Since its release on July 11, Wael Kfoury's new hit 'El Bint El Awiye' has been viewed nearly 20 million times on YouTube so far. Courtesy Wael Hamzeh
Since its release on July 11, Wael Kfoury's new hit 'El Bint El Awiye' has been viewed nearly 20 million times on YouTube so far. Courtesy Wael Hamzeh
Since its release on July 11, Wael Kfoury's new hit 'El Bint El Awiye' has been viewed nearly 20 million times on YouTube so far. Courtesy Wael Hamzeh
Since its release on July 11, Wael Kfoury's new hit 'El Bint El Awiye' has been viewed nearly 20 million times on YouTube so far. Courtesy Wael Hamzeh

Is Wael Kfoury’s ‘El Bint El Awiye’ the Arabic song of the summer?


Saeed Saeed
  • English
  • Arabic

Wael Kfoury has another monster hit on his hands.

Since its release on July 11, El Bint El Awiye has managed to rack up nearly 20 million views on YouTube and trended globally on the platform.

Kfoury was reportedly encouraged to perform the track three times at his Dubai Eid Al Adha concert on Friday, such was the audience demand.

While Kfoury can happily list El Bint El Awiye as another in a long line of hits spanning his two-decade career, the speed of its success is worth noting.

More than its carefree vibes, the song comes after the silver-haired crooner has been subjected to extra public scrutiny on the back of revelations about his divorce.

While El Bint El Awiye, meaning "the strong girl", does not directly address his relationship, the lyrics and the music video’s concept alludes to a defiant state of mind.

Heartbreak or sarcasm?

It's good to hear Kfoury lighten up, in terms of sound. Known for his expansive ballads, such as Khedney Lay and Stashbahet Fiki, the new work has him turning down the drama for a sun-kissed Mediterranean feel.

Flashes of flamenco guitar abound as Kfoury jettisons his trademark yearning vocals for a more playful staccato delivery. That ebullience is undercut, however, by the singer’s signature mediations on love and heartbreak.

Only this time, it is all seemingly told with a dash of sarcasm.

The song comes on the back of a March television interview in which ex-wife Angela Bechara detailed their failed marriage and Kfoury’s alleged emotional remoteness, and so he seemingly delivers El Bint El Awiye’s lovelorn lyrics as a cheeky response.

“If you ever leave me and stop loving me, I swear I will make my eyes go blind,” he begins.

“If you ever go away, my life will get ruined. What would I do to myself? I don’t know.”

Hanging out with the boys

For such heart-rending words, you would think the accompanying music video would be another one filled with scenes of a brooding Kfoury.

Instead, the star is having an absolute ball. Reportedly shot at his lavish farm house in the Lebanese city of Zahle, Kfoury invites the boys over for a get-together.

Beverages and impressive fruit platters are shared while mates guffaw to Kfoury’s musings on heartbreak, which he delivers with a content smile.

Instead of being a lament, El Bint El Awiye is a celebration of surviving a torrid relationship.

The “strong girl” Kfoury refers to may have done him wrong, but the video and overall vibe of the track find him picking up the pieces and having fun along the way.

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Tearful appearance

Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday. 

Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow. 

She appeared with Keir Starmer on Thursday and the pair embraced, but he had failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.

A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.

The Gentlemen

Director: Guy Ritchie

Stars: Colin Farrell, Hugh Grant 

Three out of five stars

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While you're here

Michael Young: Where is Lebanon headed?

Kareem Shaheen: I owe everything to Beirut

Raghida Dergham: We have to bounce back

Iftar programme at the Sheikh Mohammed Centre for Cultural Understanding

Established in 1998, the Sheikh Mohammed Centre for Cultural Understanding was created with a vision to teach residents about the traditions and customs of the UAE. Its motto is ‘open doors, open minds’. All year-round, visitors can sign up for a traditional Emirati breakfast, lunch or dinner meal, as well as a range of walking tours, including ones to sites such as the Jumeirah Mosque or Al Fahidi Historical Neighbourhood.

Every year during Ramadan, an iftar programme is rolled out. This allows guests to break their fast with the centre’s presenters, visit a nearby mosque and observe their guides while they pray. These events last for about two hours and are open to the public, or can be booked for a private event.

Until the end of Ramadan, the iftar events take place from 7pm until 9pm, from Saturday to Thursday. Advanced booking is required.

For more details, email openminds@cultures.ae or visit www.cultures.ae

 

Other must-tries

Tomato and walnut salad

A lesson in simple, seasonal eating. Wedges of tomato, chunks of cucumber, thinly sliced red onion, coriander or parsley leaves, and perhaps some fresh dill are drizzled with a crushed walnut and garlic dressing. Do consider yourself warned: if you eat this salad in Georgia during the summer months, the tomatoes will be so ripe and flavourful that every tomato you eat from that day forth will taste lacklustre in comparison.

Badrijani nigvzit

A delicious vegetarian snack or starter. It consists of thinly sliced, fried then cooled aubergine smothered with a thick and creamy walnut sauce and folded or rolled. Take note, even though it seems like you should be able to pick these morsels up with your hands, they’re not as durable as they look. A knife and fork is the way to go.

Pkhali

This healthy little dish (a nice antidote to the khachapuri) is usually made with steamed then chopped cabbage, spinach, beetroot or green beans, combined with walnuts, garlic and herbs to make a vegetable pâté or paste. The mix is then often formed into rounds, chilled in the fridge and topped with pomegranate seeds before being served.

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The specs

Engine: 3.5-litre V6

Power: 272hp at 6,400rpm

Torque: 331Nm from 5,000rpm

Transmission: 8-speed auto

Fuel consumption: 9.7L/100km

On sale: now

Price: Dh149,000

 

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MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW

Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman

Director: Jesse Armstrong

Rating: 3.5/5

Updated: July 26, 2021, 1:17 PM`