Published on August 29th, 2019 | by Dr. Jerry Doby

Universal Music Group’s Arab-Pop Artist Jaafar Proves He is Ahead of His Time With New Music Video

No one does ARABIC pop like Jaafar: ‘OK 3ADI’ IS OUT NOW

Honestly sarcastic and friendly. ‘OK 3adi’ is the empowerment track you need to hear after a break-up. Sung in Arabic and English with a crisp pop rock sound – a combination you don’t get to hear often.

The backdrop to the Arabic lyrics is an upbeat Western sound put together by acclaimed Lebanese producer Hadii Sharara. The uniqueness of the track lies in the Arabic lyrics, melody, and sound one could classify as modernizing and innovating Arabic pop music.

“It’s tongue-in-cheek. There’s kind of a sarcastic tone throughout the song. I’m saying, like, ‘OK, whatever, so you’re drop-dead gorgeous, I’ve seen other gorgeous girls.’ So, it’s like there’s still a sour taste in my mouth, but I’m trying to move on. That’s the tone of the song,” Jaafar explains.

‘OK whatever’ would be a literal translation to the title which is also the best way to shrug off a heavy situation. The bilingual lyrics are colloquial and easy-going making the song extra catchy, which Jaafar is building a reputation for. The artist creates a relaxed sound to express himself making ‘OK 3adi’ quite relatable and inviting; while speaking to audiences around the region.

Jaafar’s previous music video for ‘Ra7at 3aleki’ was shot on his phone in his living room; inviting viewers into his intimate space. This release continues with that level of closeness as the artist’s style and touch is found in every detail.

‘OK 3adi’s music video was filmed between the colorful villages of Lebanon and Jordan giving audiences an inside look into the romantic settings of the two countries’ topography. From the colorful arches of stucco glass exteriors and sensual monochrome rooms, the story line was directed by Jaafar and Abdullah Sharw. The artist takes you through a couple’s love story played by himself and the beautiful actress Jessica Khalifeh.

Jaafar is always experimenting with new ways to express his music and break barriers. While maintaining a down to earth essence that gets you closer to the artist – and one step closer to an entirely new way of enjoying Arabic pop music.

‘OK 3adi’ is out on all platforms https://umusicmena.lnk.to/OK3adi

ABOUT JAAFAR

Jaafar is a Jordanian singer and songwriter. He exploded on to the Jordanian music scene in 2013 with his song ‘You Got Me Good’ that was released “accidentally” after falling into the hands of a local radio programmer. The song went on to become one of the most successful songs of the summer in Jordan that year. At the time, Jaafar was living in Miami where he had moved to pursue a career in music and attend the University of Miami. In the summer of 2014, Jaafar headlined the North Theatre at Jordan’s most famous music festival; Jerash Festival. Jaafar played to a packed house at the 2000-person capacity theatre. The Jordan Times released an article the next day in the paper titled ‘Jaafar wows Jerash Audience’ which highlighted the singer’s performance chops and box-office draw despite only having one “mega-hit song” under his belt.

Jaafar returned to the US directly after the Jerash show and began working on new music with a Grammy-winning production team, whose credits include international superstars Shakira, Ricky Martin, and Christina Aguilera. In 2015, Jaafar released his first US single ‘Sixteen’ that went on to perform impressively for an unsigned act, especially in the US market, where it achieved widespread radio airplay and began to climb the Billboard charts and other US national radio charts. It was at this time, Jaafar started to catch the eye and ear of mainstream Western media, being featured in such publications as People magazine and The Huffington Post that both praised his music and message.

Jaafar then released a second international single called ‘Dalia,’ in which he sang in both English and his native Arabic language. ‘Dalia’ was Jaafar’s first foray into singing in Arabic. With the success of ‘Sixteen’ and ‘Dalia,’ Jaafar’s Stateside audience began to grow notably. After years of growing a grass-roots fanbase by playing smaller venues in America, Jaafar embarked on a string of tour dates in the States, which included headlining shows at the Fonda Theatre and The Roxy Theatre in Los Angeles. With the release of Dalia, also came an increasing demand for Jaafar’s music in the Middle East and North Africa. As a result, Jaafar took his live show back to the Middle East where he opened for various Arab Pop heavyweights such as Amr Diab and Cheb Khaled.

After releasing some more Arabic language singles including ‘Salma’, ‘Yara’ and ‘Gheir Ay Leila’, which all received heavy radio airplay and press attention around the Middle East and North Africa, Jaafar then began working on new music with famed Lebanese producer Hadii Sharara (French Montana, Wael Kfoury, Nancy Ajram). ‘Ra7at 3aleki’ is the result of the artist’s and the producer’s collaboration. Stay tuned to find out what happens next.

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About the Author

Dr. Jerry Doby Editor-in-Chief of The Hype Magazine, Media and SEO Consultant, Journalist, Ph.D. and retired combat vet. 2023 recipient of The President's Lifetime Achievement Award. Partner at THM Media Group. Member of the U.S. Department of Arts and Culture, the United States Press Agency and ForbesBLK.