The pioneers of this era were often singer-songwriters, including the prolific Abdallah Abdel Karim, called Karouma, the innovative Ibrahim al-Abadi and Khalil Farah, a poet and singer, who wrote the lyrics and music for the patriotic song "Azza fi Hawak" and was active in the Sudanese independence movement. Al-Abadi was known for an unorthodox style of fusing traditional wedding poetry with music. Further, a specific style of rhythmic choral singing by Sudanese women evolved out of praise singing during the 1930s, called "Tum Tum". Originating from Kosti on the White Nile, the lyrics of "tum tum" were romantic, but sometimes also talking about the difficulties of female life. The music was danceable and became quickly popular in urban centres.