Samira Abdelrazak Bensaïd (; born 10 January 1958), professionally known as Samira Said (), is a Moroccan singer, who resides in Egypt for more than forty-years and is known for her Egyptian Arabic genre. Career Samira Said was born in 1958 in Rabat, in Morocco, to a father from Rabat and a mother from Fez. She began singing at the age of nine, and was discovered on the music program, Mawaheb, broadcast on Moroccan TV. She then moved to Egypt where her fame around the Arab world began. She has dual nationality in Morocco and Egypt, her resident home, as she moved to Cairo in 1977. All her albums are in Egyptian Arabic, but she has also recorded some songs in Moroccan Arabic, such as "Kifash Tlakina" ("How we Met"), "Fayetli sheftek shi marra" ("I've seen you once"), "Sarkouh" ("They Stole Him"), and "Al Behhara" ("Mariners"). Her singles included "Maghlouba" ("Beaten") and "Wa'ady" ("My Love"). In 1980 she represented her native Morocco in the Eurovision Song Contest singing a hit song in Netherlands at that time called Bitaqat Hub, placing 18th out of the 19 contestants. Said has recorded many Arabic hits that were ranked highly in Egypt, such as "Ben Lef" ("The Circle of Life"), "Sayidati Sadati" (Ladies and Gentlemen"), "Malich 3inwan" ("Ready When You Are") and "Akher Hawa" ("Last Love"). She worked with the Egyptian composer Mohamed El Mougi, and sang and acted in the film Saaktob Ismak Ala Arrimal ("I Will Write Your Name in the Sand"), which included her singing "Yadamiiti Haddi" ("Tears, Fall from My Eyes"). Other recordings include "Lilet El Ouns" ("Magnificent Get-Together"), "Ech Gab Li Gab" ("A Cut about the Rest"), "Amrak Aagib" ("I Don't Get You"), and "Menghir Sabab" ("For No Reason"). In 2000, she released the song "Lilah Habeebee", ("One Night, My Love"), the album title track, which went on to win for best video in the Arab world in 2001 at the Cairo Arabic Music Festival. At the 15th annual World Music Awards in 2003, Said won a World Music Award based on worldwide sales figures for that year. She won the BBC award for world music for the best artist in the Middle East with her album Youm Wara Youm. She has won more than 40 awards. Reception Halina Hopkis called Said "an emblem of trans-nationality in her moves between Morocco and Egypt as well the different awards and