JORDANIAN ARTIST ISSAM ALNAJJAR TEAMS UP WITH R3HAB ON HADAL AHBEK (R3HAB CLUB REMIX)
TURNING ME UP (HADAL AHBEK) WITH LOUD LUXURY & ALI GATIE DEBUTS AT #36 ON BILLBOARD DANCE/MIX SHOW AIRPLAY CHART
Rising international pop phenomenon Issam Alnajjar recruits Moroccan Dutch DJ and producer R3HAB for a summertime-ready remix of his breakthrough viral hit, Hadal Ahbek.
Of the remix, Issam says, “It’s great and it’s an honor to have DJ R3HAB, a worldwide DJ with Arab roots, remix my song into this crazy club mix!”
Hadal Ahbek (R3HAB Club Remix) was produced by R3HAB and Luay Hijazeen and follows Issam’s recent collaboration with Loud Luxury and Ali Gatie on Turning Me Up (Hadal Ahbek). The song has impressively amassed over 10 million Spotify streams to date, debuted at #36 on the Billboard Dance/Mix Show Airplay Chart and #20 on the Billboard Canada CHR/Top 40 Chart this week and hit #4 on Canada’s Shazam Chart. HITS praised the song, calling it “a truly world-rocking fusion,” while Dancing Astronaut said, “‘Turning Me Up (Hadal Ahbek)’ is a club-ready revision of a viral soundbite.” Issam recently told Music.com his story, how he got into music and how he uses it as therapy—watch the interview HERE. Stay tuned for a new single to come from Issam in July.
Earlier this spring, Issam dropped the official video for his debut single Hadal Ahbek, which has amassed over 10 million views on YouTube. Universal Music Group and Republic Records partnered with Founder and CEO of SALXCO and XO RECORDS, Wassim “SAL” Slaiby, and announced the launch of Universal Arabic Music (UAM). UAM, a label dedicated to discovering, introducing and championing the artists, sounds and rich musical culture of the Middle East & North Africa (MENA) region, marked the launch by announcing Issam Alnajjar as its first artist signing.
The 17-year-old singer, songwriter, and guitarist has made history with Hadal Ahbek, as it is the first Arabic song to explode worldwide as a viral #1 hit. In addition to racking up nearly 40 million Spotify streams and 3 billion sound views on TikTok, it has climbed up numerous global charts and been added to notable playlists since its release. Upon release, the track peaked at #1 on Spotify’s US and Global Viral 50 Charts and Shazam’s Top 200 Global Chart, as well as reached Top 20 spots on Apple Music’s Global Hits and Viral Hits Playlists. The song claimed spots on Spotify’s Pop Rising, Viral Hits, Teen Beats, and RADAR playlists. On the international stage, it hit #1 on Spotify’s Viral Chart in 25 local markets, including UK, Canada, Germany, France, and Mexico, and #1 on Shazam’s Top 200 Chart in 24 local markets. In the MENA region, the track peaked at #3 on Apple Music Pop Chart in Jordan and Lebanon, #5 on Apple Music Pop Chart in Egypt, #3 on Spotify’s Saudi Arabia Daily Chart, #3 on Deezer Lebanon Chart, #7 on Deezer United Arab Emirates Chart, and #7 on Deezer Tunisia Chart. The live performance video of “Hadal Ahbek” has over 76 million views on YouTube.
Hadal Ahbek, which translates to “I’ll Keep Loving You” in Arabic, first became an Internet sensation after Issam posted a snippet of the track on Instagram. After finding initial success and amassing over 10 thousand followers and 12 thousand views overnight, he created a fan challenge with the song on TikTok, which set it on fire around the world. The irresistible bop has arrived as a cross-continental anthem and cements Issam Alnajjar as an international artist to watch in 2021.
ABOUT ISSAM ALNAJJAR
Issam Alnajjar is leading the way for a new generation of artists from the Middle East and North Africa to take over the global music scene. A 17-year-old musician from Amman, Jordan, he had been creating music for a couple of years, studying the songwriting of pop artists like Shawn Mendes and Ed Sheeran and admiring the creativity of iconic artists like Queen and The Weeknd, when he got some inspiration for his breakout hit Hadal Ahbek. After dropping a preview video for the song on Instagram, anticipation from his fans grew larger and larger. By the time he finally released Hadal Ahbek, with Issam’s silky voice and infectious lyrics and melody, the popularity of it exceeded his expectations. Issam says he had only expected 10k views total for his song. That was shattered in one day, and eventually it grew to 100k views a week. And on TikTok, the song only grew bigger and now currently sits atop dozens of music charts on Spotify, Apple Music, and Deezer. For any artist to have a top song is an accomplishment. But what makes Issam’s feat more incredible is that he achieved this with a song sung in Arabic.
