Lebanese-French trumpeter and composer Ibrahim Maalouf, Swedish-Iranian singer Snoh Aalegra and Palestinian-American rapper DJ Khaled are all nominees in the 65th Grammy Music Awards. Photo: Getty
Lebanese-French trumpeter and composer Ibrahim Maalouf, Swedish-Iranian singer Snoh Aalegra and Palestinian-American rapper DJ Khaled are all nominees in the 65th Grammy Music Awards. Photo: Getty
Lebanese-French trumpeter and composer Ibrahim Maalouf, Swedish-Iranian singer Snoh Aalegra and Palestinian-American rapper DJ Khaled are all nominees in the 65th Grammy Music Awards. Photo: Getty
Lebanese-French trumpeter and composer Ibrahim Maalouf, Swedish-Iranian singer Snoh Aalegra and Palestinian-American rapper DJ Khaled are all nominees in the 65th Grammy Music Awards. Photo: Getty

Arab and Iranian artists nominated for Grammy Awards 2023


Maan Jalal
  • English
  • Arabic

Follow the latest news on the Grammys 2023 here

Work by three Arab musicians and one Iranian artist has been recognised in this year’s nominations list for the 65th Grammy Awards spanning global music, Latin music, R&B and hip-hop.

Iraqi-Jordanian violinist and composer Layth Sidiq has been featured on three Grammy–nominated albums.

“A lot of gratitude this evening to know that I’m on three Grammy-nominated categories this year,” Sidiq announced on his Instagram account.

The award-winning violinist, composer and educator, and the current artistic director of the New York Arabic Orchestra, has his work featured on two albums.

Sidiq worked on Panamanian pianist and composer Danilo Perez’s 12th album, Crisalida, nominated for Best Instrumental Composition and Best Latin Jazz Album. Sidiq said in his post that it was “a unique experience playing incredible music by the wonderful Danilo Perez”.

Two other Arab artists also worked on the album, Palestinian cellist Naseem Al Atrash and Palestinain percussionist Tareq Rantisi. Along with Sidiq, all three musicians are part of Global Messengers, an international music group made of alumni from the Berklee Global Jazz Institute.

Sidiq's work on the album Shuruaat by the Berklee Indian Ensemble was also nominated for Best Global Music Album.

The Berklee Indian Ensemble is a musical collective whose global Indian sound, which experiments with melding musical sounds and genres from different cultures and disciplinary art forms, has garnered them more than 300 million views on YouTube.

Lebanese-French trumpeter and composer Ibrahim Maalouf is nominated in the same category for his collaborative album Queen of Sheba with award-winning Beninese singer-songwriter and actress Angelique Kidjo.

The album musically explores and translates the 14th-century epic poem told in Kebra Nagast, the national account from Ethiopia, which details the exchange between the Queen of Sheba and King Solomon.

Iranian-Swedish singer Snoh Aalegra was nominated in the category of Best Traditional R&B Performance for her single Do 4 Love.

The song is a cover of Bobby Caldwell’s 1978 classic What You Won’t Do For Love, where Aalegra mixes emotionally evocative original instrumentals adding a more jazz-inspired vocal delivery and musical arrangement.

Aalegra announced the news of her nominations on her Instagram account and used the opportunity to shed light on the protests happening in Iran.

“So thankful for this nomination! It’s a bittersweet feeling knowing what’s going on in my home country,” she wrote.

“I’m being celebrated for something that is considered a serious crime in Iran. Singing love songs can get you executed! Listening to love songs can get you arrested.”

Palestinian-American DJ, record executive, record producer and rapper DJ Khaled was nominated for five Grammys for work from his 13th studio album God Did. His nominations include Best Rap Album, Best Rap Performance, Best Rap Song and Song of The Year for the single God Did and Best Melodic Rap Performance for the single Beautiful.

God Did is an album that describes DJ Khaled’s journey to relating and praising a higher power for believing in him when others may not have. The DJ has publicly discussed his faith as a Muslim who performs regular prayer.

The album features many celebrated artists in the rap and hip-hop genre including Drake, Jay-Z, John Legend, Kanye West and Eminem.

The 65th Grammy Awards will take place on February 5.

Grammy nominees 2023 — in pictures

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Date started: 2015

Founder: John Tsioris and Ioanna Angelidaki

Based: Dubai

Sector: Online grocery delivery

Staff: 200

Funding: Undisclosed, but investors include the Jabbar Internet Group and Venture Friends

The specs: 2019 Infiniti QX50

Price, base: Dh138,000 (estimate)
Engine: 2.0L, turbocharged, in-line four-cylinder
Transmission: Continuously variable transmission
Power: 268hp @ 5,600rpm
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Fuel economy: 6.7L / 100km (estimate)

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2012-2015

The company offers payments/bribes to win key contracts in the Middle East

May 2017

The UK SFO officially opens investigation into Petrofac’s use of agents, corruption, and potential bribery to secure contracts

September 2021

Petrofac pleads guilty to seven counts of failing to prevent bribery under the UK Bribery Act

October 2021

Court fines Petrofac £77 million for bribery. Former executive receives a two-year suspended sentence 

December 2024

Petrofac enters into comprehensive restructuring to strengthen the financial position of the group

May 2025

The High Court of England and Wales approves the company’s restructuring plan

July 2025

The Court of Appeal issues a judgment challenging parts of the restructuring plan

August 2025

Petrofac issues a business update to execute the restructuring and confirms it will appeal the Court of Appeal decision

October 2025

Petrofac loses a major TenneT offshore wind contract worth €13 billion. Holding company files for administration in the UK. Petrofac delisted from the London Stock Exchange

November 2025

180 Petrofac employees laid off in the UAE

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Everton 4

Richarlison 13'), Sigurdsson 28', ​​​​​​​Digne 56', Walcott 64'

Manchester United 0

Man of the match: Gylfi Sigurdsson (Everton)

RedCrow Intelligence Company Profile

Started: 2016

Founders: Hussein Nasser Eddin, Laila Akel, Tayeb Akel 

Based: Ramallah, Palestine

Sector: Technology, Security

# of staff: 13

Investment: $745,000

Investors: Palestine’s Ibtikar Fund, Abu Dhabi’s Gothams and angel investors

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Rating: 4/5

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- loss of confidence and appetite

- irritability and emotional outbursts

- sadness

- persistent physical ailments such as headaches, frequent infections and fatigue

- substance abuse, such as smoking or drinking more

- impaired judgement

- excessive and continuous worrying

- irregular sleep patterns

 

Tips to help overcome burnout

Acknowledge how you are feeling by listening to your warning signs. Set boundaries and learn to say ‘no’

Do activities that you want to do as well as things you have to do

Undertake at least 30 minutes of exercise per day. It releases an abundance of feel-good hormones

Find your form of relaxation and make time for it each day e.g. soothing music, reading or mindful meditation

Sleep and wake at the same time every day, even if your sleep pattern was disrupted. Without enough sleep condition such as stress, anxiety and depression can thrive.

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Starring: Abdullah Boushehri, Laila Abdallah, Lulwa Almulla

Rating: 3/5

THE BIO: Mohammed Ashiq Ali

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Favourite TV programme: the news

Favourite place in Dubai: Al Fahidi. “They started the metro in 2009 and I didn’t take it yet.”

Family: six sons in Dubai and a daughter in Faisalabad

 

Updated: February 06, 2023, 5:06 AM