American electronic artist and DJ Marshmello teamed up with Egyptian pop star Amr Diab for his latest song, Bayein Habeit (In Love).
The unlikely collaboration, sung fully in Arabic, released on September 28. It tells the sugary story of an infatuated man.
“This song [with Amr Diab] is one of my favourites. It’s not a turn up song but more of a love story,” tweeted Marshmello, who earlier said the track ‘is going to be crazy’.
The 26-year-old Philadelphia native, whose real name is Christopher Comstock, has had several hit collaborations since last year, such as Wolves with Selena Gomez and Silence with Khalid.
This latest Marshmello production, which features Diab on vocals, fuses whimsical Middle Eastern melodies with a dancefloor-ready electronic beat.
Known for his experimental nature, Diab was one of the first successful crossover pop stars to come out of the Middle East. His 1996 hit song Nour El Ain topped charts around the globe. In 2004, he featured in a Pepsi ad alongside Beyonce, Jennifer Lopez and David Beckham.
Diab has often been credited as the father of Mediterranean music, which fuses East and West. The 56-year-old singer has been active in the music industry since the early 1980s, and is considered one of the most successful Arab artists of all time.
Diab’s upcoming album Kol Hayaty (All My Life) releases on October 3. Marshmello, who performs underneath a Marshmallow-shaped headpiece with a smiley face drawn on, performed in Dubai in February as part of RedFestDXB.
