Egyptian singer Amal Maher has announced she will be taking a step back from her illustrious artistic career, maybe for good.
In a statement shared across social media, the Elly Qadra star said she would be "completely withdrawing from the artistic community and from all artistic activity".
She said the decision was “due to personal circumstances beyond my control".
"I wish my fans all the best and happiness in this life," she said.
Maher did not say whether or not she would ever return to singing, but she did confirm she wanted to spend the foreseeable future away from the limelight.
The announcement comes a day after she revealed her engagement to an Egyptian businessman had been broken off.
'You were the best audience'
The Egyptian singer, whose music is heavily influenced by Umm Kulthum, was expected to release a new album soon, however she said its launch would be indefinitely postponed.
“I was excited to share it with you all. More than ever before but this is God’s will.”
Maher thanked her fans “from the ocean to the Gulf” for supporting her throughout her career. “I enjoyed you a lot over the years and you were the best audience.”
Fans have been lamenting Maher’s decision to retire but are nevertheless supportive of the star on social media.
A hashtag, #Support_Amal_Maher, has been picking up momentum on Twitter with many using it to express admiration for the singer and thanking her for her work.
“Always the best,” Twitter user Mohamed Shaaban wrote. “Someday you will come back.”
“I don’t know why Amal Maher retired,” another Twitter user, blueXink, wrote. “But I am very sad.”
Maher's retirement is a marked loss for the Arab artistic scene. Discovered as a promising talent at the age of 15, Maher enrolled in a music conservatory, and before long she was performing regularly at the famed Cairo Opera House.
She released her debut album Isaalni Ana in 2006. Since then, she has had four studio albums.
Her latest, Asl El-Ehsas, came out in 2019 and was a collaboration with the legendary Indian composer A R Rahman.