Saudi Arabia’s music scene is thriving today with the rise of contemporary genres. This creates unprecedented opportunities and reflects a significant cultural shift, particularly for women artists. However, it hasn't always been this way.
Due to conservative movements in the 80s, women had minimal presence in Saudi music history, leading to a shortage of female icons to inspire the next generations. Billboard Arabia wanted to change that by reviving a long-forgotten diva: Etab.
To bring her back to this new Saud Arabia, we relaunched Etab as if she were a modern artist. We remastered her song Ya Saudi, a tribute to Saudi Arabia, and released it on all digital platforms two days before the most important day on the country’s calendar: Saudi National Day.
THE
SECOND
RELEASE
> Billboard
Arabia
Cannes Lions:
1 Gold, 1 Silver, 3x Shortlist
Dubai Lynx:
1 Grand Prix, 1 Gold, 1 Silber, 2 Bronze
Etab was honored with the Cultural Impact Award, placing her name on history
and continuing to inspire future generations of female artists.
“True to brand, it invited a wave of participation through deep insight into the spirit of the new Saudi and its young people. It navigated societal complexity with deftness, earning longstanding impact at a perfect moment in time”.
Vanessa Ho Nikolovski
CCO, Asian-Pacific, Weber Shandwick