Magool was born in the city of Dhuusamareeb, the capital of the Galgaduud region in central Somalia to Cayr, Hawiye parents.
Within that year, she moved to Hargeysa, where she accompanied the latter city's version of the Mogadishu-based Waaberi ensemble of musicians.
It was at this point that fellow musician and songwriter Yusuf Haji Adan dubbed her Magool (meaning "flower"), a nickname by which she would come to be popularly known.
By the late 1970s, while she still interpreted love tunes, Magool also began singing Islamic songs that criticized Somalia's then ruling military government.
Magool's unique performances, ability to memorize entire albums' worth of material in a matter of hours, and her deep, emotive voice would eventually earn her the title of Hooyadii Fanka, or "Mother of Artistry."