Traditional music and dance
Over the centuries, poets and musicians have crossed the Arabian Peninsula and the Middle East, taking with them and spreading the poems and aesthetics of different regions. As a result, traditions from here are always a little like those from elsewhere, as caravans, pilgrimages and nomadic communities transport and sow traditions over great distances, mixing cultures and spreading influences along the way. Yemen to the south, Iraq and the Levant, Turkey to the north, the Gulf States to the east and Egypt or Sudan to the west... All these regions have been influenced by their neighbors for centuries.
It's hardly surprising, then, that one of the country's emblematic practices, ardah, is shared with Qatar and is a close cousin of ayyala in the United Arab Emirates. Combining highly dramatic lyrical poetry, song, percussion and slow, majestic movements, this once military practice has since become a dance of peace and celebration, and today an emblematic entity of traditional Saudi culture.
Alardah Alnajdiyah is the most common form of ardah in Saudi Arabia. It is also the most practiced and visible male folk dance throughout the country, appearing at the beginning or end of celebrations such as weddings, births or graduation ceremonies. The all-male Alardah performers carry light swords and form two rows facing each other, leaving enough space between them for the drummers. As they dance shoulder-to-shoulder, swaying back and forth while raising and lowering their swords, a poet declaims verses echoed by the dancers. Men of all ages, social backgrounds and professions are welcome to take part, while women are required only to make the costumes.
A practice that has been included in the list of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, along with Almezmar, the traditional dance practiced by members of the Hedgejazi community. Performed on the occasion of national or religious celebrations, large groups of dancers (between 15 and 100) dressed in long white robes line up in two rows facing each other. To the beat of the drums, each row leader claps his hands and sings, with the whole row repeating the song after him to the rhythm of the clapping, followed by the second row in echo. At the end of these songs, duos of dancers perform rapid gestures in the center of the circle, twirling their sticks.
As in Qatar, pearl fishermen's songs called fjiri, imported from Bahrain, can also be found here. Dating from the late 19th century, these songs tell of life at sea, accompanied by percussion. Today, the practice has spread far beyond pearl-fishing circles to reach a wider audience, particularly at festivals.
Popular in the Najd region, samri is both a music and a dance tradition, common in the Persian Gulf countries, where poems are sung and drums played while two rows of men, seated on their knees, sway and clap their hands.
Also found throughout the Gulf countries, ṣawt is a complex form of urban music, performed on the oud (the iconic short-necked lute found throughout the Arab world and in Armenia) and drum.
The country's Bedouin past and nomadic lifestyle discouraging superfluous baggage - including musical instruments - explains why we've long had to stick to simple rhythms here, the beats of which are marked by clapping. That said, you'll come across some of the region's most common instruments, such as the double-reed ney (a flute) and the rababa (a plucked string instrument). And then, of course, there's the oud, whose country has produced some great performers, such as Tariq Abdul-Hakim, a national monument to Saudi music. Born in 1920 in Taif, the musician is renowned for his excellent interpretations of famous local folk dances and music, as well as his mastery of the instrument. His fascination with Saudi folklore began at an early age, when he helped his father farm their land, singing folk tunes with other farmers. After joining the Saudi army, he was sent to Egypt in 1952, where he learned to read and write music. After retiring from the army years later, the late composer worked with some of the biggest names in the Arab world, bringing national folk heritage to the world's attention. Through his 500 musical pieces - performed by over 100 singers from the Arab world - 10 symphonies and 36 patriotic songs, Abdul-Hakim composed some of the country's most loved and played tunes. Recognized locally and internationally, he was awarded the Unesco International Music Prize in 1981, becoming the first Arab to receive it and the 6th musician in the world to be so honored. A tribute museum, located in Beit Al-Manoufi in the historic district of Jedda, was inaugurated at the end of 2022. It includes a music research center housing archives on Saudi and Arab music.
From the same generation, the country was lulled by the melodies of great oud players such as Abadi al Johar and Rabeh Saqer.
Popular music
Ask anyone on the spot: one of the most popular names in Saudi music is Mohammed Abdu. In fact, dubbed "the artist of the Arabs", the singer is one of the most famous in the Arabic-speaking world. Abdu began his career in the 1960s when a presenter invited him to sing on his radio show. Two songs immediately caught the public's attention - Al-Rasayel and Ab'ad - so much so that they are both still part of his repertoire, and the latter has enjoyed worldwide success and translations in various countries (Iran and India in particular). With his powerful voice and distinctive oud playing - reminiscent of the fabulous Syrian-Egyptian Farid Al-Atrash - the composer toured the world. After a career spanning sixty years, Mohammed Abdu has established himself as a pillar of national music and an inexhaustible source of inspiration for many.
From the same generation, Talal Maddah is another patron saint of Saudi music, known as "The Voice of the Earth" or "The Golden Throat". Famous from the start of his career in the 1960s, renowned Egyptian composers such as Mohammed Abdel Wahab, Mohammed Al Mogy and Baligh Hamdi began writing for him. In the 1970s, his success spread throughout the Arab world, and never waned throughout his fifty-year career. He was also the first Saudi artist to receive honors outside Saudi Arabia, notably from presidents such as Habib Bourguiba, Mouammar Kadhafi and Hosni Moubarak. He died on stage in 2000 at the age of 60 while performing at Al Meftaha.
Both Mohammed Abdu and Talal Maddah are considered pioneers of Khaliji music. On radio, TV and, indeed, just about everywhere in the Arabian Peninsula, it is the leading music. Literally meaning "music of the Gulf", khaliji is the pop music of the Persian Gulf, blending modern productions with traditional music such as liwa (from neighbouring UAE) or sawt, while making extensive use of the oud for a bewitching, heady result.
While Kuwait pioneered the genre - even becoming its nerve center in the second half of the 20th century - Saudi Arabia has the most dynamic scene. Among the most respected names in the field are Abdul-Majeed Abdullah, who at the age of 60 is still systematically at the top of the sales charts with each new release, and more recently Rabeh Sager and Abass Ibrahim. Less present, female voices are not completely invisible, as the genre is also represented by Etab, a Saudi woman whose career has largely taken place in Egypt, and Aseel Omran, signed to the major Rotana label. Founded by Lebanese-Saudi prince Al Walid Ben Talal in 1987, the latter is the Middle East's leading music structure, a veritable machine producing hundreds of artists as well as films, but also invested in the media (a magazine, six music channels, etc.).
Current music
The young Saudi music scene reveals a few surprises in the young musical landscape, such as The AccoLade, a 100% female psychedelic rock band from Jeddah, something you wouldn't expect to find in Saudi Arabia.
Nor would you necessarily expect to find bands like Al-Namrood, a black metal entity founded in 2008 that braves the risk of a death sentence for its transgressive stance on faith.
The country's best-known rock band is Sound of Ruby. Influenced as much by Michael Jackson's Beat it era as by the incredible Egyptian guitarist Omar Khorshid, Sound of Ruby's furious rock is a little reminiscent of Nirvana, but with a touch more hypnotic and psychedelic.
On the hip-hop front, Jara is one of the youngest Saudi artists on the scene, making waves with every release, while Qusai continues to establish himself as the boss of local rap.
And in the world of electronic music, Omar Basaad is the first Saudi EDM (Electronic Dance Music) producer to represent Saudi Arabia internationally.
Finally, Saudi Arabia is particularly fond of our DJ Snake, whose concerts in 2022 at the Azimuth festival in AlUla and in 2023 for the opening of the Saudi Games at the King Fahad stadium in Riyadh were spectacular.
