Less than a day after the release of Saria Al Sawas’ new video for “Wajh El Amar,” featuring Qusai Khouli dancing beside her, the clip became the talk of the Levant, adding roughly a million new Instagram views every few hours. The video was released to promote Khouli’s appearance on the podcast Qissati hosted by Mohammad Qais, where the pair filmed the song’s visuals on location.
During last Ramadan, Qusai Khouli starred alongside Caris Bashar in the Syrian series Bikhams Arwah, which follows the professional journey of a shaabi singer. Khouli’s scenes in the show, where he dances and cheers beside Bashar, reminded viewers of old viral clips circulating online that showed him attending Saria Al Sawas concerts in Syria as one of her most devoted fans.
Saria Al Sawas remains one of the most successful stars of Levantine and Iraqi shaabi music. Since emerging in the early 2000s, she built massive popularity across the Levant, Iraq, and large parts of the Gulf. Today, she lives, performs, and releases music from her adopted home of Dubai. Though she faced criticism in Syria early in her career for bold and liberated performances, she gradually won over much of the country and became something of an unofficial first lady of Syrian pop culture.
The dabke-leaning “Wajh El Amar” marks Saria Al Sawas’ first original release of the year. She typically releases only a small number of original songs annually, instead focusing on live performances in keeping with the traditions of shaabi music singers in the region. The track is now available on all platforms.
