The MENA region is full of fantastic talent that needs to be shared with the rest of the world, which is why when any artist or talented individuals debut on the global stage, everybody in the region usually pauses to see how the rest of the world will receive them.
We decided to look back at some of the most memorable ones that took our breath away, hoping they might do the same for you.
Medhat Mamdouh
Egyptian talent, Medhat Mamdouh, didn’t just appear on one talent stage but three, America’s Got Talent, Arabs Got Talent, and Italia’s Got Talent, blowing the minds of millions in the process.
Mamdouh has a unique talent, one that even judge, Simon Cowell, was skeptical of before the Egyptian performed on the stage in 2021. That was because Mamdouh played a flute-like instrument called the recorder, but unlike any player performing on it, he also beatboxed while using it, surprising those who witnessed it for the first time.
During his performance, people were shocked to hear the fast-paced original piece, receiving a standing ovation in the process and four yeses when he finished.
Mamdouh did the same during his time on the Italia’s Got Talent stage in 2022, earning even higher praise and receiving the golden buzzer. The artist would continue in that competition reaching the final, where he played a new piece accompanied by a small orchestra, raising his performance to a whole other level.
Unfortunately, even though he made us proud, Mamdouh didn’t win that one, getting the sixth spot. The Egyptian performer still releases updates on social media and new videos on YouTube with over 164,000 followers on the video-sharing platform.
The Mayyas
One of the more recent acts to impress global stages, the dance troupe from Lebanon dazzled America’s Got Talent judges with a hypnotizing performance. Choreographed by Nadim Cherfan, the Mayyas danced to Middle Eastern music wowing the audience to the point that even actress Sophia Vergara was so enamored by the group that she tapped the golden buzzer, pushing them to the next stage of the competition.
All four judges fell in love with the group, with Heidi Klum thanking the group for showing them a glimpse into the Middle Eastern and Lebanese cultures. The Mayyas got more praise from Fellow judge Simon Cowell as he argued that their performance was probably the best dance act the judges would ever see for quite a while.
This time wasn’t the first one the group performed on a talent’s stage since they danced their way to the finals on Arabs Got Talent, where they won the whole thing in 2019, getting a new car and 200,000 Saudi riyals in the process.
They also went on Britain’s Got Talent: The Champions in the same year, where they competed against other international winners, including some from India, Singapore, the Philippines, the UK, South Africa, Spain, and others.
Imen Siar
With parents from Morocco, Imen Siar rocketed to fame on the stage of America’s Got Talent, where she gave a mesmerizing rendition of the song “Scars to your beautiful” by Alessia Cara, taking the judges by surprise in 2020.
While she was on stage, she stated that she wanted to inspire Muslim women in her community to be who they are; the singer, who was 20 years old at the time, explained that she sang ever since she was very young but admitted that her father didn’t know she was auditioning.
While she did impeccably well during that song, her rendition of Lauren Daigle’s “You Say” while adding an Arabic twist to it truly captivated audiences, including the judges themselves, stating that she did well making the song her own.
Siar has high hopes for the future, saying she wanted to be the “first Hijabi woman to sell out arenas.” At the time, she wanted to be a role model to young women who were afraid to take that first step; she also strived for the industry to be so diverse that it wouldn’t be something unique if a woman sang while wearing the Hijab.
Siar continues to do well for herself, releasing new videos of her music on YouTube, and is now a recording artist signed to the label Icons & Giants. Siar appeared on the song “Family” with David Guetta, Ty Dolla $ign, and A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie.
Mennel Ibtissem
A French-Syrian singer from Besançon, she caused quite a stir when singing Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah” on the French version’s seventh edition of The Voice in 2018, captivating the hearts of many. The soft-spoken veiled singer impressed the judges when she sang a portion of the song in Arabic that mesmerized the audience and earned her well-deserved applause and a standing ovation.
The judges would fight over Ibtissem before the singer chose singer Mika as her coach; unfortunately, the singer wouldn’t last long on the platform, dropping out of the competition due to a controversy over social media.
Controversy followed the singer in 2019 when Ibtissem appeared again on America’s Got Talent, where she sang the same song but was interrupted by judge Simon Cowell. He noticed that she was very nervous while singing, advising her to try and relax as well as sip some water. After doing so, Cowell asked her to sing another song, however, due to strange editing, the second song was also cut short, and many people thought that the judges let her go.
The singer would go on social media to reveal that despite the episode’s editing, she got all four yeses from the judges and indeed went on through to the next level of the competition. Ibtissem would repeat the same situation as she dropped out before the “Judge Cuts” phase.
Ibtissem now concentrates more on releasing music and covers on her YouTube channel, where she has over 433,000 followers.
Emanne Beasha
Born in Amman, Jordan, Beasha’s parents discovered her singing talents at the tender age of two, and she’s been focusing on her music almost ever since. Performing at a young age, the singer kept on learning and training herself until she took part in the fifth season of Arabs Got Talent in 2017.
The singer did really well, earning a golden buzzer early in the competition, rising through the ranks, and winning the whole competition by covering “Time To Say Goodbye” in the finale, earning an impressive $130,000.
After her impressive success, Jordan’s King Abdullah II bestowed her with the Medal of Merit during the country’s Independence Day celebrations, becoming the medal’s youngest recipient in history.
Two years later, Beasha participated in America’s Got Talent’s 14th season in 2019, singing “Nessun Dorma” as her debut appearance on the talent show. The singer impressed the audience so much that the four judges gave her a standing ovation and four yeses to push her into the live competitions.
The little one was a force to be reckoned with; she performed “Caruso” in front of guest judge Jay Leno earning yet another golden buzzer during that round, becoming the only individual act to receive the buzzer in different global versions of the “Got Talent” franchise.
Going through one phase after another before reaching the finale, Beasha sang an Italian version of Bryan Adams’ “(Everything I Do) I Do It for You”, unfortunately, that wasn’t enough to earn the votes for her to win the competition, earning the ninth spot.
Beasha continues to sing on her own, releasing new music on her YouTube channel, where she has 65,000 followers.
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