Middle Eastern Pop
tagStarted 1990Peak 2000-2018Last big hit still active
Pop from the non-Arab Middle East—Iran, Israel and the wider region—blending Persian and Mizrahi melodic scales, microtonal ornamentation and regional percussion with Western dance-pop and electronic production. Spans Persian-diaspora dance hits, Mizrahi-Mediterranean Israeli pop with quarter-tone vocals, and slick, synth-driven romantic numbers across multiple languages.
History
After 1979, Iranian pop relocated to the Los Angeles diaspora ('Tehrangeles'), where artists like Andy and Googoosh's legacy kept Persian pop alive. In Israel, Mizrahi pop moved from cassette-culture margins to the mainstream by the 2000s, with Sarit Hadad and later Eyal Golan and Static & Ben El topping charts and exporting the regional sound abroad.
Defining artists
Essential listening
Sources
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mizrahi_music
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Persian_pop
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Static_%26_Ben_El_Tavori
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarit_Hadad