The western media’s narrative of feminism and women empowerment, does position itself as incompatible with Islam and the Arab world. And with Islamophobia rising in the Western world, Western media does not fairly showcase the progress by women in the Middle East; instead, exploiting the cultural and religious prejudices that people and governments are using to victimize Arab women.

So, when Mashrou’ Leila wanted to promote their new album, we picked up an unreleased song, tweaked its lyrics to take on the prejudice in Western media, added that song to the album and then released a provocative music video. Earlier, no one would've imagined a music video showing Arab women, in their traditional and religious garbs, dancing. But, Mashrou’ Leila made one happen, creating the ultimate conversation driver.

With an Arab woman director, we created an unexpected music video, featuring Arab women (doing things one typically sees Western do in a music video – dancing), disrupting the global narrative of Arab feminism - and importantly, that of hyper-secularised (white) feminism, which increasingly positions itself as incompatible with Islam and the Arab world.

Instead, the music video celebrates the various modalities of Middle-Eastern feminism.

The music video treats oppression and stereotyping from the West, not as a source of victimhood, but as the fertile ground from where resistance can be forged, through music.

The music video is an ode to the strength of Arab women and their fight for feminist action.

“Contains anger, sorrow, accusation, and resignation, without losing control or force: the calm simultaneous with the storm.” (Jessica Doyle, Western Listener).

The video self-consciously toys with the intersection of gender with race by celebrating and championing a coalition of Arab and Muslim women, styled to over-articulate their ethnic background, in a manner more typically employed by Western media to victimise them.

The video purposefully attempts to revert the position of the (male) musicians as the heroes of the narrative, not only by subjecting them to the (female) gaze of the director, but also by representing them as individuals who (literally) take the backseat as the coalition moves forward.

So, while the lyrics of the verses discuss betrayal, struggle, and conflict, the video revolves around the lyrical pivot in the chorus: ‘aleihum (charge!).

“Life-affirming and joyous rather than the timid, “oppressed” vision the West is used to from media reports.” (Alex Clifton, The Singles Jukebox)

The song has also featured in the band’s concerts regionally and worldwide, taking the message even further

The video influenced news headlines as it featured on leading news and media platforms such as NBC News, CNN Politics, The New York Times, NewNowNext, Voice of America, The Stable, among 100s more.

Adweek: “An agency helped create this incredible music video celebrating feminism in the modern Arab world.”

Travelled across 50% of countries on our planet, in multiple languages such as Turkish, Slovak, Portugese, Greek, French, Dutch and Spanish, among others.

Featured on international pop culture platforms such as Nowness as the Nowness Picks alongwith Madonna’s Ray of Light.

$3.7 earned media value.

580 million impressions.

Ranked as the most popular Arabic song worldwide on music platforms such as iTunes, Anghami, Soundcloud.

Became the most trending content on feminism (Trendolizer).

Features in the band’s concerts regionally and worldwide, taking the message even further.

Album sales: +24% vs. previous albums.

iTunes downloads: +36% vs. any other soundtrack.

We identified an unreleased song, composed 3 years back, about "Betrayal".

Taking the lyrics of that song, called “Roman”, we gave it a dual meaning - to address the global socio-political trends against Arabs and Arab Feminism.

The western media’s narrative of feminism and women empowerment, does position itself as incompatible with Islam and the Arab world. And with Islamophobia rising in the Western world, Western media does not fairly showcase the progress by women in the Middle East; instead, exploiting the cultural and religious prejudices that people and governments are using to victimize Arab women.

We wanted Arab women to take back that narrative. And create a new narrative.

Mashrou’ Leila is an independent Lebanese band whose songs take on socio-political issues affecting the Arab World: such as prejudice, sectarian divides, homosexuality (their lead singer is gay), political corruption, economic disparity, and many more such anxieties and inequalities.

As their music is oppressed by Governments in the Middle East because of its provocative nature, as they are considered an underdog and as their lead singer represents a minority in the region, they tend to empathize with and stand for the underdog, for the oppressed, and for all those who represent the minority - through their songs and their music.

Now, while they are popular locally and in certain parts of the region, their songs haven't gotten as much attention and awareness globally, as they should. If you listen to their music, you will see that as a brand they are extremely talented and skilled, and their music often is appealing even to those who are non-Arabs and not Arabic speakers.

With their new album’s launch - called Ibn El Leil (Son of the Night), we were tasked to get the band and their messages more exposure internationally. And we sought to get that through tapping into a major inequality.