Rahimah Rahim (singer, born 1955)

Rahimah had her first acting role at age six, when she played a little rich girl in Korban Kasih. As a child, she would perform with her father on television and in nightclubs. She performed in the television show Pak Awang Temberang (Mr Awang Temberang) in the 1960s. She also had film roles as a child in Masuk Angin Keluar Asap and Kasih Ibu.{{cite news|work=New Straits Times|date=25 January 1987|author=Zieman|title=More than just a singer|pages=3}}

Rahimah released her first album, entitled Mana Ibumu (Where has your mother gone?) in 1972, when she was 17. Her hit songs include "Doa" ("Prayer") and "Gadis Dan Bunga" ("Lasses And Blooms"). Her other albums include Gadis Dan Bunga and Bebas, both of which were produced by Johari Salleh and went gold. Her singing career took off in 1974 when she was the group champion and the grand champion in Kim Koso Talentime in Japan. She has since represented the SBC in the ASEAN Song Festival and in the Golden Bell Awards in Taiwan. She has sung in Malay, Indonesian, English, and Japanese.In 1987,represented Singapore at the World Song Festival in Tokyo, Japan. In the 1970s and 1980s, she had performed at former The Neptune Theatre, Mandarin Hotel, Mandarin Hotel, Club 392 and in the Hilton hotel chain across the region. She was also Singapore ambassadress with Singapore Tourism Board in the 1970s and 1980s performed in Europe, ASEAN countries, Hong Kong, and Australia.

In 1989, Rahimah went on a pilgrimage to Mecca and on her return, she retired from singing.{{cite book |last=Nash |first=Manning |title=Fundamentalisms observed |publisher=University of Chicago Press |year=1994 |isbn=9780226508788 |editor=R. Scott Appleby and Martin E. Marty |pages=734 |chapter=Islamic Resurgence in Malaysia and Indonesia}}

In 2003, Rahimah was invited by Life Records to re-record her 10 greatest hits.{{Cite news |last=Cheong |first=Suk-Wai |date=12 February 2003 |title=Rahimah is back with a VCD |pages=L2 |work=The Straits Times}}

Although she has performed on occasion for special events, most notably as a guest performer on Singapore Idol in September 2006, where her namesake, Rahimah Rahim, was a contestant, she has stated that she has no plans to come out of retirement.

Her 12th album, Awal & Kini (Before and Now) was a compilation of her greatest hits, released in October 2006.

In November 2006, Rahimah held a solo concert as part of the Esplanade's Pesta Raya festival which was almost fully sold out.

In 2010, Rahimah took part in a reproduction of Dick Lee's musical, Fried Rice Paradise, by the Singapore Repertory Theatre which was commissioned by the People's Association to celebrate its 50th anniversary.{{Cite news |date=16 August 2010 |title=Embarking on a new stage |pages=C2 |work=The Straits Times}}

In 2021, Rahimah was awarded the Cultural Medallion, Singapore's pinnacle arts award, by the National Arts Council of Singapore.{{Cite news |last=Ong |first=Sor Fern |date=24 November 2021 |title=Cultural Medallion: Rahimah Rahim has been entertaining since age six |work=The Straits Times |url=https://www.straitstimes.com/life/arts/cultural-medallion-rahimah-rahim-has-been-entertaining-since-age-six |access-date=18 July 2022}}

From 1990 to 1997, Rahimah ran a hair and bridal salon. She closed the salon to take care of her daughters. Afterwards, Rahimah had worked as a customer relations officer at a car rental company, then at a maid agency and as of 2006 at an insurance company.{{cite news |author=Juliana June Rasul |date=17 January 2009 |title=Excuse me, are you that Rahimah? |work=AsiaOne |publisher=Singapore Press Holdings Ltd. |url=http://www.asiaone.com/News/The%2BNew%2BPaper/Story/A1Story20090116-115160.html}} Rahimah is often recognized by customers at her place of work.

Rahimah was a partner in Directors' Team, which she co-founded with Malaysian lyricist, poet and scriptwriter, Habsah Hassan.

Rahimah is the daughter of Rahim Hamid, a singer from the 1950s, nicknamed the Nat King Cole of Singapore and was a popular club act in the 1950s and 1960s. Her mother, Mariam Baharom, an actress, who starred in movies during the Malay Film Productions' heyday in the 1950s. Rahimah is the eldest of four children.

Rahimah's uncle is singer Ahmad Daud and her aunt is Saadiah.

Rahimah married footballer Mohamed Noh Hussein in 1977, with whom she had a daughter in 1978, and whom she later divorced in 1988. She would later meet Remy Taib, a bank officer, at a party in 1989, and they married on 14 February 1994.{{Cite news |last=Tan |first=Dawn Wei |date=26 April 2006 |title=Nobody pays to see you cry |pages=5 |work=The Straits Times}} They have a daughter who was born in 1995.

• Mana Ibumu, released in 1972
• Gadis Dan Bunga
• Bebas
• Masihka Ada Cinta, released in February 1987{{cite news|author=Zieman|title=Change of pace for Rahimah|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=3wLP7v6BnpwC&dat=19870222&printsec=frontpage&hl=en|accessdate=8 January 2019|work=New Straits Times|date=22 February 1987|page=Three (27)}}
• Awal & Kini (Before And Now), released in October 2006

{{Reflist}}

• {{cite news|title=Rahimah returns; From 70s siren to Anugerah judge, veteran singer's happy to be back in the spotlight|date=16 November 2005|work=Today|location=Singapore|publisher=MediaCorp Press Ltd.}}
• {{cite news|date=7 July 2003|work=The Malay Mail|publisher=Financial Times Ltd.|first=Azman|last=Ahmad|title=Rahimah Rahim returns.}}
• {{cite news|title=Brunei: Walking down memory lane with Rahimah Rahim.|date=27 August 2003|work=Borneo Bulletin|publisher=Financial Times Ltd.|first=Huraizah|last=Ahmad}}
• {{cite news|work=New Straits Times|date=4 June 2006|title=First Lady of Song still has the magic|first=Dennis|last=Chua}}

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Category:1955 births

Category:Living people

Category:20th-century Singaporean women singers