ALBAWABA - Assala and Ebru Gündeş mesmerize audience with unforgettable Riyadh concert performance.
Assala and Ebru Gündeş wowed the crowd with a performance that will be remembered by art fans and future generations for a long time after the sixth season of Riyadh Season's musical concerts ended. His Excellency Turki Al-Sheikh, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the General Entertainment Authority, supported and oversaw the show. Rotana Music Group planned and oversaw the event.
Assala's career reached a significant turning point with the show at the Mohammed Abdo Arena–Emirates NBD Bank in Riyadh. It included a stunning duet with Turkish star Ebru Gündeş, which was played in front of a packed house and shown live on Rotana FM radio and TV.
Assala played 23 songs and mawwals (traditional singing improvisations) over six different parts, with an orchestra led by Maestro Tamer Faydi. She showed off her amazing range by singing in seven different dialects: Moroccan, Gulf, Egyptian, Turkish, Kurdish, and Lebanese.
She started the show with "Bil Farah" (With Joy), and then she sang "Ya Khali" (Oh My Uncle), in which she talked about meeting her uncle again after 20 years. She also sang "Kifokom" (How Are You?), "Hadiqat Thalj" (Snow Garden), "Sou’al Basit" (A Simple Question), "Kol El Tafaseel" (All the Details), "Al Hob Al Abadi" (Eternal Love)—a duet she previously performed with Majid Al Mohandis—"Insan" (Human), "Ya Majnoon" (Oh Crazy One), "Ana Ahebbak" (I Love You), "Sayed El Gharam" (Master of Love), "Ba’dak Anni" (Your Absence From Me), "Hanin" (Longing), "Akthar" (More) with Ebru Gündeş, "Al Farq Al Kabeer" (The Big Difference), "Ishtaqtilak" (I Miss You), "Sawahha Qalbi" (My Heart Did It), "Ghammed Oyounak" (Close Your Eyes), "Rouh Najdiyah" (Najd Spirit), "Shuft Ghadar" (I Saw Treachery), and concluded with "Irfa’ Rasak Fouq" (Raise Your Head High).
Also, Assala said that she is working with Rotana on a Syrian record with 14 songs that represent the 14 governorates of Syria. A folk song from the city of Homs called "Dabke Arab" (Arab Dabke) was a gift she gave to her listeners.
Assala posted a bunch of pictures of the night on Instagram and wrote, "Like a dream... its effect on me is a balm for my soul, a kiss on my heart, and a mark on my journey." The woman also talked about her nervousness before giving birth: "I was scared for nights before, not sleeping more than two or three hours a night... I had a lot of thoughts to share.
She thanked the General Entertainment Authority, His Excellency Advisor Turki Al-Sheikh, Rotana, Ebru Gündeş, and Saudi Arabia at the end of her message. "I pray to God that I will always live up to your expectations... and I promise to be committed and respect your trust," she said.
Ebru Gündeş, meanwhile, posted a video of the show on Instagram with the caption, "Music is the strongest bond that transcends languages..." Meeting my good friend Assala, who has the best voice in the Middle East, in this special duet that mixed Turkish and Arabic made me feel like I couldn't put it into words.
She added, "Together, we felt the power that art has to unite hearts… I'm happy that our paths crossed and happy that music brought us together."
Assala's night in Riyadh Season was more than just a show; it was a turning point in the arts. It mixed traditional music with new ideas, different languages, and friendships that went beyond countries. The evening proved once again that music can bring people together.
Over 15,000 people came to see Ebru Gündeş and Assala, two of the most famous singers from the Middle East. They performed together on the same stage.
The fee Ebru Gündeş got for performing in the Middle East got a lot of attention. It was said that she got 20 million TL for performing for an hour.
Ebru Gündeş was a guest artist that night, and he and the other singer sang "Gönlümün Efendisi" and "Aktar" together in both Turkish and Arabic. The crowd gave the performance a lot of praise.
There has been no public word made about the reported fee.
