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The traditional music of Jordan has a long history. Rural zajal songs, with improvised poetry played with a mijwiz, tablah, arghul, oud, rabab, and reed pipe ensemble accompanying is popular. The transition of old cultural music into hit pop songs known worldwide. Recently, Jordan has seen the rise of prominent DJs and pop stars.
Jordanian music has a diversity and a range of components that make it a popular art. Over the centuries music has evolved and so did its instruments. Jordanian music comes with a variety of instruments.
Generally, there are two types of Jordanian music, each with unique platforms and various tracks: cheerful/fun/happy cultural songs and strong-meaning patriotic songs. Over the years, new varieties of singers and composers have emerged.
Jordan's music formed from the strong Bedouin and sub-Arabian area. It has a diverse variety of elements which creates a unique platform. Jordanian bands and artists are blending Arab-Western electronic pop to the world stage. Over the years, a new variety of singers and composers have emerged. Over the past decades Diana Karazon and others were the most popular among the mass audience, in mid-2000s indie bands such as JadaL and others emerged and found a moderate amount of success amongst the youth in Jordan and the region. The Bedouin singer Omar Al-Abdallat (known for his patriotic song "Hashemi, Hashemi"), Diana Karazon (winner of the Arab version of Pop Idol), Toni Qattan, and singer Hani Mitwasi (the winner of the Jordan Awards 2010) [1] are perhaps Jordan's biggest stars. [2] Other well-known Jordanian musicians are Qamar Badwan (who won the golden prize in the 2000 Cairo Song Festival) and percussionist Hani Naser.
A new age group called Rum has gained popularity since its inception in 1998.
The indie rock scene grew thanks to artists such as Jordanian-Canadian singer-songwriter Pinwheel Valley, formerly known as KAIS (2009 - 2012), [3] [4] Ibrahim Baggili, and Hani Mitwasi.
In Amman, the capital of Jordan, there has been a movement of alternative music in the last decades. Rock bands that mix Western and Eastern influences are becoming more popular. Notable local music groups in this spectrum include Hayajan (2013) [5] and Zaed Naes (2014). [6] The local and regional scene also flourished with bands such as JadaL (2003), Autostrad (band) (2007), Akher Zapheer (2007), El Morabba3 (2008), Aziz Maraka, and others.
Rock and underground bands in the late 1990s and early 2000s were known for mixing oriental with rock or jazz music.
Jordan also has an underground heavy metal scene with bands such as Bilocate (doom/death metal), and Ajdath, who currently reside in Poland. Other bands, like Augury (black metal) and Darkcide (doom/death metal) had to stop due to lack of support or band members leaving the country.
Arabic hip hop and Arabic rap artists in Jordan have added to the music scene. These artists include names like El Far3i, Torabyeh and Sotusura. [7] [8] Trailblazers in the local Western hip hop scene include artists such as Last Standing Poet (2012). [9] Newer artists include AceQuared (2016-2023). [10] [11]
Electronic dance music and pop music producers from Jordan have thrived in the last decade. Notable artists include Ayah Marar, [12] known for her global hit "Thinking About You" [13] with Calvin Harris. The Jordanian-Egyptian duo Bedouin has also broken onto the world scene, having collaborated with artists like Virgil Abloh and Black Coffee. In 2022 they recorded a hybrid live set for Cercle in Petra. Other Jordanian electronic and pop music artists include King Deco [14] (also known as Dana Salah), and Llunr. [15] [16] Upcoming Jordanian electronic music artists include the progressive house duo Fairplay [17] [18]
Some of the more ancient musicians in Jordan are the Faqir family, which extends back more than a century.
Jordan's western radio stations, Play 99.6, Beat 102.5, and Spin 94.1, have worked towards exposing new local artists, including many Western pop singers. And of various industries and music genres, the number of female musicians and composers of Jordanian nationality is growing. Some are: Hana Malhas, Ruba Saqr, Sahar Khalifeh, Suad Bushnaq, and Zeina Azouqah.
Classical music performers and composers of Jordanian origin include Karim Said [19] [20] and Zade Dirani. [21] Karim Said was born in 1988 in Amman and started studying piano when he was five. He came to the public's attention in 2009 playing concertos in London with the English Chamber Orchestra. Zade Dirani is an internationally known composer and pianist, known for his release Dime Que No (2020).
The rich and varied music of Sudan has traditional, rural, northeastern African roots and also shows Arabic, Western or other African influences, especially on the popular urban music from the early 20th century onwards. Since the establishment of big cities like Khartoum as melting pots for people of diverse backgrounds, their cultural heritage and tastes have shaped numerous forms of modern popular music. In the globalized world of today, the creation and consumption of music through satellite TV or on the Internet is a driving force for cultural change in Sudan, popular with local audiences as well as with Sudanese living abroad.
Regarding the music of Syria, there are certain musical traditions and practices that have been present in Syria longer than others. There have been musical influences introduced into Syria through multiple eras of conquest and influences from surrounding cultures in modern-day Syria. Lying near Egypt and Israel, and connected to southern Europe by the Mediterranean, Syria became host to many distinct cultural musics through trade and route. The music present in Syria is related greatly to poetry, influenced greatly by the Bedouin nomadic tribes, the maqam system in Arabic classical music, as well as influenced greatly by the geopolitical movement and conflict in the Middle East. Syrian music generally has a singer who is accompanied by three or four instruments. The texture is usually thin but can become denser depending on the use of each instrument. Music is tightly linked to poetry in Syria.
Diana Karazon is a Jordanian singer of Arabic pop, television host, and actress. She won Superstar (2003), the Arabic version of Pop Idol.
Dabke is a Levantine folk dance, particularly popular among Jordanian, Lebanese, Palestinian and Syrian communities. Dabke combines circle dance and line dancing and is widely performed at weddings and other joyous occasions. The line forms from right to left and the leader of the dabke heads the line, alternating between facing the audience and the other dancers. In English, it can be transcribed as dabka, dabki, dabkeh.
Hani Naser was a Jordanian-American musician. He specialized in the oud and hand percussion instruments, particularly the goblet drum and djembe.
The culture of Jordan is based on Arabic and Islamic elements. Jordan stands at the intersection of the three continents of the ancient world, lending it geographic and population diversity. Notable aspects of the culture include the traditional music and clothing of Jordan and interest in sports. These include football and basketball as well as other sports such as equestrianism, fencing, karate, swimming, and table tennis.
Shatha Amjad Al-Hassoun, better known as Shatha Hassoun, is a Moroccan-Iraqi singer who rose to fame as the winner of the 4th season of the pan-Arab television talent show Star Academy Arab World.
Jordanian art has a very ancient history. Some of the earliest figurines, found at Aïn Ghazal, near Amman, have been dated to the Neolithic period. A distinct Jordanian aesthetic in art and architecture emerged as part of a broader Islamic art tradition which flourished from the 7th-century. Traditional art and craft is vested in material culture including mosaics, ceramics, weaving, silver work, music, glass-blowing and calligraphy. The rise of colonialism in North Africa and the Middle East, led to a dilution of traditional aesthetics. In the early 20th-century, following the creation of the independent nation of Jordan, a contemporary Jordanian art movement emerged and began to search for a distinctly Jordanian art aesthetic that combined both tradition and contemporary art forms.
Ilham al-Madfai is an Iraqi guitarist, singer and composer. al-Madfai's synthesis of Western guitar stylings with traditional Iraqi music has made him a popular performer in his native country and throughout the Middle East. Beginning in 1999, al-Madfai released a string of albums on EMI's label, including his platinum eponymous debut, Ilham al-Madfai (1999), Live at the Hard Rock Cafe (2001), Baghdad (2003) and The Voice of Iraq: The Best of Ilham al-Madfai (2005). In 2009, Al-Madfai released Dishdasha. His Western-inspired compositions led to a nickname; "The Baghdad Beatle".
Rami is a prominent musician in the Jordanian metal scene. He is well known for his distinct guitar work in the band Bilocate.
JadaL is a Jordanian Arabic Rock band and music project from Amman, Jordan, formed in 2003 by Composer/Music Producer/Guitarist Mahmoud Radaideh, which has held various members over the years.
Abdulfattah Owainat is a Palestinian singer and songwriter best known for his songs on Palestinian Human Rights and their Right of Return as well as various recent uprisings in the Arab World.
Kadim Jabbar Al Samarai, better known by his stage name Kadim Al Sahir, is an Iraqi singer and composer.
Toni Qattan is a Jordanian–Palestinian singer, songwriter, and producer. He was born in Jerusalem, but his family is from the town of Beit Jala near Bethlehem. His musical talent was born to him, at the age of eight he began learning to play guitar in addition to piano. He then studied composing and singing. Qattan also holds a bachelor's degree in business management from the University of Applied Science in Amman.
Jobedu is a Jordanian lifestyle brand, producing and selling streetwear and accessories blending Arab culture with global popular culture. Founded as a startup in 2007, the company grew through a record-breaking crowdfunding campaign. Jobedu has become the center of a creative movement gathering artists, writers, musicians, and especially the street artists of Amman. It supports and promotes Jordanian alternative music and film industry.
Aziz Maraka, is a Jordanian composer, singer, performer, and producer. Maraka created a music style called "Razz", an Arabic rock-jazz fusion that garnered regional attention. He also released materials as Azis Maraka & Razz, including the album Master Copy.
Hani Mitwasi is a Jordanian singer-musician who is famous for singing in the ‘Spanish-Levant' music genre. After several years of following his passion of the Spanish and Flamenco music, he got his BA in music science at the 'Jordan Academy of Music in 2005, in addition to his 5 years of studying the flamenco guitar.
