabil. As the "Madonna of 1980s Sudanese pop", she was enjoying popularity with her upbeat style that combined suggestive lyrics and dalooka-style rhythms with the erotic bridal "dove-dance" of Sudanese weddings.[2] An earlier version of the same guide reported that in 1986, she impressed audiences at the Khartoum International Fair.[3]

Encouraged by her popular recognition, she ran for the chairmanship of the General Sudanese Union for Music Professions, the association of Sudanese singers, but was not elected. With the emergence of the fundamentalists' regime in the late 1980s, she suffered persecution, was beaten up, publicly slurred, and banned from performing.[4] For some time, she continued to make music under these difficult conditions, but in 1993 she fled the country.[5][6]

Recordings

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On the compilation album Two Niles to Sing a Melody with songs by famous Sudanese musicians of the 1970s, she was featured with her song "Alamy Wa Shagiya" (My Pain and Suffering).[7][8][9]

In 2021, she continued performing with her son, the singer Mohammed Bashir.[10]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Hana Bulu-Bulu Biography, Songs, & Albums". AllMusic. Retrieved 17 September 2022.
  2. ^ Broughton, Simon; Ellingham, Mark; Lusk, Jon; Clark, Duncan Antony (2006). The Rough Guide to World Music: Africa & Middle East. Rough Guides. p. 401. ISBN 978-1-84353-551-5.
  3. ^ Duane, Orla; McConnachie, James (1999). World Music: Africa, Europe and the Middle East. Rough Guides. p. 676. ISBN 978-1-85828-635-8.
  4. ^ Yaqub, Nadia; Quawas, Rula (27 September 2017). Bad Girls of the Arab World. University of Texas Press. p. 188. ISBN 978-1-4773-1336-7.
  5. ^ "Sudanese music of the '70s revived in Two Niles to Sing a Melody". Radio Dabanga. Retrieved 17 September 2022.
  6. ^ El Gizouli, Magdi (20 December 2012). "Sudan's Hawa: the banat come of age". Archived from the original on 7 February 2013. Retrieved 17 September 2022.
  7. ^ "Alamy Wa Shagiya (My Pain and Suffering) (Live), by Hanan Bulu Bulu". Ostinato Records. Retrieved 17 September 2022.
  8. ^ Marcus, Richard (12 September 2018). "Album review: "Two Niles to Sing a Melody": The strings and synths of Sudan – Qantara.de". Qantara.de – Dialogue with the Islamic World. Retrieved 17 September 2022.
  9. ^ Sohonie, Vik. "A journey through Sudan's golden era of music". www.aljazeera.com. Retrieved 17 September 2022.
  10. ^ الإلكتروني, البيان. "ما الذي يبكي الفنانة السودانية "بلوبلو" في رمضان؟". www.albayan.ae (in Arabic). Retrieved 19 September 2022.

Further reading

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  • Sikainga, Ahmad (2012), "A short history of Sudanese popular music", in Ryle, John; Willis, Justin; Baldo, Suliman; Madut Jok, Jok (eds.), The Sudan Handbook (digital ed.), London: Rift Valley Institute, pp. 243–253, ISBN 9781847010308
  • Verney, Peter; Jerome, Helen; Yassin, Moawia (2006). "Sudan. Still yearning to dance". In Broughton, Simon; Ellingham, Mark; Lusket, Jon (eds.). The Rough Guide to World Music: Africa & Middle East. London, New York: Rough Guides. pp. 397–407. ISBN 978-1-84353-551-5. OCLC 76761811.
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