Do you love pop music? Then make sure that you add all these Middle Eastern singers to your playlist! From the classics and most known to the newest and unsigned, the Middle East has a pop singer for any taste.
1. Amal Maher
This Egyptian singer has been called “a modern classic” because of her catchy mixes of pop and classical Arabic and Egyptian music, said to be inspired by Umm Kulthum. Amal’s popularity soared again this spring, when she released a new album, Welad El Naharda, with her poppiest tunes so far.
Don’t miss the lead single for her new album!
2. The Away Days
This Turkish dream pop and shoegaze band started in 2012 in Istanbul, and has since performed at several international music festivals. Their sound is dreamy and smooth and their music videos are often dramatic, set with a background of a mysterious Istanbul.
Don’t miss this song and music video, released in 2015!
3. Saad Lamjarred
This Moroccan singer had his real breakthrough this spring with the hit single Lm3allem. With over 105 million views, this song is the most viewed song in Arabic on YouTube and even earned a Guinness World Record award for its record +22 million views 3 weeks after its release.
Don’t miss out on the hit single!
4. Googoosh
This Iranian singer and actress is widely known for her pop songs and for her contributions to the creative scene in Iran. Googoosh has been active since the 1950’s, and had a comeback in 2000 after 20 years of silence. She has released several albums since then, most recently the album Aks Khosoosi (2015). Her Persian influenced pop songs are hugely popular in Iran and around the world.
Don’t miss this song from her first studio album!
Who is your favorite Middle Eastern pop singer? Let us know!
This piece was originally published on A Teaspoon of (لیمون) Zest.
