The deal marks the latest in the MENA region for Reservoir and its MENA partner, PopArabia<\/strong>. Last year, the\u00a0company announced a new music publishing deal with In2Musica<\/strong>, the label, publisher and production house of Lebanese pop star\u00a0Nancy Ajram<\/strong>.<\/p>\n The deal included Ajram\u2019s entire owned catalog, as well as future works.<\/p>\n Reservoir Founder and CEO Golnar Khosrowshahi has previously declared her intention to make the music rights company \u201cthe largest holder of Arabic music copyrights<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n Over the past decade, Egyptian artist Omar Kamal has risen to prominence across the MENA region. He is credited with helping bring mahraganat, a genre of music mixing Egyptian rhythms, electronic music, and rap lyrics, to listeners outside of Egypt.<\/p>\n Kamal is best known for his hit 2020 song Mahragan Bent El Geran<\/em>\u00a0with Hassan Shakosh, which Reservoir said in a press release “featured controversial yet captivating lyrics that resonated with audiences throughout the Arab world and earned the song and Kamal widespread international attention”.<\/p>\n The song was named one of Rolling Stone\u2019s<\/em> 50 Best Arabic Pop Songs of the 21st Century, Mahragan Bent El Geran<\/em>\u00a0also has garnered over 700 million<\/strong> views on YouTube to date.<\/p>\n Kamal’s hits Oud Al batal<\/em> and LGHBTITA<\/em> have generated over 500 million<\/strong> and 300<\/strong> million<\/strong> YouTube, views, respectively.<\/p>\n In addition, in 2021 he expanded into acting, making his debut on the television series Bayn El-Samaa Wa El-Ard.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m excited to strike this deal with Reservoir and PopArabia, a company built for artists and run by artists.”<\/p>\n Omar Kamal<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n On the new deal, Kamal said: \u201cI\u2019m excited to strike this deal with Reservoir and PopArabia, a company built for artists and run by artists. I know this partnership will be a strong motivation for us to do great work together.\u201d<\/p>\n PopArabia Vice President of A&R and Acquisitions Wissam Khodur, said: \u201cOmar is one of the hottest Shaabi artists in Egypt and throughout MENA and was able to pivot into mahraganat with his own unique twist.<\/p>\n “We\u2019re thrilled to bring his music to PopArabia and look forward to helping him reach new international heights with his catalog.\u201d<\/p>\n Wissam Khodur, PopArabia<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n Added Wissam Khodur: “We\u2019re thrilled to bring his music to PopArabia and look forward to helping him reach new international heights with his catalog.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAcquiring Omar\u2019s influential catalog is another key growth moment for Reservoir and PopArabia\u2019s market share in Egypt, the dominant Arabic music market.”<\/p>\n Golnar Khosrowshahi, Reservoir<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n Reservoir Founder and Chief Executive Officer Golnar Khosrowshahi added: \u201cAcquiring Omar\u2019s influential catalog is another key growth moment for Reservoir and PopArabia\u2019s market share in Egypt, the dominant Arabic music market.<\/p>\n “This deal builds upon our other recent strategic acquisitions and further supports our efforts to become a major tastemaker in the region.\u201d<\/p>\n In May 2022, Reservoir and PopArabia\u00a0acquired<\/a>\u00a0Egyptian label 100COPIES and formed a joint venture with the company to sign and develop Egyptian talent.<\/p>\n And, in June 2023, Reservoir and Poparabia acquired<\/a>\u00a0the catalog of, and struck a JV with, Saudi Arabia-based hip-hop label Mashrex.<\/p>\n![](\"https:\/\/www.musicbusinessworldwide.com\/files\/2024\/07\/Screenshot-2024-08-01-at-12.59.11-e1722513591707-80x45.jpg)
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