Sayed Khalifa was a popular Sudanese singer and composer, primarily active from the 1950s to the 1980s. Khalifa was one of the first Sudanese singers trained in formal music theory. Like other Sudanese singers, he performed in both Standard Arabic and Sudanese Arabic, thus appealing both to the educated elite as well as to the common people. Khalifa is best known for his songs "Ya Watani" and "Izzayakum Keifinnakum".