Eida Al Menhali (; born 1 January 1977) is an Emirati singer. He is also referred to as Aida al-Menhali. Known for his hit single "Motasoa," he headlined at the Mother of the Nation Festival in 2018 at the Abu Dhabi Corniche,

Abu Dhabi Abu Dhabi is the capital city of the United Arab Emirates. The city is the seat of the Abu Dhabi Central Capital District, the capital city of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, and the UAE's List of cities in the United Arab Emirates, second-most popu ...

.Emirati singer Eida Al Menhali headlines Mother of the Nation fest
''

Gulf News ''Gulf News'' is a daily English language newspaper published from Dubai, United Arab Emirates. First launched in 1978, it is distributed throughout the UAE and also in other Persian Gulf countries. Its online edition was launched in 1996. Thro ...

''. Al Menhali is also a composer and poet and often performs poetry without musical instruments. This style of performance is known in Arab world as Al Shallat. Having released his debut album, ''Mahma Jara'', in 2002, Al Menhali has released six albums since. He has also toured extensively across the

Persian Gulf The Persian Gulf, sometimes called the Arabian Gulf, is a Mediterranean seas, mediterranean sea in West Asia. The body of water is an extension of the Arabian Sea and the larger Indian Ocean located between Iran and the Arabian Peninsula.Un ...

and Middle East, performing in well-known festivals such as Hala February Festival, Salalah Concerts and

Jerash Festival The Jerash Festival for Culture and Arts is an annual event held in Jerash, Jordan. It is part of the Jordan Festival, which aims to enrich cultural activities in Jordan. Founded in 1981 by Queen Noor, it features several shows performed by Jor ...

. Al Menhali has garnered praise from many local publications. ''

Khaleej Times ''Khaleej Times'' is a daily English language newspaper published in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Launched on 16 April 1978, ''Khaleej Times'' is the UAE's longest-running English daily newspaper. History and profile A partnership between the U ...

'' has described him as "a hugely popular artist in the region".Star Power
. ''

''.

Career

Al Menhali's debut album, ''Mahma Jara,'' was released in 2002. In Abu Dhabi, as part of the 44th National Day celebration, he performed "a poem praising the nation and its Rulers, especially Sheikh Zayed." He was one of three UAE singers who opened the 17th edition of the

AFC Asian Cup The AFC Asian Cup is the primary association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), determining the continental champion of Asia. It is the second-oldest c ...

in Abu Dhabi at the Zayed Sports City Stadium in January 2019.

In popular culture

The song “Ya Tareshy” from his 2003 album ''Khayef Aleik'' received widespread attention through meme status when a video titled “Nokia ringtone arabic” was uploaded to

YouTube YouTube is an American social media and online video sharing platform owned by Google. YouTube was founded on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim who were three former employees of PayPal. Headquartered in ...

. The video, uploaded in 2019, is a low-quality recording of a Nokia 6610 playing a MIDI version of the song as a ringtone.

Style

Al Menhali is also a composer and poet and often performs poetry without musical instruments. This practice is known as Al Shallat.

Personal life

He has residence in the UAE and

Morocco Morocco, officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It has coastlines on the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria to Algeria–Morocc ...

. On 22 September 2018, the Moroccan news website Rue20 reported that

Marrakesh Marrakesh or Marrakech (; , ) is the fourth-largest city in Morocco. It is one of the four imperial cities of Morocco and is the capital of the Marrakesh–Safi Regions of Morocco, region. The city lies west of the foothills of the Atlas Mounta ...

security forces had arrested Al Menhali with 11 other foreign citizens and 30 Moroccan nationals, facing charges of prostitution, corruption, and drunkenness. He was reportedly released on bail. Al-Menhali called the arrest a false rumor, and was supported by

Diana Haddad Diana Haddad (; born 1 October 1976) is a Lebanese actress, singer, and television personality who also holds Emirati citizenship and is based in the United Arab Emirates. Haddad is one of the most popular Arabic pop musicians in the Arab World ...

on social media. The Ambassador of Compositions denied the report of detention and said he had just communicated with his "friend Aida Al-Menhali" taking his annual vacation at his Morocco residence.

Discography

Albums

* ''Mahma Jara'' (2002) * ''Khayef Aleik'' (2003) * ''Omsiyat Sheeriya'' (2006) * ''Hadiyat Saif'' (2011) * ''Shams Al Mahaba'' (2011) * ''Mestareeh'' (2012) * ''Gharami'' (2012) * ''Qemt Al Zooq'' (2013)

Singles

References

External links

Official YouTube Channel

Official Instagram
{{DEFAULTSORT:Menhali, Eida 1977 births Living people Emirati male singers Arabic-language singers of the United Arab Emirates