Watch the music video HERE. Listen to “Hadal Ahbek” HERE.
Powered by the song’s upbeat, acoustic bounce, the visual depicts the ups and downs of young love. In between footage of Issam singing and plucking his acoustic guitar around stunning scenes across Amman, it follows a couple whose romance faces challenges, yet weathers the storm to rekindle once more.
On making the video, Issam says, “Filming my first music video was a really fun new experience. I’ve always wanted to make one—and when I did, I felt like I was born for this, I was born to be an artist. I really had fun filming it, and I want do this for the rest of my life.”
“I am very excited to share it with my fans, especially because it reflects the spontaneous side of my personality as a music lover and it was mainly shot in Jordan and Amman, my birthplace. Everyone did an amazing job, and I really appreciate each and every single person who contributed to this video. I hope it will get positive feedback and crown the song ‘Hadal Ahbek’ with success, which I consider as a turning point in my life,” he adds.
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 #1 hit. In addition to racking up over 25 million Spotify streams and 3 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 #1 on Spotify’s US and Global Viral 50 Charts and Shazam’s Top 200 Global Chart, as well as reached #17 and #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 #1 on Spotify’s Viral Chart in 25 local markets, including UK, Canada, Germany, France, and Mexico, and #1 on Shazam’s Top 200 Chart in 24 local markets. In the MENA region, the track peaked at #3 on Apple Music Pop Chart in Jordan and Lebanon, #5 on Apple Music Pop Chart in Egypt, #3 on Spotify’s Saudi Arabia Daily Chart, #3 on Deezer Lebanon Chart, #7 on Deezer United Arab Emirates Chart, and #7 on Deezer Tunisia Chart. The live performance video of “Hadal Ahbek” has over 50 million views on YouTube.
“Hadal Ahbek,” which translates to “I’ll Keep Loving You” in Arabic, first became an Internet sensation after Issam 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.
ABOUT ISSAM ALNAJJAR
Issam Alnajjar is leading the way for a new generation of artists from the Middle East and North Africa to take over the global music scene. A 17-year-old musician from Amman, Jordan, he had been creating music for a couple of years, studying the songwriting of pop artists like Shawn Mendes and Ed Sheeran and admiring the creativity of iconic artists like Queen and The Weeknd, when he got some inspiration for his breakout hit “Hadal Ahbek.” After dropping a preview video for the song on Instagram, anticipation from his fans grew larger and larger. By the time he finally released “Hadal Ahbek,” with Issam’s silky voice and infectious lyrics and melody, the popularity of it exceeded his expectations. Issam says he had only expected 10k views total for his song. That was shattered in one day, and eventually it grew to 100k views a week. And on TikTok, the song only grew bigger and now currently sits atop dozens of music charts on Spotify, Apple Music, and Deezer. For any artist to have a top song is an accomplishment. But what makes Issam’s feat more incredible is that he achieved this with a song sung in Arabic.
ISSAM ALNAJJAR: INSTAGRAM | TIKTOK | YOUTUBE
