If Ramadan is a time for bringing families together, it’s also an opportunity to unite the region’s biggest singers and actors for rare collaborations. For more than four decades, a hallmark of Ramadan dramas has been the enlistment of Arab pop stars to perform theme songs for some of the season’s most popular productions.
Known as titrat, these songs – often lasting up to five minutes – are less about catchiness and more about setting the emotional tone for the story ahead. With the Ramadan television landscape fiercely competitive, a strong theme song can be a powerful marketing tool, drawing in new viewers through the star power of the singer and the quality of the composition. At the same time, it introduces a fresh legion of fans to the artist’s work.
Here’s a look at eight pop stars delivering some of this season’s most memorable theme songs.
1. Elissa
The Lebanese pop star lent her talents and clout to the Egyptian romantic drama, We Tekbel Habib, starring Yasmin Abdul Aziz and Karim Fahmy. While We Tekbel Habib is a relatively standard ballad, considering Elissa's oeuvre, it does a good job in capturing the sentimentality and melancholy of a relationship constantly in flux.
2. Abeer Nehme
Lebanese singer-songwriter Abeer Nehme, well-versed in titrat, delivers a beautiful vocal performance in a song that explores the cost of resilience. Titled Ehsasi, the theme song for Nafasi has a melodrama mirroring the sweeping narrative of a blind ballet dancer striving to revive her career after falling in love with a young Syrian refugee.
3. Marilyne Naaman
The Lebanese singer takes on double duty this Ramadan, performing the theme song, Ana Min, for the well-received Syrian drama Bil Dam, while also appearing in a supporting role. Translated as Who am I?, the sparse ballad echoes the central refrain of the series' main character as she prepares to see her mother for the first time.
4. Mahmoud El Esseily
A successful Ramadan theme song hinges on its ability to capture the emotional essence of the series. With Habibi wa Ibn Habiby from the family drama Kamel Al Adad, seasoned Egyptian singer Mahmoud El Esseily achieves just that. This tender acoustic folk track, enriched with piano, beautifully underscores the significance of family bonds.
5. Majid Al Mohandis
Another heavyweight of Arab music stepping into the recording studio for the Ramadan season, Al Mohandis infuses his signature Khaleeji folk-pop stylings into the theme song for Layali Al Shumaisi, a Saudi drama centred on a family caught in a fierce dispute over a will.
6. Ahmed Saad
A high-profile production demands a big name in the recording booth, and that’s exactly the case with Egyptian singer Ahmed Saad, who was recruited for the theme song of the gripping drama Sayed Al Nass, starring Amr Saad. As the series follows Jalil (Saad) grappling with his family's criminal past, Saad’s song offers a poignant reflection on the anguish of regret and the pain of severed family ties.
7. Al Shami
One of the more intriguing musical offerings, Syrian singer Al Shami stays true to his signature sound in the theme song for the Levantine police drama Taht Sabe’ Ard.
The track blends bold folk melodies with soft-spoken Arabic rapping – an ear-catching fusion that perhaps underscores the series’ broad appeal. The show follows a policeman on a tense mission to dismantle a counterfeiting operation that implicates his own siblings.
8. Rahma Riad
The best of Iraqi music and screen talent come together in Al Eshrin, with singer Rahma Riad lending her voice to the theme song of this patriotic drama about soldiers risking their lives to protect their homeland. Over a delicate piano arrangement, Riad conveys the anguish of families mourning their martyred loved ones.
"I swear to you, come back – even if only for a day. Neither are you coming, nor does sleep come to me," she sings. "If only you knew what’s happened without you. My hair has turned white, and my clothes are black in mourning."
