The majority of the songs are in a minor key, and the lyrics tend to focus on longing, melancholy, strife, and generally love issues.
Music has been released as single records, later replaced with cassettes in the album format, and by the late 1990s, and 2000s, additionally on CDs.
[4] Rotana is the most popular company, running six TV channels, a record label, and a roster of more than 100 of the top Arab pop artists.
An aspiring Arab singer creates a video demo and sends them to satellite channels that specialize in that area.
[5][6] By means of the Internet and social media, regional cooperation between Arab pop musicians, producers and studios has become more feasible than ever before.
[7] Most Arab pop concentrates on romantic themes, hence the frequent use of words like habibi (my darling) and qalbi (my sweetheart).
[citation needed] Arab pop music videos are most popular among local youth in the Levant and North Africa.
Playful lyrics, skimpy costumes, and dancing have led to quite a bit of criticism in the more conservative Islamic circles.
Artists such as Samira Said, Nancy Ajram, Nawal El Zoghbi, Latifa, Assala, Amal Hijazi, Elissa[8] and Haifa Wehbe have all come under fire at one time or another for the use of sexual innuendos in their music.
[citation needed] The early days of Arabic pop featured a more traditional style of music.
Artists such as Umm Kulthum, who is now considered an Arabic music legend, made it acceptable for female singers to perform in public.
[citation needed] During this period, Arabic pop began to emerge, although the older style of the early days was still extremely popular.
Artists such as Amr Diab, Mohamed Fouad, Angham, Elissa,[15] Sherine, Nawal Al Zoghbi, Wael Kfoury, Assi El Hallani, Diana Haddad, Kadim Al Sahir, Nancy Ajram and Haifa Wehbe rose to fame, using modern marketing, both Arabic and Western electronic instruments, as well as catchy melodies.
The subgenre blends Western influences (such as the usage of English and other languages) and traditional Arab elements (such as the instrumentation), and is characterized by a sense of nostalgia for one's roots.
Prominent artists of Arabizi include Bayou, Saint Levant, Elyanna, Zeyne, MC Abdul, Issam Alnajjar, Belly, Omar Offendum, Narcy, Nooriyah and DJamil.