Arabic pop

Arabic pop music or Arab pop music is a subgenre of pop music and Arabic music.

Arabic pop is mainly produced and originated in Cairo, Egypt; with Beirut, Lebanon, as a secondary center. It is an outgrowth of the Arabic film industry (mainly Egyptian movies), also predominantly located in Cairo. Since 2000, various locations in the Gulf countries have been producing Khaleeji pop music.

The primary style is a genre that synthetically combines pop melodies with elements of different Arabic regional styles, called ughniyah (Arabic: أغنية) or in English "Arabic song". It uses mainly Western instruments, including electric guitars or electronic keyboards, as well as traditional Middle Eastern instruments like the oud or darbukka.

Another characteristic aspect of Arabic pop is the overall tone and mood of the songs. The majority of the songs are in a minor key, and the lyrics tend to focus on longing, melancholy, strife, and generally love issues.

The popularization of Arabic pop was largely due to the emergence of music videos, and the broadcast channels they were broadcast on, in the late 1970s. This multimedia technology allowed the easier spread of new perspectives within Arabic music. This visualization of Arab pop was a result of wanting to attract larger audiences and broaden singers' reputations with their younger audiences which further spread Arabic pop music.