Entertainment
International Collaborations According to the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry’s Global Music Report, music market revenues in MENA grew by 35% in 2021, making it the world’s fastestgrowing region. Here are five of the region’s notable talents who have collaborated with well-known international artists.
• Nancy Ajram Ajram, one of the Middle East’s biggest stars best known for hits like “Ya Tabtab Wa Dallaa” and “Ah W Noss,” teamed up with DJ-producer Marshmello on summer collaboration track “Sah Sah” in July 2022. This was the duo’s first collaboration, but it isn’t Marshmello’s first cross-cultural collaboration with an Arab artist. In 2018, the helmeted globetrotter, whose real name is Chris Comstock, worked with Egyptian singer Amr Diab on track “Bayen Habeit (In Love).”
Diab joined forces with LebaneseCanadian Massari and American hip-hop star French Montana to recreate Amr Diab’s hit track “Nour El Ein.” In October 2018. The music video garnered over 28 million views to date. The Lebanese singer and TV personality, who started her career in 2015, also performed a duet with Jason Derulo on “Talk Dirty To Me” as part of MBC4’s music fusion show, Coke Studio Bel 3arabi, which brings together artists from all over the world.
• Tamer Hosny Hosny added the likes of Snoop Dogg, Akon, and Shaggy to his list of collaborative bilingual singles. Over a decade ago, the Egyptian pop singer and actor worked alongside Snoop Dogg on track “Smile.” The seven-minute-long music video had been viewed over 24 million times on YouTube as of July 2022. In 2013 Hosny teamed up with Shaggy on track “Si Al Sayed” and Akon on “Welcome To The Life” for the Egyptian superstar’s 2014 album “180°.”
• Issam Alnajjar After signing with The Weeknd’s manager, Wassim “SAL” Slaiby, and his new Universal Arabic Music in early 2021, the Jordanian singer-songwriter has gone to collaborate with Iraqi-Canadian singer-songwriter Ali Gatie and Canadian DJ duo Loud Luxury for the release of single “Turning Me Up” (Hadal Ahbek) as part of the second installment of Spotify’s RADAR MENA. In June 2021, R3hab—a Dutch producer and DJ of Moroccan descent—remixed his own version of Alnajjar’s breakout song. F O R B E S M I D D L E E A S T.C O M
• Assala Syrian musical artist, Assala Mostafa Hatem Nasri, performed with Kool & The Kang on a bilingual version of the American band’s 1984 song “She’s Fresh” on the third season of Coke Studio Bil 3arabi. In 2019, Assala performed the official anthem of Special Olympics World Games Abu Dhabi 2019, “Right Where I’m Supposed To Be” alongside Ryan Tedder, Luis Fonsi, Avril Lavigne, Hussain Al Jassmi, and Tamer Hosny. AUGUST 2022
BY SAMAR KHOURI
LEADERBOARD
16
Arab Musicians’
• Maya Diab
