Nancy Agag, also spelled Nancy Ajaj ( ar, نانسي عجاج, born 2 March 1979), 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 characterised by modern arrangements, played by her own band of professional musicians, and she enjoys wide popularity in Sudan as well as abroad.

Personal life and artistic career

Nancy Agag was born in

Omdurman Omdurman (standard ar, أم درمان ''Umm Durmān'') is a city in Sudan. It is the most populated city in the country, and thus also in the State of Khartoum. Omdurman lies on the west bank of the River Nile, opposite and northwest of the ...

and grew up in the

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

, where she studied

Social History Social history, often called the new social history, is a field of history that looks at the lived experience of the past. In its "golden age" it was a major growth field in the 1960s and 1970s among scholars, and still is well represented in his ...

and music. Her father, Badr al-Din Ajaj, also a well-known musician and composer, was murdered, when he returned to Sudan. From 2004 onwards, Nancy Agag and her band have performed numerous concerts in

Sudan Sudan ( or ; ar, السودان, as-Sūdān, officially the Republic of the Sudan ( ar, جمهورية السودان, link=no, Jumhūriyyat as-Sūdān), is a country in Northeast Africa. It shares borders with the Central African Republic t ...

, the US, England, Canada,

Qatar Qatar (, ; ar, قطر, Qaṭar ; local vernacular pronunciation: ), officially the State of Qatar,) is a country in Western Asia. It occupies the Qatar Peninsula on the northeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula in the Middle East; it sh ...

and the

. Featuring many popular songs about her country, she has produced several albums and many music videos. In 2016, the German Cultural Centre in

Khartoum Khartoum or Khartum ( ; ar, الخرطوم, Al-Khurṭūm, din, Kaartuɔ̈m) is the capital of Sudan. With a population of 5,274,321, its metropolitan area is the largest in Sudan. It is located at the confluence of the White Nile, flowing n ...

produced two of her songs for an international project, featuring

music video A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a m ...

s from Sudan,

Egypt Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediter ...

and the Middle East. Nancy Agag 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. During the

Sudanese revolution The Sudanese Revolution was a major shift of political power in Sudan that started with street protests throughout Sudan on 19 December 2018 and continued with sustained civil disobedience for about eight months, during which the 2019 Sudane ...

of 2018/19, she published a song called ''Birth'', which according to the selection of Sudanese songs ''The Sounds of Sudan'', expresses the "sentiments of Sudan’s December Revolution".

see more

* Hanan Bulu Bulu

References

External links to music videos

"Birth" ("ميلاد") by Nancy Ajaj with English translation and comments on the lyricsAhibak on Al Shoorok TV

Ahibak from Goethe Institut kitchen sessions

Andarea

Hanin

Al shoog wa al raid

Show reel 2015 (excerpts from concerts and interviews)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Agag, Nancy Living people 21st-century Sudanese women singers 1979 births People from Omdurman Rotana Records artists Sudanese women musicians