Nawal

Born Nawal Thaher Al-Zaid on November 18, 1966, Nawal El Kuwaiti rose as a Khaliji superstar whose core audience centered on the Persian Gulf states yet also extended across additional Middle Eastern territories including Egypt and Lebanon. She entered the commercial market with a recording debut in 1983 and delivered her first live concert the following year. From her earliest releases onward she declined to assign titles to her albums, resulting in their routine identification by release date instead. After gaining traction throughout the 1980s she withdrew from the industry for a five-year sabbatical that lasted through the early to mid-1990s. Her return in the mid-1990s brought notable successes such as the duet “Kan Widdi Niltiki” recorded with popular Saudi singer Abdullah Rashad, which helped elevate her to superstardom across the Arab world. In subsequent years she directed increased attention toward international crossover markets, particularly Egypt.