Following a three-year hiatus, Hisham Abbas launched his much-awaited album “Ya Habibi Khalik Gamby (Oh Darling, Stay By My Side) featuring 12 new songs.
The tracks were composed, distributed and written by different musicians who are among the best in the field, including Amir Taema, Mohamed Rahim, Ayman Bahgat Amar, Tarek Madkour, and Riyad Al Hamsharay – to whom Abbas is dedicating this album after he passed away a few months ago.
Abbas also used some newcomers to the industry like Ahmed Abou Al Nas and Aziz Shafaay, who wrote and composed the title track.
Stark contrast in style and lyrics are apparent on the album. The last verses of the second track – “Ya Habibi (My Love) – are rap, which did not match the tone of the rest of the typical Arab melody.
“Shouf (See) and “Masda tesh Gheyabek (Can’t Believe You’re Gone) are the best in terms of lyrics.
The last song, “Iftah Albak (Open Your Heart), is innovative in its style. The song has some slang phrases that go with the theme of the song. It describes a situation where a man is telling the one he loves to say what is in her heart and cry if that will make her feel better.
The young Egyptian singer kicked off his singing career after he graduated from the American University in Cairo with a BA in engineering in the mid-90s
Abbas took his first step as a professional singer by being a member of Pats Band. They covered a number of Egyptian and Arabic classic songs such as Halawet Shamsena, Ala Remesh Oyonha, El Wala Dah and more. Then he met up with well-known producer and singer Hameed El Shaery and they collaborated to produce successful songs that put Abbas on the map.
Abbas rose to stardom during the 90s with hits including “Wana Wana Wana, “Eineha El Sood, “Ta’ala, “Ya Leila and his huge hit “Nari Narain – the Bollywood inspired video clip – that gave the young artist wide international exposure. The artists received a number of awards, most notably Orbit’s Arabic Song Award in 1997.
He returned to his fans outside of Egypt Tuesday with the official launch of his new album at Virgin Megastore, in Emirates Mall. Abbas attended the launch in person to pay tribute to his fans.
“We are delighted to host Hisham Abbas here on our premises where he can touch base with media and fans at the world’s biggest home of music and entertainment. We also take pride in delivering his good work to a huge number of music lovers around the region, commented Elie El Massih, marketing manager of Dubai’s Virgin Megastore.
His latest release is one of the best Arabic albums that I have listened to in a while. The songs included on the album are creative and interesting, a refreshing change from the usual clutter in the local music scene. Abbas makes sure there’s never a dull moment as he takes you through the eclectic musical journey of his new album. Pop in the CD, sit back, and enjoy.
