Jordanian artist revamps global hit “Hadal Ahbek” with Loud Luxury & Ali Gatie

Rising international pop phenomenon Issam Alnajjar re-envisions his viral smash “Hadal Ahbek” with Loud Luxury and Ali Gatie as “Turning Me Up (Hadal Ahbek),” available now digitally.

Expanding the scope of his breakthrough anthem, Alnajjar recruited Canadian multi-platinum and diamond dance music duo Loud Luxury to reimagine the track, speeding up the tempo and adding a dance-ready house beat. He also tapped multi-platinum Iraqi-Canadian singer and songwriter Ali Gatie to deliver an undeniable guest spot, elevating the song to a whole new level.

“‘Hadal Ahbek’ was a turning point in my career. Getting the chance to revisit it in English with Ali Gatie and Loud Luxury is insane,” Alnajjar says.

“‘Turning Me Up’ is by far the most unique record we’ve ever worked on,” add Andrew Fedyk and Joe De Pace of Loud Luxury. “It’s our first chance to take our sound and inject it with an international flair. Between working with Issam, who is halfway across the world, and Ali who happens to be from the same hometown, this song is meant to break down borders.”

Alnajjar recently dropped the official video for his debut hit single “Hadal Ahbek,” which has already amassed over five million views on YouTube in just a few short weeks. 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) earlier this week. UAM is a newly created label dedicated to discovering, introducing and championing the artists, sounds and rich musical culture of the Middle East & North Africa (MENA) region to audiences around the world. UAM marked the launch by announcing Issam Alnajjar as its first artist signing.

To celebrate the release of “Turning Me Up (Hadal Ahbek),” Issam will perform on TikTok Sound Off livestream today (Fri, April 9th) at 3 pm EST.

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 No. 1 hit. In addition to racking up over 30 million Spotify streams and three 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 No. 1 on Spotify’s US and Global Viral 50 Charts and Shazam’s Top 200 Global Chart, as well as reached No. 17 and No. 20 on Apple Music’s Global Hits and Viral Hits Playlists, respectively. The song claimed spots on Spotify’s Pop Rising, Viral Hits, Teen Beats, and RADAR playlists. On the international stage, it hit No. 1 on Spotify’s Viral Chart in 25 local markets, including UK, Canada, Germany, France, and Mexico, and No. 1 on Shazam’s Top 200 Chart in 24 local markets. In the MENA region, the track peaked at No. 3 on Apple Music Pop Chart in Jordan and Lebanon, No. 5 on Apple Music Pop Chart in Egypt, No. 3 on Spotify’s Saudi Arabia Daily Chart, No. 3 on Deezer Lebanon Chart, No. 7 on Deezer United Arab Emirates Chart, and No. 7 on Deezer Tunisia Chart. The live performance video of “Hadal Ahbek” has over 60 million views on YouTube.

“Hadal Ahbek,” which translates to “I’ll Keep Loving You” in Arabic, first became an Internet sensation after Alnajjar 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.