The diversity of the Arabic music scene has been demonstrated once again, with works ranging from the thought-provoking to the unforgettably catchy.
Some of the best Arabic songs released this year cemented the reputation of aspiring stars as well as introducing a new sound from Saudi Arabia.
Lebanese pop-star Nancy Ajram proved that collaboration with western artists can work, while Algerian singer Khaled finds new inspiration by delving into his past.
Here are 10 of the best Arabic songs released in 2022.
1. ElBakht by Wegz
Named the most streamed artist in Egypt and Mena for the third year running on Spotify, Egyptian rapper Wegz cements his place as one of the Arab world's most popular stars.
This year's rise is predominantly down to the monster El Bakht, garnering more than 167 million views on YouTube alone.
The track finds him tempering down some of the electronic intensity of trap music to include more organic sounds, like the oud.
Tying it all together are the trademark melodies that are both vibrant and affecting.
2. Wasa3 Wasa3 by Ahmed Saad
Another Egyptian artist who had a killer 2022, Saad dominated the airwaves this year with three hit singles.
While Aleky Eyoun and Sayrena Dounia are wonderful ballads, the thumping Wasa3 Wasa3 is the best of the bunch.
The track is a sprightly melange of Egyptian and electro pop delivered with a hip-hop attitude.
It is the anthemic chorus that seals the deal. Earlier this month more than 100,000 fans sang along during Saad's performance at Saudi Arabia's Soundstorm festival.
3. Ya Ibn Khamash by Mohammed Al-Najm
The most streamed song in Saudi Arabia, Ya Ibn Kharmash underscores the rising popularity of sheilat, the Saudi folk music form.
Mixing the electronic vibes of mahraganat music — particularly through the strident synth lines and auto-tuned vocals — with Khaleeji percussion, the genre is fast becoming a new movement proudly led by local artists such as Al Najm.
Ya Ibn Kharmash is a fine example of the sound taking Saudi youth by storm.
4. Hurt by Souad Massi
When Souad Massi first heard Johnny Cash’s haunting 2002 take of Nine Inch Nails' mournful Hurt, the Algerian singer felt compelled to produce an Arabic version.
“This is not only because of how inspiring and beautiful his version is,” she told told The National.
“As an Arab musician, these painful and contemplative lyrics are not really found in Arabic songs, which, for better or worse, tend to focus on the lighter side of human relationships.”
Massi’s version remains faithful to the original, while delivering emotionally fraught lyrics rarely heard in modern Arabic pop music.
5. Sah Sah by Nancy Ajram and Marshmello
Arab and western pop music collaborations often don't fare well, but the teaming of Lebanese pop-star Nancy Ajram and US DJ Marshmello proved to be the exception to the rule.
This is down to both artists doing what they do best, with Ajram’s earworm hooks and throwaway lyrics fitting neatly within Marshmello’s percolating synth production.
Sah Sah made it into the US Billboard Dance Charts two weeks after its release in August.
It is the first Arabic-language song to enter the prestigious charts.
6. Trigue Lycee by Khaled and DJ Snake
As part of his first album in a decade, the Algerian rai star revisits his youth with a reworked version of his debut single.
Where the original version of Trigue Lycee, released in 1976, had Khaled's ebullient teenage vocals expressing hopes of being a singer on the "road to school", the heft and gruffness of the re-recorded vocals and beats, courtesy of Algerian EDM star DJ Snake, gives the rai classic an unexpected poignancy.
7. Etnaset by Muslim
The Egyptian singer captured many hearts with this soulful, lovelorn, piano ballad.
In addition to the emotionally fuelled lyrics ("Your absence lingered and the love of you remains overpowering/ I await a glimpse of the light in your eyes") what makes Etnaset resonate is the elegant minimalism of its performance and production.
8. Min Awel Dekika by Elissa and Saad Lamjarred
Elissa may have delayed recording her album this year to focus her attention on the Qatar World Cup, but she still managed to satisfy her fan base with this duet with controversial Moroccan singer Saad Lamjarred.
While Min Awel Dekika doesn’t reinvent the wheel, it’s a lush, string-laden ballad making use of both singer’s strengths.
The response was immediate with the song trending regionally and amassing more than 300 million streams on YouTube.
9. Beirut Tuffhaton Lil Bahr by Jahida Wehbe
A poetic and jazzy tribute to Beirut.
Lebanese singer and poet Jahida Wehbe teams with compatriots Sary and Ayad Khalife, the sons of revered composer Marcel Khalife, for a song pairing her husky tones with a colourful improvisational score featuring piano and violin.
The lyrics celebrate Beirut's splendour and tenacity and also feature an amalgam of poetry by Darwish, Adonis, Boland Haidari and Khalil Hawi.
10. Amrat by Rasha Nahas
Also the name of her new album, lead single Amrat finds the Palestinian singer dialling down the tension inherent in her work.
A fine showcase of acoustic and electronic sensibilities, with its throbbing base lines and atmospheric keyboards, Amrat is a languid meditation on love and exile.
Roll of honour 2019-2020
Dubai Rugby Sevens
Winners: Dubai Hurricanes
Runners up: Bahrain
West Asia Premiership
Winners: Bahrain
Runners up: UAE Premiership
UAE Premiership
}Winners: Dubai Exiles
Runners up: Dubai Hurricanes
UAE Division One
Winners: Abu Dhabi Saracens
Runners up: Dubai Hurricanes II
UAE Division Two
Winners: Barrelhouse
Runners up: RAK Rugby
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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Dhadak 2
Director: Shazia Iqbal
Starring: Siddhant Chaturvedi, Triptii Dimri
Rating: 1/5
Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
Price: From Dh98,800
Available: Now
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The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cylturbo
Transmission: seven-speed DSG automatic
Power: 242bhp
Torque: 370Nm
Price: Dh136,814
The five pillars of Islam
RESULT
Valencia 3
Kevin Gameiro 21', 51'
Ferran Torres 67'
Atlanta 4
Josip Llicic 3' (P), 43' (P), 71', 82'
MATCH INFO
Tottenham 4 (Alli 51', Kane 50', 77'. Aurier 73')
Olympiakos 2 (El-Arabi 06', Semedo')
SCORES IN BRIEF
New Zealand 153 and 56 for 1 in 22.4 overs at close
Pakistan 227
(Babar 62, Asad 43, Boult 4-54, De Grandhomme 2-30, Patel 2-64)
Copa del Rey
Barcelona v Real Madrid
Semi-final, first leg
Wednesday (midnight UAE)
Conflict, drought, famine
Estimates of the number of deaths caused by the famine range from 400,000 to 1 million, according to a document prepared for the UK House of Lords in 2024.
It has been claimed that the policies of the Ethiopian government, which took control after deposing Emperor Haile Selassie in a military-led revolution in 1974, contributed to the scale of the famine.
Dr Miriam Bradley, senior lecturer in humanitarian studies at the University of Manchester, has argued that, by the early 1980s, “several government policies combined to cause, rather than prevent, a famine which lasted from 1983 to 1985. Mengistu’s government imposed Stalinist-model agricultural policies involving forced collectivisation and villagisation [relocation of communities into planned villages].
The West became aware of the catastrophe through a series of BBC News reports by journalist Michael Buerk in October 1984 describing a “biblical famine” and containing graphic images of thousands of people, including children, facing starvation.
Band Aid
Bob Geldof, singer with the Irish rock group The Boomtown Rats, formed Band Aid in response to the horrific images shown in the news broadcasts.
With Midge Ure of the band Ultravox, he wrote the hit charity single Do They Know it’s Christmas in December 1984, featuring a string of high-profile musicians.
Following the single’s success, the idea to stage a rock concert evolved.
Live Aid was a series of simultaneous concerts that took place at Wembley Stadium in London, John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, the US, and at various other venues across the world.
The combined event was broadcast to an estimated worldwide audience of 1.5 billion.
Zayed Sustainability Prize
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The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
BMW M5 specs
Engine: 4.4-litre twin-turbo V-8 petrol enging with additional electric motor
Power: 727hp
Torque: 1,000Nm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 10.6L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh650,000
Volvo ES90 Specs
Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)
Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp
Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm
On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region
Price: Exact regional pricing TBA
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre flat-six
Torque: 450Nm at 6,100rpm
Transmission: 7-speed PDK auto or 6-speed manual
Fuel economy, combined: 13.8L/100km
On sale: Available to order now
Profile
Co-founders of the company: Vilhelm Hedberg and Ravi Bhusari
Launch year: In 2016 ekar launched and signed an agreement with Etihad Airways in Abu Dhabi. In January 2017 ekar launched in Dubai in a partnership with the RTA.
Number of employees: Over 50
Financing stage: Series B currently being finalised
Investors: Series A - Audacia Capital
Sector of operation: Transport
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
T20 World Cup Qualifier
Final: Netherlands beat PNG by seven wickets
Qualified teams
1. Netherlands
2. PNG
3. Ireland
4. Namibia
5. Scotland
6. Oman
T20 World Cup 2020, Australia
Group A: Sri Lanka, PNG, Ireland, Oman
Group B: Bangladesh, Netherlands, Namibia, Scotland
GOLF’S RAHMBO
- 5 wins in 22 months as pro
- Three wins in past 10 starts
- 45 pro starts worldwide: 5 wins, 17 top 5s
- Ranked 551th in world on debut, now No 4 (was No 2 earlier this year)
- 5th player in last 30 years to win 3 European Tour and 2 PGA Tour titles before age 24 (Woods, Garcia, McIlroy, Spieth)
Zayed Sustainability Prize
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cylinder turbo
Power: 258hp from 5,000-6,500rpm
Torque: 400Nm from 1,550-4,000rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 6.1L/100km
Price: from Dh362,500
On sale: now
MATCH INFO
Crawley Town 3 (Tsaroulla 50', Nadesan 53', Tunnicliffe 70')
Leeds United 0
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The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre V8 twin-turbocharged and three electric motors
Power: Combined output 920hp
Torque: 730Nm at 4,000-7,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch automatic
Fuel consumption: 11.2L/100km
On sale: Now, deliveries expected later in 2025
Price: expected to start at Dh1,432,000
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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AT4 Ultimate, as tested
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Power: 420hp
Torque: 623Nm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)
On sale: Now
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The five pillars of Islam
The burning issue
The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.
Read part four: an affection for classic cars lives on
Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins
Read part one: how cars came to the UAE
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