Sami Yusuf, Nawal Al-Zoghbi to headline Morocco’s Mawazine fest

RABAT: British singer of Azerbaijani origin Sami Yusuf and Lebanese singer Nawal Al-Zoghbi will perform at the 2017 Mawazine Festival: Rhythms of the World, its organizers announced.

For this 16th edition, the Nahda stage will open with Yusuf’s concert on May 12. On May 14 Nahda will host the Lebanese diva Al-Zoghbi.

Proclaimed the most popular British Muslim in the world, Yusuf brought forth a new kind of Islamic music. Writer, composer, singer and poet, Yusuf was born in Tehran. Artistically imbued with musical compositions and writing, he grew up in London with his family.

In 2003, Yusuf released his first album “Al Mu’allim” (The Teacher). In 2005, he released a second album with songs in English entitled, “My Ummah.”

Al-Zoghbi, meanwhile, has released more than 14 albums. She is the first Middle Eastern artist to be featured in an advertising campaign. In 2000, Al-Zoghbi signed a contract with Pepsi, which granted her further success and the title of the best selling artist in the Middle East.

Al-Zoghbi has received over 65 awards and has famously collaborated with Wael Kfoury with whom she has released three successful songs. The Lebanese singer has a strong fan base and has performed all over the world.

Other artists to perform at this year’s event include: Calypso Rose, Lauryn Hill, Alpha Blondy, Charles Aznavour and Bonga.

Mawazine is a multi-genre, global music festival held annually in Rabat, Morocco.

Motivated by its tagline of “world rhythms,” the lineup is a vast combination of Moroccan, African, Asian, and global musicians, including an annual helping of global stars, predominantly from North America.

Previous editions have seen the likes of Rihanna, Stevie Wonder, Christina Aguilera, Elton John and Kylie Minogue take to the enormous stages to perform to vast crowds of music fans, with attendance figures across the whole week topping 2 million in recent years.