work
WRITING + Audio
Cover Stories
The Return of Stormy. Rolling Stone MENA, Apr. 2026.
The Tao of Zeyne: Self-Love, Radical Vulnerability, and Unabashed Determination. Rolling Stone MENA, July 2025.
The Redemption of Moroccan Rapper, ElGrandeToto. GQ Middle East, Oct 2023.
Rolling Stone US
Witnessing The Greatness Of Nancy Ajram, The Queen Of Arab Pop. Rolling Stone, May 2026.
Nabeel: Waves Of Noise, Songs Of Family. Rolling Stone, Mar. 2026.
Marwan Moussa Already Defined Egyptian Rap. He Wants To Go Even Further. Rolling Stone, Jan. 2025.
The 50 Best Arabic Pop Songs of the 21st Century. Rolling Stone, Apr 2024.
DYSTINCT Is Taking Moroccan Culture Global, One Hit at a Time. Rolling Stone, Feb 2024.
NPR + Public Radio
The Enduring Legacy Of Lebanese Singer Fairuz’s ‘Bahebak Ya Lebnan’. NPR, Apr. 2026.
Lebanon Mourns Beloved Artist Ziad Rahbani. NPR, Aug. 2025.
Iconic Lebanese singer Fairuz turns 90. PRI The World, Nov 2024.
Amid airstrikes and armed conflict, Lebanese musicians hit a somber note. NPR, Oct 2024.
Arabic music is having a cultural moment thanks to TikTok. WDET 101.9 FM, Apr 2023.
A new wave of Arab musical artists are gaining global traction. NPR, Mar 2023.
The Celtics didn't win it all this year, but they still make me happy. WBUR, Jun 2022.
The New York Times
The Egyptian Rapper Wegz Wants to Take Arabic Hip-Hop Worldwide. The New York Times, Nov 2023.
Pitchfork
Arabic Music Is on the Brink of a Global Breakthrough. Pitchfork, Mar 2023.
THE GRAMMYS
How Palestinian Star Saint Levant Is Helping Uplift & Support His People. The GRAMMYs, Feb. 2025.
5 Independent Record Labels Bringing The Sounds Of The Middle East To The World. The GRAMMYs, Oct 2024.
Get To Know TUL8TE, The Rising Arab Pop Star Bringing Egyptian Culture To The World. The GRAMMYs, Oct 2024.
GQ Middle East
Dua Saleh Has An Urgent Message For Humanity. GQ Middle East, May 2026.
How Danyl Found His Sweet Spot. GQ Middle East, May 2026.
Lana Lubany Understands Herself Better Than Ever. GQ Middle East, May 2026.
10 Emerging Artists to Put on Your Radar. GQ Middle East, Apr. 2026.
Shobee Is Just Having Fun. GQ Middle East, Apr. 2026.
Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl Performance Was A Masterclass In Going Global. GQ Middle East, Feb. 2026.
The Curious Case of Mohamed Ramadan. GQ Middle East, Jan. 2026.
We Don’t Know Much About Najm. That’s By Design. GQ Middle East, Jan. 2026.
Norhan Is Not Apologizing For Her Arabic. GQ Middle East, Jan. 2026.
Meet Kazdoura, The Duo Fusing Psychedelic Rock with Traditional Arabic Maqam. GQ Middle East, Jan. 2026.
Danny Hajjar’s Favorite Songs of 2025. GQ Middle East, Dec. 2025.
The Industry Put Tawsen On Hold. He Came Back Thankful. GQ Middle East, Dec. 2025.
Arabic Music Deserves To Be Critiqued. GQ Middle East, Nov. 2025.
Yasmine Hamdan Still Refuses To Conform. GQ Middle East, Sept. 2025.
The Rise of MENA Music. GQ Middle East, July 2025.
In The Algorithm Age, Should We Go Back To Burning CDs? GQ Middle East, Apr. 2025.
Arab Lincoln’s Quiet Power In The Sneaker Game. GQ Middle East, Apr. 2025.
Danny Hajjar’s GQ Middle East Playlist Is All Human, No Algorithm. GQ Middle East, Apr. 2025
The Unlikely Architect of Iraqi Shoegaze is a High School Teacher in Virginia. GQ Middle East, Mar. 2025.
Saudi Singer Fulana is Anything but Anonymous. GQ Middle East, Apr 2024.
Multidisciplinary Lebanese Artist Blu Fiefer Plays Chess in a Music Industry That Plays Checkers. GQ Middle East, Sep 2023.
Get to Know the New Perrie, the Egyptian-Moroccan Artist Whose Latest Album is Her Most Vulnerable Yet. GQ Middle East, Mar 2023.
Complex MENA
In Conversation | Moroccan Rapper Khtek Is Wired To Take Risks. Complex MENA, Apr. 2026.
In Conversation | Iranian-American Artist Neena Roe Remains Hopeful In Humanity. Complex MENA, Mar. 2026.
In Conversation | Tarek Qaddafi Quietly Shapes Sneaker Culture From Kuwait To The World. Complex MENA, Mar. 2026.
In Conversation | Neemz Is Designing Sneakers, Dropping Bars, and Building Her Own Lane. Complex MENA, Feb. 2026.
Putting Respect On Lebanon’s Pioneering Role In Arabic Hip-Hop. Complex MENA, Feb. 2026.
Other (US, CANADA, & EUROPE)
'I can’t listen without feeling rattled': how Fairuz’s anthem of resilience became a harbinger of strife for Lebanon. The Guardian, Apr. 2026.
My Lebanon Is At War Again; I’m Watching From Massachusetts. Boston Globe, Mar. 2026.
The Perfect Storm. SPIN, April 2024.
After the Beirut blasts, the Lebanese diaspora is left between helplessness and guilt. The Washington Post, Apr 2020.
OTHER (Middle East & North Africa)
Your Favorite Songs Were Written For The Algorithm. WIRED Middle East, May 2026.
Motherhood, Music, and Defiance: How Moroccan Superstar Manal Is Transforming Personal Struggle Into Powerful Soundtracks. The New Arab, Dec. 2025.
Al-Música: When Arabic Music Went Latin. ICON MENA, Nov. 2025.
Ten Arab musicians to watch in 2025, from Zeyne to Molham. The National, Dec. 2024.
Saudi Rapper Blvxb Says Hip-Hop ‘Saved My Life’—Now, He’s Using It To Help Others. The National, July 2024.
According To Apple, Non-Western Music Doesn’t Exist. Mille World, May 2024.
إليانا تجدد الأمل بموسيقى عربية جامعة ينتشر صداها حول العالم. Billboard Arabia, Feb 2024.
Artist Spotlight: Tamtam the Saudi artist turning pop into poetry. SceneNoise, Mar 2023.
Rita L’Oujdia: The artist putting Morocco on the global music map. Middle East Eye, Feb 2023.
10 Arab artists you need to listen to in 2023. Esquire Middle East, Jan 2023.
Starting a new story for Black artists in the Gulf: Somali-UAE rapper Freek mashes up the beat, Arab style. The New Arab, Oct 2022.
Catching a vibe: Nadine El Roubi's artistry is as elegant as it is enigmatic. The New Arab, Jul 2022.
How Egypt's mahraganat music marvels in Disney's Moon Knight. The New Arab, Apr 2022.
Reattaching rhythmical roots: How Arab artists in the diaspora navigate identity through musical expression. The New Arab, Mar 2022.
Hip Hop Finds Its Groove in North Africa. New Lines Magazine, Feb 2021.
INTERVIEWS
Death of the Critic? Power, Access & the Future of Criticism in MENA. SceneNow, Apr. 2026.
Should North African Musicians Aspire To Global Fame? OkayAfrica, Feb. 2026.
MENA Is The World’s Fastest Growing Music Industry: What Next? OkayAfrica, Apr. 2025.
Arabic pop music takes the global stage. CBC, Jan. 2025.
The Year’s Best Albums, Handpicked by Danny Hajjar. Mille World, Dec. 2024.
‘Shik Shak Shook Ones’ Is The Newest Podcast Providing Hot, Unfiltered Music Takes. Mille World, Sept. 2024.
In Conversation with Danny Hajjar, the Unofficial Ambassador of Arabic Music. Mille World, July 2024.
‘We’re just taking space.’ How Arabic music is breaking through to new audiences. PBS NewsHour, Apr 2023.
Sa’alouni El Nas: A digital sobhiye for the global MENA community. L’Orient Today, May 2022.
Danny Hajjar’s Weekly Newsletter “Sa’alouni El Nas” Spotlights the Best Music From the Middle East and Africa. GQ Middle East, Mar 2022.