.png)
Kuwaiti-Saudi Arabian pop star Bader AlShuaibi and Korean-American singer AleXa are releasing K-Pop style track Is It On as part of Spotify’s RADAR programme, which is aimed at helping emerging artists across the world boost their global listenership.
According to an official statement, K-pop tunes are a big hit across the Middle East on the digital music platform, with a 140% year-on-year increase between January2020 and 2021. Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Morocco, Egypt and Qatar are the biggest consumers of K-pop music in the MENA region.
Bader AlShuaibi was quoted as saying: "It’s 2021, we barely see any borders between cultures and people. This project is the child of globalisation and my personal love for Korean pop culture. AleXa is an extremely talented artist and together I believe we created the coolest cross-cultural collaboration, ever.”
AleXa - whose real name is Alexandra Christine Schneiderman - was the first RADAR Korea artist to join the programme after its official launch in August 2020, and she was also the second most streamed RADAR KOREA artist globally in 2020. She added: “I’m so grateful for this collaboration. It’s a fresh, never-heard-before mix of cultures and sound. I really can’t wait for our fans to hear this track all over the world.”
In April, Jordanian teen Issan Alnaijar was part of the RADAR initiative and released Turning Me Up (Hadal Ahbek), a remix of 2020’s viral hit Hadal Ahbek, featuring Canadian artists Ali Gatie and DJ duo LoudLuxury.
