Amr Diab is perpetually falling in love. His easy smile and sing-along melodies carry a deep yearning, his lyrics full of heartfelt sighs and eloquent entreaties. It's no wonder the term habibi-Arabic for my dear or my darling -figures so prominently in his greatest hits. Yalla, let's go! Come my darling, come! Diab cries in the title track of his forthcoming album, Ana Gheir. How many times will we live?
Born in the coastal city of Port Said, Diab came of age when the country was going through a major transition in pop. The golden age of the 1950s and '60s was a time for greats like Umm Kulthum and Abdel Halim Hafez. Their music was steeped in Arabic classical traditions, prizing orchestral formalism, powerful crooning, and displays of musical rapture.
But by the time Diab began his career in the early '80s, studios were more high tech and the rise of world music had generated a greater international interest in Arabic sounds. Soon, artists like Diab, Syria's George Wassouf and Algerian ra maestro Khaled were reinventing pop across the region, championing eclectic new styles. While Kulthum was celebrated for singing poetry in classical Arabic, Diab's lyrics were usually written in the Egyptian colloquial dialect, which helped him connect to a younger audience. On the radio, hits like Nour El Ain ( Light of the Eye ) and Tamally Ma ak ( Always with You ) combined the syncopated beats and vocal refrains of Cairo street music with swooning Andalusian guitar licks and galloping flamenco rhythms.
Famed for his lovestruck lyrics, steamy Mediterranean grooves, and techno ballads, Diab has since vaulted from his place as one of Egypt's biggest stars in the '80s to a position on the global stage-on Spotify, most of his streams come from the United States, Sweden, and Germany. Music is a language that speaks emotions and not only words. I am blessed to have touched people around the world with my music, Diab tells For the Record. Spotify has allowed so many artists to connect with fans beyond borders and I am glad for that.
What Amr Diab was doing, from the beginning, really, was look [sic] to the Mediterranean for his sound, explains Saeed Saeed, a prominent music and culture journalist who covers Arabic arts and entertainment for United Arab Emirates-based newspaper the National. According to Saeed's research, one of Diab's biggest influences was the Gipsy Kings, the world music stars from the south of France whose love for flamenco, salsa, and Andalusian folk comes through in many of Diab's ballads. From what I was told, he absolutely loved the Gipsy Kings. He devoured their records, and he really wanted that sound, Saeed says.
The latest singles from his newest effort, Ana Gheir, reflect Diab's admiration for Mediterranean sounds and romantic lyrics. For instance, the album's aforementioned title track translates to I Am Different, and over plucks of nylon-stringed Spanish guitar, the song tells the story of a man promising his new love that he's not like the rest of the guys. Meanwhile, Youm Talat ( A Tuesday ) unfolds with an Egyptian maqsoom rhythm and Mediterranean accordion and Diab's reveling in delightful wordplay as he swoons over three ladies.
Diab's continent-crossing sounds and relatable lyrics are what's helped the singer win over audiences not just in the Arab world, but across the globe. He took Arabic pop music into a new direction, so for that he's deeply important, Saeed says. His music is quite universal. A 2013 tour celebrating Diab's nearly four-decades-long career saw him playing sold-out concerts as far off as Australia, Romania, and Greece. He was even recognized by the Guinness World Records in 2016 for the record-breaking number of trophies he's taken home in the annual World Music Awards. Now, to celebrate his legacy and global impact, Diab will be appearing November 12 on a billboard in Times Square.
No matter where he is in the world, the swooning singer shines like the moon in the night, always encouraging sweet thoughts of habibi.
Take a listen to This Is Amr Diab for all things lovely.
Europe Stories
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
01/06/2026
January 6 2026, 05:30 (PST) Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 2026
Throughout the week, Dolby brings to life the latest innovatio...
01/05/2026
January 5 2026, 18:30 (PST) NBCUniversal's Peacock to Be First Streamer to ...
01/04/2026
January 4 2026, 18:00 (PST) DOLBY AND DOUYIN EMPOWER THE NEXT GENERATON OF CREATORS WITH DOLBY VISION
Douyin Users Can Now Create And Share Videos With Stun...
28/01/2026
Luxembourg, January 26, 2026 - SES S.A. ( SES or the Company ), a leading space solutions company, acknowledges the credit rating action announced by Fitch to...
27/01/2026
Click for Japanese version
Tokyo, Japan - January 27, 2026 - Akamai Technolo...
27/01/2026
Today, Spotify is proud to support our partner Backline, an industry-leading men...
27/01/2026
With nearly 29 million monthly listeners and clear momentum on Spotify, Net n Ve...
27/01/2026
eds3_5_jq(document).ready(function($) { $(#eds_sliderM519).chameleonSlider_2_1({ content_source:......
27/01/2026
New agreement for uninterrupted UHF connectivity for Australian Defence Force through 2033, With Options Extending to 2041
Luxembourg, January 13, 2026 - Satel...
27/01/2026
Tuesday 27 January 2026
SNL UK creative team expands as Pauli Lovejoy, Annie Ha...
27/01/2026
RT Supporting the Arts is delighted to support a dynamic programme of cultural events taking place across Ireland this February. From visual art, film, music, ...
26/01/2026
Music videos play a huge part in how fans connect with their favorite songs, but...
26/01/2026
Wuppertal January 26, 2026
Riedel and Media Tailor Deliver Unified Broadcast a...
26/01/2026
26 Jan 2026
VEON Unveils the New Beeline Uzbekistan Network Operations Center, ...
26/01/2026
Bookish is created by and stars Mark Gatiss
Images available HERE
Following th...
26/01/2026
Monday 26 January 2026
New Sky Original Series explores Entertainment Juggernaut, The X Factor
Sky today confirmed it has greenlit a premium, definitive docum...
26/01/2026
Monday 26 January 2026
Sky confirms major investment to transform Livingston ca...
26/01/2026
Software for Stable Data Management and Lasting Business Success in Uncertain Ti...
26/01/2026
RT is today publishing a statistical summary of the Register of External Activities for the third quarter of 2025.
The RT Register of External Activities com...
24/01/2026
RT and Virgin Media Television kick off comprehensive free-to-air coverage of t...
23/01/2026
Staines-upon-Thames, UK, 29 July, 2025 - Yospace, the global leader in Dynamic A...
23/01/2026
Spotify's annual Best New Artist celebration honors the rising stars whose talent, creativity, and dedication have propelled them to the music industry'...
23/01/2026
Paramount is transforming its operations by unifying the media supply chains of their top brands into a scalable global pipeline.
This transformation enhances ...
23/01/2026
Every delay costs. When a subtitle fails QC, even the smallest issue can mean missed deadlines, extra vendor costs, or frustrated teams. The new Accurate.Video ...
23/01/2026
Find out where Sare and Suze are now on RT One and RT Player Thursday 29 January at 10.15pm
Hit drama SisterS, created by, written by and starring real-life ...
23/01/2026
Friday 23 January 2026
Sky appoints Lisa Clark as Commissioning Executive for SNL UK
Lisa Clark headshot
PNG (468KB)
Lisa Clark joins Sky as Commissioning E...
23/01/2026
RT is delighted to announce that the RT and F s ireann / Screen Ireland supported short film Retirement Plan has been nominated for Best Animated Short at th...
22/01/2026
Last November, Ed Sheeran returned to his musical roots for an intimate, one-nig...
22/01/2026
Every delay costs. When a subtitle fails QC, even the smallest issue can mean missed deadlines, extra vendor costs, or frustrated teams. The new Accurate.Video ...
22/01/2026
Thursday 29 January 9:35pm on RT 2 and RT Player
The dating show returns with something old, something new and a dater you may already know
Thursday evenings...
22/01/2026
Rohde & Schwarz, Qualcomm, and Motorola demonstrate successful 5G Broadcast comp...
22/01/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
21/01/2026
Wednesday 21 January 2026
Backing Britain on the global stage: Sky becomes an o...
21/01/2026
Fox Corporation Executives to Discuss Second Quarter Fiscal 2026 Financial Resul...
21/01/2026
Baselight v7 brings colourists and post-houses smarter mattes, faster workflows and deeper control
FilmLight, known for its detailed colour toolset and longsta...
21/01/2026
RT News is pleased to announce the appointment of Jackie Fox as its new Washington Correspondent. Jackie is a multimedia journalist with RT News and has repor...
19/01/2026
Monday 19 January 2026
Sky News reinvents News at Ten for the modern audience with The Wrap
Sky News today announces The Wrap, a bold evolution of its 10pm ou...
19/01/2026
DPA Microphones is striking a new chord in piano miking with the debut of its DPK2015 Piano Stereo Kit, an out-of-the-box, plug-and-play miking solution that ta...
19/01/2026
DPA Microphones will present its 4099 CORE Instrument Microphone and redesigned...
19/01/2026
Trianel relies on Arvato Systems for future-proof data center operations
Moving to the cloud: Arvato Systems implements extensive IT migration project
Migrat...
19/01/2026
Celebrating 21 Years of the RT Choice Music Prize
RT Choice Music Prize
In association with IMRO and IRMA
Irish Album of the Year 2025 - Shortlist Announce...
18/01/2026
January 18 2026, 21:30 (PST) Dolby Cinema Arrives in Bengaluru: Dolby Laborator...
16/01/2026
The start of a new year brings fresh possibilities. Whether you're diving in with big goals or simply setting new intentions, audiobooks can bring inspirati...
16/01/2026
In 2025 we launched the Spotify Partner Program to give creators more ways to tu...
15/01/2026
The SGL Carbon site in Bonn has a long tradition of training. For many years, young talent has been successfully trained here, regularly achieving excellent exa...
15/01/2026
The JEC Composites Innovation Awards annually honor the most innovative and ambi...
15/01/2026
X-energy Reactor Company, LLC ( X-energy ) and SGL Carbon LLC ( SGL ) have signed a 10-year framework agreement to provide graphite for the deployment of X-ener...
15/01/2026
RT is tonight announcing that Mari Hurley has decided to leave her role as RT 's Chief Financial Officer to take up a new position outside RT . Mari will r...
Amr Diab is perpetually falling in love. His easy smile and sing-along melodies carry a deep yearning, his lyrics full of heartfelt sighs and eloquent entreaties. It's no wonder the term habibi-Arabic for my dear or my darling -figures so prominently in his greatest hits. Yalla, let's go! Come my darling, come! Diab cries in the title track of his forthcoming album, Ana Gheir. How many times will we live? 
