The music of the United Arab Emirates stems from the Persian Gulf khaleeji tradition, and from Bedouin folk music. Distinctive dance songs from the area's fishermen are also well-known. Liwa (or leiwah / leywah) is a type of music and dance performed mainly in communities which contain descendants of East Africans.
The country's most famous performers are Mohammed Al Muhairi (better known as Mehad Hamad), Ahlam Ali Al Shamsi (the first female pop star in the Persian Gulf), Abdel Moniem Al Saleh (who is renowned for his songwriting, music production and singing, and for being the first musician based in the UAE to blend Indian, Spanish and Arabic music), Aitha Al Menhali, and Hussain Al Jasmi. Other singers from the United Arab Emirates include: Samar Mattar, Reem Al Mahmoudi, Ruwaida Al Mahrouqi, Haneef Al Raisi, Shamma Hamdan, Fayez Al Saeed and Abdallah Belkhair.
Read more about Music Of The United Arab Emirates: Underground Music in The UAE, Notable Bands
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