She studied in a French nuns’ school, after which she began her career in singing in local clubs in the Azbakiyyah entertainment area.
She also was part of the ensemble of Salama Hegazi and when he became ill, she sang his role in Salah al-Din al-Ayubi, while dressed onstage as a man.
[4] Her performances marked the increasingly popularity of new and lighter song formats, for instance, the taqtuqa, which she sang for women and theater audiences.
The great popularity of Mounira Elmahdiyya, intensified by the success of the film La Coquette in 1935, enabled her to build a network of fans from different backgrounds, both social and geographical, and a theatre now bears her name.
In 1978, a film titled Soltanet El-Tarab about her life was produced and directed by Hasan El-Emam, starring Sherifa Fadel.