Arabic pop is one of the many subgenres of Arabic music, and like some other Arabic musical forms, it freely borrows, pilfers and recycles other forms of music from both the East and West. Like western pop, the Arabic version is also aimed at the masses.
In the first of our eight-part series on music from the Arab world, we take a look at the genre's evolution.
The origins
Modern Arabic pop first emerged in Egypt around the mid-1950s when western music elements and formats started creeping into songs by classical Arab artists. Where in the 1940s songs by the legendary Egyptian songbird Um Kulthoum were measured in hours and movements, the first generation of pop artists such as Egypt's Abdel Halim Hafez adopted some of the jazz and cabaret elements similar to those used by his American counterpart Nat King Cole. The Egypt-based Italian singer and the model Dalida mixed European and disco music during the peak of her career in the 1970s and had hits in Arabic, English and French. By the early 1980s, artists such as Morocco's Samira Said emerged with her balanced blend of Arabic instrumentation and western melodies. From then on, popular Arabic songs increasingly became aligned with western formats, with shorter lengths and clearly defined verses and a chorus.
Sound and words
Because of the more elastic nature of the Arabian musical scale, Arabic pop songs are often found in the minor key, which may sound melancholy to western ears. Such a key sets up melodies that are often stirring and heavy on emotion. As a result, you will rarely find Arabic pop songs that sound "upbeat" in the form of, let's say, Walking on Sunshine by Katrina and The Waves. The sugary rush is delivered instead in the song's percussion and tempo. By taking its cues from traditional Arabic songs, melodies are concentrated among fewer notes, hence the trilling synonymous with Arabic singers. With explicit subjects deemed taboo by Arabs, Arabic pop songs tend to focus on romantic themes. However, more suggestive lyrics by the likes of Haifa Wehbi's hit single Leik Al Wawa and similar racy tracks by Nancy Ajram and Elissa skirted controversy and sold more records as a result.
The stars
With the axis of Arab pop-culture presently balanced between Egypt and Lebanon, the genre's biggest pop-stars at the moment hail from both countries. It is the women often leading the pack in terms of popularity because of their appearances in music clips, movies and on television, not to mention the dozens of endorsement deals ranging from soft drinks to property investments. The Lebanese pop-star Nancy Ajram continues to appeal to most age groups, with her early albums consisting of slick ballads before her recent foray into house music with 2010's Seven. Lebanon's Najwa Karam often uses elements of western pop such as synthesisers to freshen up what is a very traditional Lebanese folk sound. More experimentation can be found on the male front with Egypt's Mohamed Mounir and Amr Diab. For more than three decades, Mounir blended Arabic pop with blues, jazz and reggae. His philosophical lyrics and recent political stance against the former Mubarak regime in Egypt earned him rock-star status among young and old alike. Diab's restless muse allowed him to explore Mediterranean rhythms and Latin flavours such as Bossa Nova and flamenco.
Want to begin your Arabic pop collection? We've rounded up three albums that are widely available and will help you get the tunes rolling.
Kadim Al Sahir: Hafiat Al Kadamain (2003)
The Iraqi artist Kadim Al Sahir has keen admirers in both the Arab and Western world. His albums exhibit eclectic styles from classical Arabic and Iraqi folk to slick pop. Hafiat Al Kadamain was popular in the Middle East and includes the wonderful duet Stop the War with the English soprano Sarah Brightman.
Amr Diab: The Very Best of Amr Diab (2001)
With an imposing 25-year catalogue, this compilation serves as a great primer. The 14 tracks showcase Diab's great versatility, from soulful balladry in Ana Mahma Kibirt Sugheer to the flamenco tinged Amarain. Of course, there's also his signature tune Habibi. If you haven't heard it by now on car radios and in shopping malls, then you need to get out more.
Nancy Ajram: Betfakar Fi Eih (2008)
Ajram's sixth album was her most successful and even earned her a World Music Award, an achievement matched only by Amr Diab and Lebanon's Elissa. It was a simple formula: sing with verve the songs written by the best Arabic producers that money can buy.
Next week, stay tuned for our guide to Arabic hip-hop.
sasaeed@thenational.ae
Volunteers offer workers a lifeline
Community volunteers have swung into action delivering food packages and toiletries to the men.
When provisions are distributed, the men line up in long queues for packets of rice, flour, sugar, salt, pulses, milk, biscuits, shaving kits, soap and telecom cards.
Volunteers from St Mary’s Catholic Church said some workers came to the church to pray for their families and ask for assistance.
Boxes packed with essential food items were distributed to workers in the Dubai Investments Park and Ras Al Khaimah camps last week. Workers at the Sonapur camp asked for Dh1,600 towards their gas bill.
“Especially in this year of tolerance we consider ourselves privileged to be able to lend a helping hand to our needy brothers in the Actco camp," Father Lennie Connully, parish priest of St Mary’s.
Workers spoke of their helplessness, seeing children’s marriages cancelled because of lack of money going home. Others told of their misery of being unable to return home when a parent died.
“More than daily food, they are worried about not sending money home for their family,” said Kusum Dutta, a volunteer who works with the Indian consulate.
WORLD CUP SEMI-FINALS
England v New Zealand
(Saturday, 12pm UAE)
Wales v South Africa
(Sunday, 12pm, UAE)
New schools in Dubai
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Rock in a Hard Place: Music and Mayhem in the Middle East
Orlando Crowcroft
Zed Books
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Recipe
Garlicky shrimp in olive oil
Gambas Al Ajillo
Preparation time: 5 to 10 minutes
Cooking time: 5 minutes
Serves 4
Ingredients
180ml extra virgin olive oil; 4 to 5 large cloves of garlic, minced or pureed (or 3 to 4 garlic scapes, roughly chopped); 1 or 2 small hot red chillies, dried (or ¼ teaspoon dried red chilli flakes); 400g raw prawns, deveined, heads removed and tails left intact; a generous splash of sweet chilli vinegar; sea salt flakes for seasoning; a small handful of fresh flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped
Method
▶ Heat the oil in a terracotta dish or frying pan. Once the oil is sizzling hot, add the garlic and chilli, stirring continuously for about 10 seconds until golden and aromatic.
▶ Add a splash of sweet chilli vinegar and as it vigorously simmers, releasing perfumed aromas, add the prawns and cook, stirring a few times.
▶ Once the prawns turn pink, after 1 or 2 minutes of cooking, remove from the heat and season with sea salt flakes.
▶ Once the prawns are cool enough to eat, scatter with parsley and serve with small forks or toothpicks as the perfect sharing starter. Finish off with crusty bread to soak up all that flavour-infused olive oil.
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Coming soon
Torno Subito by Massimo Bottura
When the W Dubai – The Palm hotel opens at the end of this year, one of the highlights will be Massimo Bottura’s new restaurant, Torno Subito, which promises “to take guests on a journey back to 1960s Italy”. It is the three Michelinstarred chef’s first venture in Dubai and should be every bit as ambitious as you would expect from the man whose restaurant in Italy, Osteria Francescana, was crowned number one in this year’s list of the World’s 50 Best Restaurants.
Akira Back Dubai
Another exciting opening at the W Dubai – The Palm hotel is South Korean chef Akira Back’s new restaurant, which will continue to showcase some of the finest Asian food in the world. Back, whose Seoul restaurant, Dosa, won a Michelin star last year, describes his menu as, “an innovative Japanese cuisine prepared with a Korean accent”.
Dinner by Heston Blumenthal
The highly experimental chef, whose dishes are as much about spectacle as taste, opens his first restaurant in Dubai next year. Housed at The Royal Atlantis Resort & Residences, Dinner by Heston Blumenthal will feature contemporary twists on recipes that date back to the 1300s, including goats’ milk cheesecake. Always remember with a Blumenthal dish: nothing is quite as it seems.
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Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
RESULT
Manchester United 2 Burnley 2
Man United: Lingard (53', 90' 1)
Burnley: Barnes (3'), Defour (36')
Man of the Match: Jesse Lingard (Manchester United)
The biog
Profession: Senior sports presenter and producer
Marital status: Single
Favourite book: Al Nabi by Jibran Khalil Jibran
Favourite food: Italian and Lebanese food
Favourite football player: Cristiano Ronaldo
Languages: Arabic, French, English, Portuguese and some Spanish
Website: www.liliane-tannoury.com
The years Ramadan fell in May
GIANT REVIEW
Starring: Amir El-Masry, Pierce Brosnan
Director: Athale
Rating: 4/5
SERIES INFO
Afghanistan v Zimbabwe, Abu Dhabi Sunshine Series
All matches at the Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi
Test series
1st Test: Zimbabwe beat Afghanistan by 10 wickets
2nd Test: Wednesday, 10 March – Sunday, 14 March
Play starts at 9.30am
T20 series
1st T20I: Wednesday, 17 March
2nd T20I: Friday, 19 March
3rd T20I: Saturday, 20 March
TV
Supporters in the UAE can watch the matches on the Rabbithole channel on YouTube
MORE FROM CON COUGHLIN
It Was Just an Accident
Director: Jafar Panahi
Stars: Vahid Mobasseri, Mariam Afshari, Ebrahim Azizi, Hadis Pakbaten, Majid Panahi, Mohamad Ali Elyasmehr
Rating: 4/5
Why it pays to compare
A comparison of sending Dh20,000 from the UAE using two different routes at the same time - the first direct from a UAE bank to a bank in Germany, and the second from the same UAE bank via an online platform to Germany - found key differences in cost and speed. The transfers were both initiated on January 30.
Route 1: bank transfer
The UAE bank charged Dh152.25 for the Dh20,000 transfer. On top of that, their exchange rate margin added a difference of around Dh415, compared with the mid-market rate.
Total cost: Dh567.25 - around 2.9 per cent of the total amount
Total received: €4,670.30
Route 2: online platform
The UAE bank’s charge for sending Dh20,000 to a UK dirham-denominated account was Dh2.10. The exchange rate margin cost was Dh60, plus a Dh12 fee.
Total cost: Dh74.10, around 0.4 per cent of the transaction
Total received: €4,756
The UAE bank transfer was far quicker – around two to three working days, while the online platform took around four to five days, but was considerably cheaper. In the online platform transfer, the funds were also exposed to currency risk during the period it took for them to arrive.
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Messi at the Copa America
2007 – lost 3-0 to Brazil in the final
2011 – lost to Uruguay on penalties in the quarter-finals
2015 – lost to Chile on penalties in the final
2016 – lost to Chile on penalties in the final
The biog
Hobbies: Writing and running
Favourite sport: beach volleyball
Favourite holiday destinations: Turkey and Puerto Rico
Company Profile
Name: Thndr
Started: 2019
Co-founders: Ahmad Hammouda and Seif Amr
Sector: FinTech
Headquarters: Egypt
UAE base: Hub71, Abu Dhabi
Current number of staff: More than 150
Funds raised: $22 million
The schedule
December 5 - 23: Shooting competition, Al Dhafra Shooting Club
December 9 - 24: Handicrafts competition, from 4pm until 10pm, Heritage Souq
December 11 - 20: Dates competition, from 4pm
December 12 - 20: Sour milk competition
December 13: Falcon beauty competition
December 14 and 20: Saluki races
December 15: Arabian horse races, from 4pm
December 16 - 19: Falconry competition
December 18: Camel milk competition, from 7.30 - 9.30 am
December 20 and 21: Sheep beauty competition, from 10am
December 22: The best herd of 30 camels
Abaya trends
The utilitarian robe held dear by Arab women is undergoing a change that reveals it as an elegant and graceful garment available in a range of colours and fabrics, while retaining its traditional appeal.
The biog
Favourite hobby: I love to sing but I don’t get to sing as much nowadays sadly.
Favourite book: Anything by Sidney Sheldon.
Favourite movie: The Exorcist 2. It is a big thing in our family to sit around together and watch horror movies, I love watching them.
Favourite holiday destination: The favourite place I have been to is Florence, it is a beautiful city. My dream though has always been to visit Cyprus, I really want to go there.
The Bio
Amal likes watching Japanese animation movies and Manga - her favourite is The Ancient Magus Bride
She is the eldest of 11 children, and has four brothers and six sisters.
Her dream is to meet with all of her friends online from around the world who supported her work throughout the years
Her favourite meal is pizza and stuffed vine leaves
She ams to improve her English and learn Japanese, which many animated programmes originate in
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre V8 twin-turbocharged and three electric motors
Power: Combined output 920hp
Torque: 730Nm at 4,000-7,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch automatic
Fuel consumption: 11.2L/100km
On sale: Now, deliveries expected later in 2025
Price: expected to start at Dh1,432,000
More on animal trafficking
Moon Music
Artist: Coldplay
Label: Parlophone/Atlantic
Number of tracks: 10
Rating: 3/5
PSL FINAL
Multan Sultans v Peshawar Zalmi
8pm, Thursday
Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi
