This is a personal roundup, from someone living and creating within our vibrant musical ecosystem, of sounds that defy easy classification and those that fit right in. What the Arab world’s artists are building now is an explosion: MENA is officially the fastest-growing music market in the world, with revenues up nearly 23% in 2024, powered almost entirely by streaming platforms like Spotify and Anghami.
Pop, hip-hop, electronic, and experimental genres are all rising in parallel, led by Gen Z and younger creatives who are unafraid to break through. It sometimes feels like there’s a new artist dropping a song every day. Accessibility is both the why and the how. Technology and social media are allowing these young artists to bypass gatekeepers, turning bedroom demos into viral moments and international play. And if they’re not making the music, they’re the ones consuming it. Arabic music is rapidly shedding its old molds and we’re now seeing Mahraganat, A-pop, Alt-Arab pop, and Afro-infused tracks colliding with electronic production and hip-hop flows.
This (play)list is a lens into a scene slowly becoming defined by versatility and experimentation. A collection of new music by both known and emerging artists offering us new sounds. Each song here is an invitation to explore, to drift between genres, to hear something that doesn’t fit neatly into boxes. A sound ready to make you feel something, whether you like it or not.
١. Yasmine Hamdan – “Shmaali”
Yasmine Hamdan is a musical force that set the stage for alternative and experimental Arab music. The Lebanese artist who began her journey with electronica-tinged band Soapkills, Yasmine Hamdan crafts hauntingly poetic soundscapes that merge Arabic folk with modern production.
On Bandcamp, Yasmine Hamdan describes “Shmaali” (released March 2025) as a reinvention of the tarweeda: a Palestinian folk form traditionally sung by women using coded language to express grief, joy, and resistance. While she’s not the first to reimagine this tarweeda, her version acts as a sonic bridge rooted in heritage, reaching forward. Yasmine’s sound is both haunting and playful, illustrated through her use of drums, key alternations, and electronic textures that carry the tarweeda somewhere new, yet uncannily familiar. The track was co-arranged with French musician Mark Collins, founder of Kwaidan Records, which released the song.
٢. Nada el Shazly – “Kaabi Aali”
A self-taught Egyptian producer and composer, Nada el Shazly emerged with cinematic improvisations in Ahwar (2017). Her work blends jazz, electronica, and narrative richness. Her debut album, 2017’s ‘Ahwar’, established Nadah as a leading figure in the contemporary music landscape. Earning global praise for her ability to merge heritage and innovation.
“Kaabi Aali” is from her latest project Laini Tani. Within Laini Tani, El Shazly’s powerful voice moves through tightly crafted synths and driving rhythms, co-produced with 3Phaz and layered with Patrick Graham’s sharp, rattling percussion. The song is experimental pop at its fines, emphasizing quality in experimentation. Expressive and daring yet meticulously crafted allowing listeners to easily embrace her daring sound.
٣. Najâa Bensaid – “Ghorba”
Moroccan French actress Najâa Bensaid, known for her roles in film and notably featured in BLAZE’s music video, brings cinematic depth to her first musical release. Najâa released a debut project called Diaspora, in which she explores her Moroccan musical heritage; in this project, most of the choruses are sung in Darija (Moroccan dialect). This heritage blends with strong R&B and rap influences in her music.
Though “Ghorba” hasn’t received much coverage yet, coming across Najâa’s latest drop is what sparked the conversation behind this piece. The drive to narrate her personal story is at the heart of this move into music. Releasing an album without heavy marketing or a lead single is a risk. In doing so, Najâa makes it clear she has something to say, whether we’re ready or not. This track, in particular, captures the softness, rawness, and quiet confidence that threads through the entire album. She manages to make heavy base, autotune, and distortion speak of love, disillusionment, determination, and exile; emotions shaped by the experience of the diaspora she both belongs to and proudly represents.
٤. DAL!A (Dalia Omrann) – “SAB”
Egyptian singer-songwriter and composer, Dalia Omrann crafts cinematic, emotionally charged music. Her recent work Ba7r el-A3zam earned recognition as a soundtrack of love and grief.
Her sound is young and fresh, yet deeply familiar like something you’ve known before but can’t quite place. “SAB” is the kind of track you play while reminiscing about an old crush from your childhood room, suspended between memory and emotion. It blends soft R&B and lo-fi textures with classic Arabic jazz trumpet and delicate electric guitar, creating a soundscape that feels intimate, cinematic, and classic.
٥. Yazeed Fahad – “Lb Elmowdo3a”
Saudi multi-instrumentalist Yazeed Fahad seamlessly blends Western and Arabic influences. Playing guitar, saxophone, and treading the scene with unforgettable vocal, Yazeed is building his own sonic world. He gained attention from major appearances and signing with MDLBEAST Records.
In a March 2025 interview, Yazeed Fahad shared that his music boils down to “turning tough days into songs that offer solace.” His track “Lb Elmowdo3a” exemplifies that ethos: intimate self-reflection wrapped in melodic depth. There’s also something unmistakably familiar in this song. A quiet nostalgia. His vocal tonality carries subtle jazz inflections, but the instrumentals evoke the softness of early 2000s Arabic indie when the music felt like it was guiding us gently through the world.
