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4 Arab artists who tried to make an English hit

posted on: Aug 5, 2016

It’s all too common to see Arab musicians attempt to sing in a language other than Arabic. There’s no rule against it, and experimentation is actually great, especially when it comes to music.

However, there are some things that just should be left alone. Arab musicians attempting to make an English “hit” is the perfect example. I’m not saying they shouldn’t sing in English. But, if the artist is widely known for their Arabic music, there’s really no need to try to diversify their work.

Here are 4 Arab artists who tried to make an English hit, and failed:

1. “Funky Arabs” by Jad Choueiri

Lebanese artist Jad Choueiri came out with this song in 2009 that shocked all of us. It has garnered a bit more than 1 million views, but probably not because it’s a great song.

2. “Breathing You In” by Haifa Wehbe

Although the song, which was released in 2015, has garnered more than 10 million views, you can probably guess why people were viewing this one. Haifa’s not all too bad, but this is just something else.

3. “Smile” by Tamer Hosny featuring Shaggy

This song, released in 2012, has garnered more than 13 million views. Anyone who sees it’s a Shaggy/Tamer Hosny collaboration would view this, no doubt. But, honestly why can’t Hosny just stick to making Arabic songs, he’s quite good at it.

4. “Habibi I Love You” by Ahmed Chawki

The song, released in 2013, has garnered over 61 million views. Moroccan artist, Ahmed Chawki definitely knew who to reach out to for increased popularity.