Kelly Clarkson is known for her powerful vocals but how does she sound while singing in Arabic?
Luckily for her fans, we can find out now thanks to her latest single. The pop star and television talk show host has been super productive during her home quarantine by releasing four versions of her latest song, I Dare You, sung in multiple languages.
In news to surely excite her regional fan base, one of the versions is in Arabic, called Kantahadak, and features the Moroccan singer Faouzia.
More impressively, Clarkson delivers the first verse in Arabic and does a decent job. The pronunciation and diction is clear and none of the words chosen is convoluted enough to jeopardise her powerful vocals. Clarkson’s verse is followed by Faouzia who delivers her smoky vocals in the Moroccan darija dialect.
The best part of all, the collaboration sounds effortless. In fact, it can be argued the Arabic version sounds more natural than the others in French (titled Appelle ton Amor featuring Zaz), German (called Trau Dich with duo Glasperlenspiel) and Spanish (called Te Reto A Amar with guest vocalist Blas Canto).
This is primarily due to the song’s oriental flavour which is accentuated by a fluttering oud intro. The accompanying music video compliments the song’s multicultural nature with photos of smiling families at home from all parts of the world.
Clarkson's Arabic fans wasted no time in posting their thoughts on the regional take of the song on her YouTube page. "Who else doesn't understand Arabic but is getting emotional listening to those words," posted Ella Agbo.
While Taylor said: "I have no idea what's she's saying and I still love it.”
Faouzia's fans were also out in force with Dimitira summing it up best: "finally she has the attention she deserves."
So who is Faouzia?
The 19-year-old Canadian Moroccan talent is a an artist on the rise and counts EDM star David Guetta as a fan. Born in Casablanca before moving to Canada at the age of 5, Faouzia (full name Faouzia Ouihya) showcased her talent when she scooped the 2015 Song of the Year Award at the Canadian music competition La Chican Electrique.
This was followed by more accolades, such as the Grand Prize of the 2017 Nashville Unsigned Only showcase and performing with the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra that same year as part of Canada’s 150th anniversary celebrations.
It was all enough for David Guetta to enlist her to perform on the song Battle as part of his 2018 album 7.
Speaking to the French newspaper Le Matin, Guetta was full of praise for her talents. "I like to work with people who have talent… But I find it even more awesome to highlight someone unknown. Why did I choose Faouzia? She has a great voice, very powerful and with a particular style," he said. "She also has a very special vibrato. It's great to be able to use the credibility I have in music to be able to showcase other people's talent."
And now with Clarkson also in her corner, Faouzia continues to showcase her talent to the world.
