Mohamed Ramadan is making the most of his US appearances this year.
Fresh from his Coachella festival debut in April, the Egyptian pop star posted a picture of himself with Lara Trump – the former Fox News host turned budding musician and daughter-in-law of US President Donald Trump.
The occasion was a New York gala called Make Music Right, an organisation that, according to its website, focuses on "enlightening Americans on music's role in shaping perspectives and promoting a music culture that upholds traditional values and elevates American society".
While Trump was a keynote speaker and Ramadan a guest, the latter suggested their meeting was more than a networking opportunity. He hinted at a possible musical collaboration, posting: "Something great is on the horizon, inshallah".
The potential release raises questions about who would benefit most. After dominating Arab pop charts for more than a decade, Ramadan has been making a concerted effort to expand his brand internationally, with performances across Africa, in addition to his Coachella appearance.
As for Trump, working with Ramadan wouldn't be entirely out of tune. The former television presenter has already released a single with Moroccan-American rapper French Montana this year as part of a two-year music catalogue that many are only now discovering.
Here are three things you need to know about her unlikely music career.
1. She began with a hit cover of Tom Petty tune
Even Trump herself wasn't sure if a music career was on the cards when releasing her debut single, I Won't Back Down, in 2023, a cover of the 1989 Tom Petty hit.
A more languid take on the original, with Trump's huskier vocals pitched in a lower register, she promoted the track on Fox & Friends by explaining it "was something I wanted to do for fun. I recorded it over the winter and thought, let's put it out and see what happens."
It turned out to be fortuitous. The song – released without a label – cracked the top 10 of Billboard's Digital Song Sales chart and reached sixth place on the country chart.
What perhaps made the success even sweeter was that the original I Won't Back Down had been used by President Trump during his unsuccessful 2020 re-election campaign, prompting the Petty estate to issue a public cease-and-desist notice.
2. She then turned towards inspirational country-pop
Trump announced herself as an artist last year with two original works, both styled as inspirational anthems and following a country-pop template. First up was Anything Is Possible, followed by Hero, the latter a plaintive piano ballad co-written with up-and-coming country singer Madeline Jaymes and dedicated to US emergency services personnel.
The gracious sentiments didn't shield either song from critical reception on social media, where listeners noted the heavy-handed use of auto-tune on Trump's vocals – particularly jarring in a genre historically prizing vocal authenticity.
3. And now she has gone full pop with the help of French Montana
A brash musical left turn and one of the most unexpected collaborations of the year, Trump teamed up with French Montana on No Days Off, a slick electro-pop track in which Trump projects a more assertive persona.
"I'm a little hard to read / You only know what they show you when you turn on the TV / So think of this as a reboot," she delivers in clipped phrases. Montana eventually chimes in, boasting of his new friendship: "Me and Lara at your front porch, knock knock".
No Days Off failed to gain traction, and a reported future collaboration with Gims was denied by the French-Congolese rapper himself. If a potential song with Ramadan materialises, it could follow this template of unlikely cross-cultural partnerships.
Whatever happens next, more music appears inevitable. According to Newsweek, she incorporated the business LT Music LLC in April, suggesting her musical ambitions remain undimmed for the time being.
