Lebanese star Elissa has finally dropped her latest album, Sahbit Raey, which translates to "Opinion Giver". The singer released the work on August 1, amid Eid Al Adha celebrations.
The new album, produced and distributed by Rotana Production Company, features 18 pop songs. The entire album is available through Rotana Music’s YouTube channel, as well as on music streaming platform Deezer.
Click through the gallery above to see Elissa's back catalogue of album covers.
A little more than 24 hours since its release, the work has been widely lauded by fans, who can’t get enough of the powerful songs and lyrics.
Celebrating the Megahit album #SahbitRaey congratulations @elissakh love you so much ❤️#صاحبة_رأي ❤️❤️❤️ pic.twitter.com/OLok3t1jEY
— Gaby -SAVER (@Gabgoub1) August 1, 2020
So Proud of you...I know how you put a piece of your heart in everything you do...Congratulations for the success...for the fruits of your hard work and your passion 💗
— angy akly jammal (@angyjammal) August 2, 2020
So much story telling. So much emotions. So much love. So modern. So sweet and so bitter. It’s not a farewell as it might sound. It is a story of a woman who is starting over. #صاحبة_رأي #اليسا love it. Alf mabrouk. @elissakh pic.twitter.com/YyPvXRUhfa
— Zaven (@Zaven_K) August 2, 2020
The singer has, in turn, given a shoutout to all her fans, thanking them for the support.
"Beirut... it all goes back to you," she wrote on Twitter. "I am very happy with the feedback I am getting on the album, and it makes me so happy to show that Lebanese people have the power to overcome everything to live in peace and happiness."
Beirut... it all goes back to you ❤️
— Elissa (@elissakh) August 1, 2020
I am very happy with the feedback I am getting on the album, and it makes me so happy to show that Lebanese people have the power to overcome everything to live in peace and happiness. To my lovely country Lebanon 🇱🇧
Elissa released the title track, Sahbit Raey, on YouTube a week ago. The song, performed in the Egyptian dialect, was written by Ossama Mostafa and composed by Samer Abu Talib.
It is possible that this will be Elissa’s last album.
The singer shocked fans last year when she said her next project would be her final album, because of the creative constraints placed upon her by a regional music industry she described as a "mafia".
Whether a hit album changes her plans, however, remains to be seen.