Mayada Al-Ali

Hedi, Hedi (Slowly, Slowly)

• Al Muqadimah (Introduction)
• Hedi Hedi (Slowly, Slowly)
• Al Kashef (The Revealer)
• Shilak Alayya ya Zein (What Do You Have On Me?)

• B'Oyouni Adummo (I Embrace Him With My Eyes)
• Al Jolaqyyeh (Jolaqyyeh)
• Hazni Sot el Rababa (The Sound of the Rebab Shook Me)
• Nar Al Hawa (The Fire of Love)
• Lo Rayed Tensani (If You Want to Forget Me)
• Ajani el Leil (Nightime Has Come to Me)
• Ustath el Khyana (Master of Betrayal)

Label

Location Issued

Artist Origin

More Info

Mayada Al-Ali belongs to the same generation of singers as Sariya Al-Sawas, sharing similar journeys and circumstances. Most of them hail from the countryside of Homs, and are considered to be descended from the Roma (gypsies) who settled in the area. In the 2000s, they began singing at nightclubs in rural Damascus towns, such as Al-Tal and Maarba. These areas witnessed increased musical activity in the early 2000s, especially in the aftermath of the Iraq war, when large numbers of Iraqis moved to Syria. At the same time, visitors from Gulf countries such as Saudi Arabia and Kuwait began to appear in Syria. They were among the most prominent pioneers and patrons of these nightclubs. This tape is clearly directed to an audience of Kuwaiti visitors, and it includes the same popular dabkeh songs that were sung in most nightclubs at that time by multiple singers.