official chart IFPI launches MENA (Middle East & North Africa) Chart - Calm Down #1, Waka Waka #9

[Hector]

 

Global recorded music body IFPI has launched the ‘Official MENA Chart’, which it calls the first-ever official chart in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA).

 

The new singles chart includes music streaming data from Anghami, Apple, Deezer, Spotify and YouTube. The IFPI says that the chart captures music streaming from 13 markets across the MENA region, from Morocco in the West to UAE in the East – covering more than 300 million people.

 

The track Calm Down by Nigerian artist Rema has scored the first ever MENA Chart No.1.

 

Shakira’s classic Waka Waka (This Time For Africa) – originally released for the 2010 World Cup – charts at No.9 and Tukoh Taka by Nicki Minaj, Maluma and Myriam Fares is at No.11.

 

The Official MENA Chart Top 20 –  Friday 18^th-Thursday 24^th November 2022

Position	Track	Artist	Distributor
1	Calm Down	Rema	Universal Music Group
2	(Ba’amaret Meen)   بأمارة مين	Farid	Believe
3	Dreamers [Music from the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Official Soundtrack]	Jung Kook	United Masters
4	Wasa3 Wasa3	Ahmed Saad	Mazzika
5	Arhbo [Music from the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Official Soundtrack]	Ozuna, GIMS, RedOne	United Masters
6	Unholy (feat. Kim Petras)	Sam Smith	Universal Music Group
7	Tejene (2)	Ayed	Qanawat / Warner Music Group
8	El Youm El Helw Dah	Ahmed Saad	Sony Music Entertainment
9	Waka Waka (This Time for Africa) [The Official 2010 FIFA World Cup Song]	Shakira	Sony Music Entertainment
10	El Bakht (البخت)	Wegz	Takwene Information Technology
11	Tukoh Taka – Official FFF Anthem	Nicki Minaj, Maluma, Myriam Fares	Universal Music Group
12	Ayami Bdonk	Khaled AlHaneen	Cello Music
13	Under The Influence	Chris Brown	Sony Music Entertainment
14	Rich Flex	Drake, 21 Savage	Universal Music Group
15	Another Love	Tom Odell	Sony Music Entertainment
16	Etnaset	Muslim – مُسلِم	Mazzika
17	Min Awel Dekika	Elissa, Saad Lamjarred	Watary
18	Tetnafasek Denyaay	Abdul Majeed Abdullah	Rotana
19	Aleky Eyoun	Ahmed Saad	Mazzika
20	Anti-Hero	Taylor Swift	Universal Music Group

 

https://www.ifpi.org/the-official-mena-chart-launches-calm-down-by-rema-regions-first-ever-1/

 

This is huge! Also proves how Shakira's global appeal is everlasting  

[Souvenir]

Calm Down remix is literally the only version of the song that is charting and somehow they are still not giving a credit  (same for uk charts)

[wehavetostan]

Wait I thought Taylor was local why is she charting in Africa ?

[BrokenMachine]

Well, now I get why Shakira takes so long to release an album. Her old songs are ever lasting hits anyways 

[WEEKND]

22 minutes ago, Souvenir said:

Calm Down remix is literally the only version of the song that is charting and somehow they are still not giving a credit  (same for uk charts)

That atrocity? The Africans don’t use I fear. 
 

 

———

 

Chris Breezy with a global hit ?

[kandicha]

Shakira, queen of MENA! 
(minus Saudi Arabia) 

[PoisonedIvy]

Anti Hero at #20  

 

Not another chart where Taylor can prove she isn’t as local as y’all want her to be 

[ichabe]

Shakira is the most global pop girl in my opinion. She crossed every continent in the world. Her hits are inescapable and Nicki’s Tukoh Taka will follow suits being World Cup classic 

[LatinFreak]

Waka Waka a classic! 

[Nightingale]

Taylor 

And Shakira creating one of the biggest classics of recent times

[MALAMENTE]

Congrats Rema and Selena

[ZIVERT]

Elissa slaying

Shakira slaying  

Taylor slaying  

[vuelve88]

Shakira’s Waka Waka charting higher than the official World Cup Song… even though it’s 12 years old. 
 

[Holiest Dreams]

If only they had debuted this a month earlier… Anti-Hero would’ve been top 10 or maybe even top 5. Slay tho at it still being #20 after 5 weeks 

[IBeMe]

45 minutes ago, Codex said:

Unholy smashing in the Middle East?? ? I mean I guess the sound fits, but I wonder if they realise it’s by a “gay and a tr**ny”.

Just like in every single country on earth not everyone in the Middle East is bigoted or cares about that ish. The policies in most of the countries may be backwards and the society can be rather conservative but it isn’t as stark and scary as ppl make it out to be (at least in most of the countries there). There is a vibrant and Sort of public gay underground scene and community in all these nations and most ppl do not care. They only care if it’s too public and out in public (sadly). Very few of these nations actually punish gays regularly despite what media reports. That said, I hope the region gets to a point where no one gets punished for it at all but change comes in waves and it is usually done internally. 

[brenda-walsh]

well this is a streaming only chart with only 5 streaming services counted. i'd love to see a more built out singles chart, but i guess its a start

[Revolution]

Wegz 

[RussianRoulette]

2 hours ago, Codex said:

Unholy smashing in the Middle East?? ? I mean I guess the sound fits, but I wonder if they realise it’s by a “gay and a tr**ny”.

There is a big comunity there with more liberal views. Sadly most of the time they keep it low key.

 

[Machete]

3 hours ago, Codex said:

Unholy smashing in the Middle East?? ? I mean I guess the sound fits, but I wonder if they realise it’s by a “gay and a tr**ny”.

Most people not in tuned with pop culture  don’t even know Sam is non-binary, and they have know idea what a Kim Petras is to know if she’s trans or not.

 

Also, even if they do know, we underestimate the power of music and how people are able to differentiate from it. Not a perfect example, but during Jim Crowe era USA you would have racist whites paying to see shows of black artists, who otherwise they would’ve demanded be separated from…

[Reflektor_Creep]

Shakira Shakira

[Katy V.!]

3 hours ago, Codex said:

Unholy smashing in the Middle East?? ? I mean I guess the sound fits, but I wonder if they realise it’s by a “gay and a tr**ny”.

Wait until you porn sites year end stats per country

[Luckitty]

long overdue 

[HeWolf]

Shakira’s Waka waka would’ve probably spent like 40 weeks at #1 if this chart was around back in 2010  

[Sad Serenade]

calm down is really a smash WW

[♚ PRiNCE HiGH ♚]

well deserved such a great song