It’s officially a TUL8TE summer.
The Egyptian artist’s latest album Narein, with its chill, nostalgic production and a coastal-beach aura, could not have dropped at a better time.
In 2024 when the Egyptian artist dropped both TESH SHABAB and the wildly popular Cocktail Ghena’y, listeners could not escape his infectious melodies. His first major hit “LAYALINA”, released in February of last year, provided some regional buzz for the masked singer. But when his viral single “HABEEBY LEH”—off Cocktail Ghena’y—burst onto the scene, TUL8TE transcended Egypt’s borders and became an international star on the rise.
TUL8TE made listeners feel nostalgic for a time when they weren’t even alive—a feat unto itself.
Cocktail Ghena’y broke through Spotify’s Viral 50 Global chart in a completely unexpected way, garnering millions of listens across streaming platforms in the process.
His music harkens back to an era of Arab pop music that has come to define a sentimental memory for many in the Middle East, North Africa, and its global diaspora communities. Much has been discussed on the similarities between TUL8TE and Egyptian icon Amr Diab in terms their mix of Spanish flamenco music and Arab instruments and rhythms.
But while Amr Diab helped popularize this style in the 90s and 00s, TUL8TE has built on that foundation by updating the sound for an entirely new generation of listeners.
Cocktail Ghena’y set a high bar, both for the new wave of pop music and, most importantly, for himself.
That nostalgic vibe certainly continues with Narein, the nine-track offering through MDLBEAST Records that sees TUL8TE exploring the brooding sense of heartbreak. While some of the wonder behind TUL8TE and his trademark sound have faded, Narein presents itself as a solid runner-up to what the artist started.
The first thing you’ll notice on Narein is that the album is a natural extension of Cocktail Ghena’y and hones in on what helped popularize the Egyptian singer across the region. It almost serves as an interlude, of sorts, between Cocktail Ghena’y and the follow up to Narein will look like. And it is pop, in every sense of the word and genre.
Where Cocktail Ghena’y led with a wistful romance (track one, “Mateegy A3ady Aleiky”), Narein sees that romance dissipating in the titular track. The guitar-heavy mood and rhythmic drums layer nicely with the singer’s soft vocals as he croons about love and heartbreak. “What is life without you, my love” TUL8TE sings in Arabic.
The rest of the album plays into that theme of heartbreak and losing that loving feeling. “Habeeby Da”, whose music video released alongside the album, adds that introspection over Cyndi Lauper-esque 80s sad pop production. One can’t help but think how much the song would mix well with “Time After Time” in a DJ set. “Ghareeb Haly” adds an element of jazz and bossa nova, complete with pronounced violins and an unassuming electric guitar—a song truly tailor made for a swanky cocktail hour at a high-end hotel. “Shedeeny” sees the artist’s voice heavily reverbed over a slow, 80s Egyptian pop beat. “You’ve wronged me so many times” he sings painfully on the song.
Perhaps the most experimentation on the album starts fittingly with “Oyoun El Nas”, a stripped-back acoustic track with Cairokee frontman Amir Eid, that touches on a sense of defeatism with TUL8TE’s love. It sets in motion a departure for TUL8TE in the sense of the kind of production you’re used to hearing with his vocals.
The biggest surprise truly comes with “Daroory”, a fairly solid, dabke-inspired song that seems geared toward Levantine listeners. Dabbling into dabke this way can be dangerous if an artist does this incorrectly, but TUL8TE sounds natural—almost too natural—with his interpretation of this style of music. The song will catch listeners off-guard in an exciting way.
The last two tracks, “Enty Crazy” and “Wahashteeny”, see TUL8TE flowing between amapiano and Afrohouse, respectfully, with both serving as organic directions creatively for the artist to take.
If there has ever been a question of whether TUL8TE could sustain the global success of Cocktail Ghena’y, those questions have been answered. The songs are catchy, they are fun, and they are earworms. In the ilk of the Arab pop dominance that defined much of the 90s and 00s, the Egyptian singer has helped usher in a new era of the genre in the Middle East and North Africa.
He cannot be denied.
