Ahmad Soultan is Best Middle East Act again

He’s done it again. Moroccan singer Ahmad Soultan has been voted the Best Middle East Act for the MTV European Music Awards (EMAs) 2013. Soultan beat Emirati soul singer Hamdan Al Abri, Dubai-based rock band Juliana Down, American-Egyptian songstress Lara Scandar and Saudi Arabia’s Rakan to get to this point in the fan-voted award.

The next step for him will be to beat the artists in the Africa and India categories by October 31. He is now up against South Africa’s electronic duo Locnville and Best India Act Yo Yo Honey Singh. If he wins, Soultan will represent the Middle East, Africa and India at the finals for the Worldwide Act on November 10 in Amsterdam.

Soultan already achieved this feat last year, and travelled to Frankfurt for the main awards. The Worldwide Act though was won by Chinese singer Han Geng, who beat artists from around the world including Rihanna.

Soultan, who found success with his first single, Ya Salam, is known for what he calls Afrobian Soul, a blend of Afro-Arabian. Following his trip to the EMAs, he told tabloid! it was ‘a beautiful experience’.

“As an artist coming from North Africa, it was a big deal being respected and treated equally like everyone else. I was happy, because sometimes we have to fight for our rights, but with MTV it was natural for them. I had a lot of fun,” he said.

You can vote for Soultan now on mtvema.com to get him to Amsterdam. Performers so far confirmed include Katy Perry, Miley Cyrus and The Killers. Nominees at this year’s award include Justin Timberlake and Macklemore & Ryan Lewis in the lead with five nominations each, while Cyrus, Lady Gaga, Justin Bieber and Robin Thicke are each up for four awards. Taylor Swift, Bruno Mars, Green Day, Thirty Seconds to Mars, Daft Punk, Rudimental, Icona Pop and One Direction are each nominated for three awards. Artists with two EMA nods include Rihanna, Katy Perry, Eminem, Jay Z, Bastille, Imagine Dragons, The Killers, Paramore, Rita Ora, Drake, Afrojack, Avicii, Calvin Harris and Iggy Azalea.

And don’t forget, tabloid! will be there too to bring you all the action.