Egypt’s Mohamed Hamaki to open Fortnite Soundwave Series

The series will celebrate artists and music from around the world – all hosted on Fortnite. It will start at 8pm CAT, and the musician will be the first Arabic artist to perform on the platform.

Hamaki will debut his new song ‘Leilt Elomr’ and other tracks during the perfomance. The interactive show will repeat for 48 hours allowing fans to join in at any time. To enter, interested viewers will need to select the in-game playlist titled Hamaki’s Musical Show.

Also known as ‘The Master of Pop Music’, Hamaki is a well-known artist in the Arab world. In 2010, he won an MTV Europe Music Award for Best Arabian Act. His new album Ya Fatni is expected to be released on 6 October. The musician has been dropping a new single every week in the build-up to the release.

“Hamaki is a pioneer who’s always thinking about more creative and inventive ways to bring his music to new audiences,” Sony Music general manager for the Middle East Mike Fairburn said. “This project with Fortnite illustrates the power of a true partnership, bringing together the best of music and gaming to help our artists expand to new markets and audiences.”

The Soundwave Series was developed by Fortnite community creators in collaboration with Craft Media, with tools available in Fortnite Creative.

In the coming months, the series will feature French-Malian singer Aya Nakamura, Australian singer and producer Tones and I, Brazilian rapper Emicida and Japanese artist Gen Hoshino.

Virtual concerts on gaming platforms have become increasingly popular partly due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which has forced musicians to find new ways to reach their fans.