Arab pop: a universal language
Doha, Sep 10 (EFE).- Singers who want to make it in the Arab pop world, which boasts a huge audience, use an Egyptian colloquial dialect known as Masri which has become the go-to language when it comes to popular culture in the Middle East.
Cairo has long been a cultural hub in the region and its musicians, television shows and movies have a vast audience beyond Egypt’s borders.
Only Algeria and Morocco, where there is a strong French influence, have their own music genres, but they have little or no reach in the rest of the Arab world.
Masri’s dominance in popular culture does not mean no art is produced in classical Arabic, the official language of all North African and Middle Eastern nations, but productions in that formal language tend to be relegated to traditional art-forms like poetry.
DIGITAL PLATFORMS
Masri pop music has also suffered the consequences of digital platforms and the abundance of free music online.
YouTube is the favored channel to access music and it is common to see young people in shops or cafes playing music on their laptops.
Spotify, Amazon Music and Anghami, a music streaming app from Saudi Arabia that is by far the most used in the region, are also popular among music fans.
A scroll through Anghami demonstrates the popularity of Egyptian musicians in the Arab world, with artists like Ahmed Saad and Wegz dominating the charts.
Saad, whose brother Amr is a well-known actor whose love life makes headlines and is widely discussed on social networks, is the most listened-to artist in the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Qatar, and Egypt.
His songs “El youm el helw dah” (What beautiful day today) and “Wasa3 Wasa3” (Let me in, let me in) have made the top 3 in Jordan and Saudi Arabia’s charts.
But the unquestionable star of Arab pop is Amr Diab, who at over 60 is topping the charts across the region with “Mn 6 Le 9” (From 6 to 9).
INTERNATIONAL STARS
Diab, who in 2016 broke the world record for the number of world music awards he has achieved, is a fixture at major cultural events in the Middle East.
He opened the African Olympic Games with a performance in 1991 surprising the world by singing in three languages — English, French and Arabic — and recently performed in the first game of the Lusail stadium in Doha, which will host the inauguration and the grand final of the 2022 Qatar World Cup.
“I’ve attended a concert before, it was very good ‘vibes’ and excitement so I came here again. I think music is for everyone, so even if you don’t understand Arabic you will enjoy,” says Sarah, a 23-year-old Egyptian who enjoyed Diab’s performance sporting her flag.
Sarah is not alone. Diaab’s spectacle of lights and energy is contagious.
Spectators chant in unison, clapping, dancing and cheering on the singer as he moves vigorously across a futuristic stage perched at the back of the stadium, designed by the Norman Foster studio.
Unsurprisingly lyrics steer clear of sexual content or references to drug or alcohol use.
What does keep cropping up is the word “habibi” which, depending on the context or the personal interpretation at any given time, can be friend, lover, wife or girlfriend.
