DUBAI: From jewelry launches to music releases, here are four pop-culture highlights from around the region.
Pól
‘1st of July’
The latest release from the Lebanese singer-songwriter, who just returned from a residency in France, is a simple, sentimental ballad that places her emotional vocal performance front and center, above a lilting piano accompaniment. “As dark as the night of July 1, 2021, was, it brought just enough enlightenment and self-determination for me to write this song,” Pol told Arab News.
Big Hass
‘3AIB’
The new track from the Saudi hip-hop aficionado’s “Big Hass Presents” series features five female rappers — Meryem Saci, Rana (pictured), Loppa, Dareen, and Nadine El-Roubi — spitting furious bars in both English and Arab over a catchy, old-school beat from producer Big Moe in a song that serves as a rebuttal to those who believe women should act and dress in a specific way.
Usfuur
‘Squeeze It’
The recently launched collection from Syrian designer Yara Tlass’ Usfuur jewelry line is inspired, Tlass says, by the colorful work of acclaimed Lebanese artists Etel Adnan and Hugette Caland. “Elements such as mountains, oceans and skies can be found on dainty pendants designed to reflect the artists’ strong bond with nature,” a press release states. The title comes from a Caland quote about squeezing life “like an orange.”
Zef
‘Tlef El Dunya’
The Lebanese singer-songwriter has dropped his first track in Egyptian dialect, accompanied by a quirky self-produced music video. “Tlef El Dunya” is built over cheerful, reggae-inflected instrumentation and is, a press release says, “an easy-listening, feel-good love anthem that seamlessly flows from its cheerful verses to an infectiously catchy chorus.”
