Arabic hip-hop and the Saudi Arabian folk music tradition of shelat are some of the popular sounds listened to in the region this summer, according to Spotify.
The streaming service released its annual Songs of the Summer report on August 24, with Mena-specific data released on Wednesday. The report breaks down the listening habits of Spotify's 365 million monthly users globally across the hotter months.
Globally, Olivia Rodrigo's hit good 4 u claimed the top spot and also came in at number one in summer listening charts in the US, UK, Canada and the UAE.
The analysis states the track racked up more than 600 million streams on the site between May 29 and August 22.
Since its release it on May 4, the hit was added to more than 325,000 playlists generated by users.
Good 4 u was followed by Beggin from Italian Eurovision winning band Maneskin, Puerto Rican reggaeton star Rauw Alejandro’s Todo De Ti and Montero (Call Me By Your Name) by US rapper Lil Nas X.
While the global stats correlate with the major western pop charts, the report tells a more interesting story when focusing regionally.
Let’s take a look at what has been streamed this summer across the Mena region.
1. Hip-hop is on the rise
One of the biggest beneficiaries of Spotify’s Mena launch in 2018 was the regional hip-hop scene.
Where before rappers were mostly shunned by major record labels, the arrival of the world’s biggest streaming service to the Arab world not only revitalised scenes across the region but showed the world they were both vibrant and eclectic.
At its core, hip-hop is parochial art form with artists spinning tales filled with local dialect and references.
Songs of the Summer shows listeners are appreciating the local sounds with charts in leading markets Egypt and Morocco lead by native artists.
Afroto is making his claim to be Egypt's next big hip-hop star with Msh Bel 7ozoz being the most streamed track in the country.
Current leading light, Wegz, however is not giving up the throne too easily.
Not only did his track Asyad El Soot (featuring Egyptian rapper LZHYMR) come runner-up, he also has a total of four songs in the top 20.
The Moroccan charts are also dominated by hip-hop acts.
ElGrande Toto scored the first and third most streamed summer song with Haram (Pablo 11) and Mghayer, respectively.
Coming in second place is Tagne’s Nadi Canadi.
It is the same story in Tunis with local stars ALA, with Double Face and RedStar's Ech Mazel (Khafa) coming first and third respectively.
The latter's track also received big numbers on YouTube with more than 40 million views.
In Palestine, the summer belonged to exciting new rapper Daboor.
A member of the sprawling Palestinian hip-hop collective BLTNM (pronounced "Blatnum") the Ramallah rapper proved he can shine in own light with debut solo single.
The hard hitting Inn Ann, featuring fellow BLTNM partner Shabjdeed, topped the local chart
Shabjdeed also made the list with solo single Amrikkka landing in sixth place.
2. Saudi Arabia is in love with shelat songs again
The shelat revival is under way in Saudi Arabia.
In recent years, a new generation of young Saudis have updated the old Bedouin folk music form of celebratory and patriotic songs, performed a cappella and featuring local colloquialisms, with modern studio twists such as the vocoder.
Five shelat songs feature on the summer list with Ghenwa’s Sheila Tarab Hamasia and Mohammed Bin Grman's Wasl Al Mahabah reaching the highest positions of 13th and 15th place respectively.
When it comes to the most popular local tracks heard across the kingdom, Ashkor Jamalk by Abdullah Al Mukhles and Wesh Ezrak by Abdullah Al Farwan came in at second and third place.
The most streamed song in Saudi Arabia during summer was the global hit Beggin by Maneskin.
3. It’s out with the old when it comes to regional pop stars
They may rule regional arenas, but major Arabic pop stars are not getting as much love on Spotify.
Subscribing to the streaming service’s ethos, regional users seem to be more interested in hearing new and fresh sounds than the latest summer hit by seasoned names.
That said, some popular acts managed to have their songs cut through with listeners.
In Egypt, Zahra Hala Helwa by Lebanese singer Myriam Fares and Egyptian actor Aser Yasin came in at 20th place.
Crooner Wael Kfoury also found some joy with singles Kelna Mnenjar and El Bint El Awiye (the latter achieving regional viral status on YouTube) coming in at fourth and 18th place respectively in Lebanon.
Lebanese singer Nancy Ajram, who released the new album Nancy 10 and has played sold out shows in Saudi Arabia and Egypt recently, hasn't managed to translate that momentum on Spotify over the summer.
She appears in none of Mena's top 20 summer listening charts.
Test series fixtures
(All matches start at 2pm UAE)
1st Test Lord's, London from Thursday to Monday
2nd Test Nottingham from July 14-18
3rd Test The Oval, London from July 27-31
4th Test Manchester from August 4-8
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
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Schedule:
Friday, January 12: Six fourball matches
Saturday, January 13: Six foursome (alternate shot) matches
Sunday, January 14: 12 singles
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Price, base: From Dh57,000
Engine: 1.5L, in-line four-cylinder
Transmission: Continuously variable transmission
Power: 118hp @ 6,600rpm
Torque: 146Nm @ 4,600rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 5.8L / 100km
Islamophobia definition
A widely accepted definition was made by the All Party Parliamentary Group on British Muslims in 2019: “Islamophobia is rooted in racism and is a type of racism that targets expressions of Muslimness or perceived Muslimness.” It further defines it as “inciting hatred or violence against Muslims”.
How much do leading UAE’s UK curriculum schools charge for Year 6?
- Nord Anglia International School (Dubai) – Dh85,032
- Kings School Al Barsha (Dubai) – Dh71,905
- Brighton College Abu Dhabi - Dh68,560
- Jumeirah English Speaking School (Dubai) – Dh59,728
- Gems Wellington International School – Dubai Branch – Dh58,488
- The British School Al Khubairat (Abu Dhabi) - Dh54,170
- Dubai English Speaking School – Dh51,269
*Annual tuition fees covering the 2024/2025 academic year
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Skoda Superb Specs
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Defence review at a glance
• Increase defence spending to 2.5% of GDP by 2027 but given “turbulent times it may be necessary to go faster”
• Prioritise a shift towards working with AI and autonomous systems
• Invest in the resilience of military space systems.
• Number of active reserves should be increased by 20%
• More F-35 fighter jets required in the next decade
• New “hybrid Navy” with AUKUS submarines and autonomous vessels
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Jetour T1 specs
Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
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Our legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants
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Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
Quick pearls of wisdom
Focus on gratitude: And do so deeply, he says. “Think of one to three things a day that you’re grateful for. It needs to be specific, too, don’t just say ‘air.’ Really think about it. If you’re grateful for, say, what your parents have done for you, that will motivate you to do more for the world.”
Know how to fight: Shetty married his wife, Radhi, three years ago (he met her in a meditation class before he went off and became a monk). He says they’ve had to learn to respect each other’s “fighting styles” – he’s a talk it-out-immediately person, while she needs space to think. “When you’re having an argument, remember, it’s not you against each other. It’s both of you against the problem. When you win, they lose. If you’re on a team you have to win together.”
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If you go
The flights
Emirates and Etihad fly direct to Nairobi, with fares starting from Dh1,695. The resort can be reached from Nairobi via a 35-minute flight from Wilson Airport or Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, or by road, which takes at least three hours.
The rooms
Rooms at Fairmont Mount Kenya range from Dh1,870 per night for a deluxe room to Dh11,000 per night for the William Holden Cottage.
Dr Afridi's warning signs of digital addiction
Spending an excessive amount of time on the phone.
Neglecting personal, social, or academic responsibilities.
Losing interest in other activities or hobbies that were once enjoyed.
Having withdrawal symptoms like feeling anxious, restless, or upset when the technology is not available.
Experiencing sleep disturbances or changes in sleep patterns.
What are the guidelines?
Under 18 months: Avoid screen time altogether, except for video chatting with family.
Aged 18-24 months: If screens are introduced, it should be high-quality content watched with a caregiver to help the child understand what they are seeing.
Aged 2-5 years: Limit to one-hour per day of high-quality programming, with co-viewing whenever possible.
Aged 6-12 years: Set consistent limits on screen time to ensure it does not interfere with sleep, physical activity, or social interactions.
Teenagers: Encourage a balanced approach – screens should not replace sleep, exercise, or face-to-face socialisation.
Source: American Paediatric Association
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