Nancy Ajram has officially proven she is the undisputed Arab music queen of this generation.
The Lebanese pop star made history recently through her collaboration with award-winning, multi-platinum American DJ Marshmello.
Their single Sah Sah made it into the US Billboard Dance Charts two weeks after its initial release. It is the first Arabic-language song to enter the prestigious charts.
Sah Sah, which translates as wake up, has also amassed 26 million views on YouTube, more than two million streams on Spotify and more than 19,000 Shazam streams. It’s the first Arabic-language song to make it into the Top 10 iTunes chart, and it topped the iTunes electro-dance category in the UAE and Saudi Arabia. It’s also well on its way to becoming one of the most popular songs on TikTok.
There’s no arguing that Sah Sah is this year’s summer hit from the region.
“People are loving Sah Sah for more than one reason,” Egyptian composer Moody Saeed, who worked on the track with Ajram and Marshmello, tells The National. “The lyrics are light and the words, sah sah, are fun and easy to remember. It’s also the music, the beat, it has a mix of east and west.”
From Akhasmak Ah to Ya Tabtab to Inta Meen, Ajram is known for her distinctive voice. While classically trained, she has become synonymous with Arab pop.
“Nancy Ajram can sing in more than one way, it’s part of her charm,” says Saeed. “She has a large fan base — children, teenagers, men, women, all of them enjoy her music. It makes her really different from other singers. She’s a big reason why Sah Sah reached a wide range of people and why it's seen such success.”
Combining classic Arab sounds with an upbeat pop sensibility and playful lyrics is what has cemented Ajram in the Arab world as an artist, one who reflects the mood and style of contemporary Arab culture.
And now with Sah Sah, she’s managed to take that formula and globalise it.
The collaboration was also marketed well. At the start of July, both Ajram and Marshmello shared vague posts about their collaboration on social media. Ajram posted a photo of herself with the DJ in a recording studio to her 33.2 million Instagram followers.
Marshmello, the stage persona of Christopher Comstock, famous for wearing a white helmet that resembles a marshmallow, also posted a similar photo to his 29.4m followers on the platform.
Both artists only had the words "Sah Sah" in their caption.
The intersections of their very different, diverse fan base created plenty of anticipation for the song’s release.
Even with a curated online marketing strategy and two powerhouses such as Ajram and Marshmello combining forces, the single still had to be good to gain global attention.
With Ajram’s signature Arab pop sound, and classic Middle Eastern instrumentals such as the qanun, fused with Marshmello's bass-heavy electronic touch, Sah Sah is undeniably catchy. Add to that its upbeat and easy lyrics, and Sah Sah couldn't fail.
“Nancy is infectious. The moment you hear one of her songs, you instantly like it,” says Palestinian-American DJ and radio host Ibrahim Abu-Ali, also known as DJ Habibeats, who recently won attention online for his remix of Ajram’s hit Ya Tabtab.
“People who listen to Nancy Ajram or Arabic music have heard a lot of the same sounds. It’s the same with any type of music. The fact that you’re hearing certain elements (in Sah Sah) that sound really Arabic and are mixed with certain elements that sound very western, is new and exciting to the ear. It’s an interesting combination that you don’t hear often or isn’t always done well.”
The official music video for Sah Sah, which had its premiere on July 8, also combined eastern and western musical pop aesthetics. Ajram is seen dressed in a number of sparkling outfits, while Marshmello plays the qanun, both of them surrounded by dancers at an underground party.
Like any quintessential summer hit, it makes you want to get up and dance.
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Dubai Bling season three
Cast: Loujain Adada, Zeina Khoury, Farhana Bodi, Ebraheem Al Samadi, Mona Kattan, and couples Safa & Fahad Siddiqui and DJ Bliss & Danya Mohammed
Rating: 1/5
Some of Darwish's last words
"They see their tomorrows slipping out of their reach. And though it seems to them that everything outside this reality is heaven, yet they do not want to go to that heaven. They stay, because they are afflicted with hope." - Mahmoud Darwish, to attendees of the Palestine Festival of Literature, 2008
His life in brief: Born in a village near Galilee, he lived in exile for most of his life and started writing poetry after high school. He was arrested several times by Israel for what were deemed to be inciteful poems. Most of his work focused on the love and yearning for his homeland, and he was regarded the Palestinian poet of resistance. Over the course of his life, he published more than 30 poetry collections and books of prose, with his work translated into more than 20 languages. Many of his poems were set to music by Arab composers, most significantly Marcel Khalife. Darwish died on August 9, 2008 after undergoing heart surgery in the United States. He was later buried in Ramallah where a shrine was erected in his honour.
The specs: 2017 Dodge Ram 1500 Laramie Longhorn
Price, base / as tested: Dhxxx
Engine: 5.7L V8
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Power: 395hp @ 5,600rpm
Torque: 556Nm @ 3,950rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 12.7L / 100km
The specs
Engine: 2.9-litre twin-turbo V6
Power: 540hp at 6,500rpm
Torque: 600Nm at 2,500rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Kerb weight: 1580kg
Price: From Dh750k
On sale: via special order
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
MWTC info
Tickets to the MWTC range from Dh100 and can be purchased from www.ticketmaster.ae or by calling 800 86 823 from within the UAE or 971 4 366 2289 from outside the country and all Virgin Megastores. Fans looking to attend all three days of the MWTC can avail of a special 20 percent discount on ticket prices.
Key findings of Jenkins report
- Founder of the Muslim Brotherhood, Hassan al Banna, "accepted the political utility of violence"
- Views of key Muslim Brotherhood ideologue, Sayyid Qutb, have “consistently been understood” as permitting “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” and “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
- Muslim Brotherhood at all levels has repeatedly defended Hamas attacks against Israel, including the use of suicide bombers and the killing of civilians.
- Laying out the report in the House of Commons, David Cameron told MPs: "The main findings of the review support the conclusion that membership of, association with, or influence by the Muslim Brotherhood should be considered as a possible indicator of extremism."
Three tips from La Perle's performers
1 The kind of water athletes drink is important. Gwilym Hooson, a 28-year-old British performer who is currently recovering from knee surgery, found that out when the company was still in Studio City, training for 12 hours a day. “The physio team was like: ‘Why is everyone getting cramps?’ And then they realised we had to add salt and sugar to the water,” he says.
2 A little chocolate is a good thing. “It’s emergency energy,” says Craig Paul Smith, La Perle’s head coach and former Cirque du Soleil performer, gesturing to an almost-empty open box of mini chocolate bars on his desk backstage.
3 Take chances, says Young, who has worked all over the world, including most recently at Dragone’s show in China. “Every time we go out of our comfort zone, we learn a lot about ourselves,” she says.
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Results:
5pm: Handicap (PA) | Dh80,000 | 1,600 metres
Winner: Dasan Da, Saeed Al Mazrooei (jockey), Helal Al Alawi (trainer)
5.30pm: Maiden (PA) | Dh80,000 | 1,600m
Winner: AF Saabah, Tadhg O’Shea, Ernst Oertel
6pm: Handicap (PA) | Dh80,000 | 1,600m
Winner: Mukaram, Pat Cosgrave, Eric Lemartinel
6.30pm: Handicap (PA) | Dh80,000 | 2,200m
Winner: MH Tawag, Richard Mullen, Elise Jeanne
7pm: Wathba Stallions Cup Handicap (PA) | Dh70,000 | 1,400m
Winner: RB Inferno, Fabrice Veron, Ismail Mohammed
7.30pm: Handicap (TB) | Dh100,000 | 1,600m
Winner: Juthoor, Jim Crowley, Erwan Charpy
Singham Again
Director: Rohit Shetty
Stars: Ajay Devgn, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Ranveer Singh, Akshay Kumar, Tiger Shroff, Deepika Padukone
Rating: 3/5
The specs
Price: From Dh180,000 (estimate)
Engine: 2.0-litre turbocharged and supercharged in-line four-cylinder
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Power: 320hp @ 5,700rpm
Torque: 400Nm @ 2,200rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 9.7L / 100km
From Zero
Artist: Linkin Park
Label: Warner Records
Number of tracks: 11
Rating: 4/5