Maher Zain releases world’s first Islamic music track in Dolby’s Spatial Audio on the occasion of Mawlid
London, UK, 15th October 2021
Awakening Music commemorates the auspicious occasion of Mawlid (the annual celebration of the Prophet Muhammad’s birth) with the release of Maher Zain’s new single and music video Hubb Ennabi (Loving the Prophet).
Hubb Ennabi is the first ever Islamic Music song to be made available in Spatial Audio, the new Dolby Atmos high-quality audio standard on Apple Music. Listeners will be able to experience the new song in a multidimensional way; its audio omnipresence resembling that of the Prophet’s Islamic teachings, held in the highest esteem by Muslims around the world.
Filmed in the picturesque city of Konya, Turkey, the city famous for being the home and final resting place of the mystical Sufi poet, Mevlana Jalaluddin Rumi, the song and music video will be released in both Arabic and Turkish.
Directed by French-Tunisian director Idris Kheder – with whom Zain has collaborated extensively over the past few years – the music video expresses the deeply held love and veneration Muslims feel for Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) and the beautiful legacy his message has left on the lives of his followers.
Maher Zain and Awakening Music have chosen to dedicate the release of the song to its lyricist, the late poet Salah Galal, who also wrote the lyrics to many of Zain’s biggest hits including Ya Nabi Salam Alayka, Assalamu Alayka and
Mawlaya. The late Salah Galal was a friend of Zain’s and of many at the Awakening Music record label. Hubb Ennabi was one of the last songs the lyricist penned before he passed away in 2012 following a long battle with cancer, aged 39.
“Seeing Hubb Ennabi finally come to life after a decade makes it even more special. For one, it holds a deeply emotional meaning about Prophet Muhammad’s love and what he means to me as a Muslim,” said Maher Zain. “But its release now also represents that the legacy of its lyricist, Salah Galal, continues to live on. Salah was a beautiful human being and a very sensitive poet and lyricist, with genuine love for Prophet Muhammad (pbuh), whom he wrote about with his whole heart and soul. I’m very excited for everyone to finally be able to hear the song and for Salah’s beautiful lyrics to be shared with the whole world. That these were his final lyrics is incredibly poignant and I hope that listeners will join me in feeling inspired by the depth of the emotions it contains.”
The musical arrangement for Hubb Ennabi was done by Maher Zain himself, with the vocals, piano and strings recorded in Sweden, and other instruments recorded in Turkey and Egypt. The melody was composed by Egyptian singer and composer Mohammed ElSawy. The track’s mixing and mastering was completed in Sweden, with support from the Dolby team in Dubai.
“I was unequivocally moved by Hubb Ennabi when my dear friend Salah Galal shared the initial demo with me back in 2012,” said Bara Kherigi, managing director of Awakening Music. “When Salah tragically passed away shortly after writing it, we kept the song and didn’t release it. 2021 marks the 10th anniversary of Ya Nabi Salam Alayka – another Maher Zain song about Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) penned by the late Salah, which became a huge worldwide hit and modern-day classic. Although the release of Hubb Ennabi wasn’t planned this way, it seems now is the right time to honour and carry forward Salah’s work by sharing it with the world. I couldn’t help shedding tears when I finally heard the song after Maher had recorded his vocals; his beautiful musical arrangement and vocal performance made me recall all the times we had spent with Salah in and out of the studio. Awakening Music is honoured to mark the occasion of Mawlid – the Prophet’s birth – with this beautifully emotional song, written by our dear and much-beloved late friend.”
Hubb Ennabi (Loving the Prophet) is available on Apple Music in Dolby Atmos and on all streaming platforms from Friday October 15th.
Watch the music video of Hubb Ennabi: https://youtu.be/Mgr5kmBMa-Q
Notes:
- Awakening Music is the world’s premier Muslim faith-inspired music label. It is headquartered in London and is an award-winning record label nurturing and promoting the finest of modern Muslim talent from all over the world. It has artists from Sweden, the USA, Macedonia, Kuwait and Libya amongst others.
- Maher Zain is an Awakening Music artist and is the most popular Islamic Music artist, with over 35 million followers on social media and billions of streams. He also remains the most watched Muslim on Youtube, with over 8 billion views for his music videos.
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