Lebanese songstress Nancy Ajram and US DJ Marshmello have delighted thousands of fans with a performance of their summer hit Sah Sah at Riyadh's Gamers8 festival.
Ajram performed a set on Thursday night, which Marshmello joined her for.
The duo released the song on July 8 and have achieved international acclaim for the tune, which made it into the US Billboard Dance Charts two weeks after its initial release, becoming the first Arabic-language song to do so.
It’s also the first Arabic-language song to have made it into the Top 10 iTunes chart, and it has topped the iTunes electro-dance category in the UAE and Saudi Arabia.
Egyptian rapper Marwan Pablo also performed with the beloved singer, who made it a point to get off the stage and interact with the ecstatic crowd.
Marshmello, whose real name is Christopher Comstock, is famous for wearing a white helmet that resembles a marshmallow.
He hyped up the audience as he took to the decks and Ajram sang the playful lyrics to their history-making track.
“People are loving Sah Sah for more than one reason,” Egyptian composer Moody Saeed, who worked on the track with Ajram and Marshmello, previously told 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.”
The pair are not the only international names performing at Gamers8, an esports festival taking place in the Saudi capital.
Pop stars J Balvin and Amr Diab are some of the big music acts who performed at the opening ceremony, joining DJs Sebastian Ingrosso from Swedish House Mafia and Salvatore Ganacci at Boulevard Riyadh City on July 14 as part of celebrations that kicked off the eight-week event.
On July 21, Swedish DJ Axwell, Emirati-Yemeni singer Balqees and Egypt’s Mohamed Hamaki took the stage.
Still to come is rapper Russ, who leads a bill that will include DJ Alan Walker and Egyptian electronic act Disco Masr on August 18.
After impressing crowds at Expo 2020 Dubai last year and the Saudi F1 Grand Prix in Jeddah in February, Black Eyed Peas will return to the region to perform on August 25 alongside DJ Snake.
Gamers8 invites some of the world’s best players and teams to compete across popular titles, such as Rocket League, Dota 2, Fortnite, Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege and PUBG Mobile.
The total prize pool on offer is $15 million, one of the biggest in any esports competition.
Nancy Ajram's fashion evolution in 31 pictures: how the Queen of Arab Pop's style matured
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Nancy Ajram wears a black turtleneck and denim shirt during a TV appearance in Beirut on December 5, 2001. AFP -
Performing in a black dress with lace detail after receiving her 2003 Murrex D'or award in Jounieh on November 29, 2003. AFP -
The singer in a black shirt and jacket with fishnet tights after a press conference in Kuwait on February 2, 2004. EPA -
In a white halter neck dress at the Arabic Music Awards in Dubai on May 15, 2004. EPA -
The singer wears an orange floral dress while performing at the Jerash Festival of Culture and Arts in Jordan on July 28, 2004. AFP -
Sporting a leather shearling jacket and jeans during a tsunami benefit concert at Biel in Beirut, Lebanon on February 1, 2005. EPA -
In a black top and skirt while performing at Al-Behira Theatre in Al-Qarm Garden, Muscat, Oman on January 26, 2006. EPA -
Pretty in a pink top and high-waisted trousers while visiting the Dunniyeh mountains of northern Lebanon on June 26, 2006. AFP -
In a delicate green and orange dress at a concert in Manama, Bahrain on May 18, 2006. EPA -
This yellow gown is her performance outfit at a Manama concert on January 2, 2007. EPA -
Striking in a leopard print gown while performing in Cairo, Egypt on July 24, 2007. EPA -
In a cream gown at Jumeirah Mina A'Salam, Dubai on October 12, 2007. AFP -
Classic white shirt with jeans and a statement metallic belt on the set of the 'Moshta'aa Leek' video in Beirut, Lebanon on November 6, 2007. EPA -
The singer goes casual in jeans and a grey top to perform in Muscat, Oman on December 3, 2007. EPA -
In a bright red strapless dress, Nancy Ajram holds up the Kuwaiti flag while performing in Kuwait on February 29, 2008. EPA -
In a black gown at the Big Ball gala in Dubai, UAE, on June 1, 2008. EPA -
Making an entrance in a silver sequinned gown at the World Music Awards 2008 in Monaco on November 9, 2008. Getty Images -
Sleek in a black velvet sequinned gown at the Miss Lebanon 2009 contest in Adma, north of Beirut, Lebanon on June 26, 2009. EPA -
A purple dress for another performance at the Miss Lebanon 2009 contest on June 26, 2009. EPA -
In a draped one-shoulder grey gown at the Zouk Mikael International Festival, Lebanon on July 31, 2009. EPA -
Going fashionably green at the 15th Cairo Festival for Arab Media on November 15, 2009. EPA -
Quite the picture in a white satin dress with bow detailing, to promote her album 'Nancy 7' in Beirut, Lebanon on December 13, 2010. EPA -
Classic LBD with sheer tights for the Elie Saab show at Paris Haute Couture Fashion Week on January 26, 2011. Getty Images -
Cheerful in a cream blouse and red trousers for an appearance at Mall of the Emirates, Dubai on October 9, 2013. Antonie Robertson / The National -
Statuesque in a white Grecian gown for the World Music Awards at Sporting Monte-Carlo, Monaco, on May 27, 2014. Getty Images -
Performing in a panelled black gown during the 50th International Festival of Carthage in Tunis, Tunisia on August 12, 2014. EPA -
The singer in a cream gown during the DSF 20th anniversary celebrations in Dubai on January 10, 2015. Jeffrey E Biteng / The National -
Peppy in a black dress with silver polka dots at Live Achrafieh Music Festival in Beirut, Lebanon on June 17, 2017. EPA -
A deep red gown with floral detailing is her stage outfit at the International Festival of Carthage in Tunis, Tunisia on August 9, 2017. EPA -
Striking in a sequinned gown at the 2019 Jerash Festival of Culture and Arts in Jordan on July 20, 2019. EPA -
Nancy Ajram performs in a sequinned dress and fur coat at the German University in Cairo, Egypt on December 14, 2019. EPA
