Why Nancy Ajram and Marshmello's ‘Sah Sah’ became an instant summer hit

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.

Nancy Ajram's fashion evolution — in pictures

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About Takalam

Date started: early 2020

Founders: Khawla Hammad and Inas Abu Shashieh

Based: Abu Dhabi

Sector: HealthTech and wellness

Number of staff: 4

Funding to date: Bootstrapped

LILO & STITCH

Starring: Sydney Elizebeth Agudong, Maia Kealoha, Chris Sanders

Director: Dean Fleischer Camp

Rating: 4.5/5

Pharaoh's curse

British aristocrat Lord Carnarvon, who funded the expedition to find the Tutankhamun tomb, died in a Cairo hotel four months after the crypt was opened.
He had been in poor health for many years after a car crash, and a mosquito bite made worse by a shaving cut led to blood poisoning and pneumonia.
Reports at the time said Lord Carnarvon suffered from “pain as the inflammation affected the nasal passages and eyes”.
Decades later, scientists contended he had died of aspergillosis after inhaling spores of the fungus aspergillus in the tomb, which can lie dormant for months. The fact several others who entered were also found dead withiin a short time led to the myth of the curse.

Fitness problems in men's tennis

Andy Murray - hip

Novak Djokovic - elbow

Roger Federer - back

Stan Wawrinka - knee

Kei Nishikori - wrist

Marin Cilic - adductor

UAE v Gibraltar

What: International friendly

When: 7pm kick off

Where: Rugby Park, Dubai Sports City

Admission: Free

Online: The match will be broadcast live on Dubai Exiles’ Facebook page

UAE squad: Lucas Waddington (Dubai Exiles), Gio Fourie (Exiles), Craig Nutt (Abu Dhabi Harlequins), Phil Brady (Harlequins), Daniel Perry (Dubai Hurricanes), Esekaia Dranibota (Harlequins), Matt Mills (Exiles), Jaen Botes (Exiles), Kristian Stinson (Exiles), Murray Reason (Abu Dhabi Saracens), Dave Knight (Hurricanes), Ross Samson (Jebel Ali Dragons), DuRandt Gerber (Exiles), Saki Naisau (Dragons), Andrew Powell (Hurricanes), Emosi Vacanau (Harlequins), Niko Volavola (Dragons), Matt Richards (Dragons), Luke Stevenson (Harlequins), Josh Ives (Dubai Sports City Eagles), Sean Stevens (Saracens), Thinus Steyn (Exiles)

Desert Warrior

Starring: Anthony Mackie, Aiysha Hart, Ben Kingsley

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One in nine do not have enough to eat

Created in 1961, the World Food Programme is pledged to fight hunger worldwide as well as providing emergency food assistance in a crisis.

One of the organisation’s goals is the Zero Hunger Pledge, adopted by the international community in 2015 as one of the 17 Sustainable Goals for Sustainable Development, to end world hunger by 2030.

The WFP, a branch of the United Nations, is funded by voluntary donations from governments, businesses and private donations.

Almost two thirds of its operations currently take place in conflict zones, where it is calculated that people are more than three times likely to suffer from malnutrition than in peaceful countries.

It is currently estimated that one in nine people globally do not have enough to eat.

On any one day, the WFP estimates that it has 5,000 lorries, 20 ships and 70 aircraft on the move.

Outside emergencies, the WFP provides school meals to up to 25 million children in 63 countries, while working with communities to improve nutrition. Where possible, it buys supplies from developing countries to cut down transport cost and boost local economies.

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.”