For our fathers, grandfathers, uncles, aunts, and anyone who remembers life before the digital age, Oum Kalthoum and Abdel Halim weren’t just singers, they were the soundtrack to simpler times — a time when music meant turning a dial on the radio or reaching for the television remote, and a time when the music itself reflected the simpler sounds of the instruments of the past. Their music mirrored precious moments, from waking up in the morning to the sounds of music to sipping tea on the balcony and watching the sunrise. It wasn’t background noise; it was the way they lived and interacted with the world around them. Yet today’s youth are plugged into a whole new soundscape. From massive music festivals to streaming services like YouTube and Spotify, they experience music wholly differently. Speaking to the modern Egyptian youth through music requires understanding how they live, feel, and experience the world, and how music acts as the ever-present soundtrack to their lives. Globalizing Arabic sounds Recently, the global music scene has welcomed a diverse array of cultures and sounds, notably K-pop (Korean music), Afrobeats (African music), and Latin music….
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