Egyptian composer and singer Mahmoud El-Esseily's video clip for the song Hob Ghalat (Wrong Love) has reached over 750,000 views, after it was released on the artist's YouTube channel on 17 January.
Being the first song released by El-Esseily in 2021, it ranked third on most trending music videos on YouTube in Egypt on Wednesday.
"Push me away, try to understand me, I tried to leave a thousand times, but my heart kept coming back. Help me, remove me from your heart. I know that at the end of this road is pain," are the opening words of the song in which El-Esseily expresses being trapped in a "wrong love."
The lyrics are by Amir Teima, for whom this is not the first cooperation with the popular singer. He wrote lyrics for many of El-Esseily's hits, such as Tamselia (2020), Enty Wa Ana (You and I, 2019), Millions (2019), and Sahla We Bassita (Easy and Simple, 2018)
When he was working as an accountant in the early 2000s, Teima's writing skills caught the attention of numerous Arab singers. Soon after, he became one of the most sought-after lyricists in the Arab world, writing for many stars in the region like El-Esseily, Amr Diab, Sherine, Elissa, and Nancy Ajram.
The music is arranged by Ali Fathallah, who also produces many of El-Esseily's songs. The music video is directed by Ibrahim Hodroj, one of El-Esseily's recurrent team members.
While releasing the same music video on his Instagram account, El-Esseily commented: “Each one of us has had a wrong love in their life. Here is my first song for the year 2021. I hope you like it."
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A post shared by Mahmoud El Esseilyالعسيلي(@esseily)
Born in 1982, El-Esseily's dedication to music started at a young age, as he started taking piano lessons at the age of four.
El-Esseily formed his first band when he was studying Integrated Marketing Communication at the American University in Cairo, where he joined every competition showcasing student talents. The university has released a CD with the students' songs, which includes El-Esseily's Khayef Men Bokra (I Am Afraid of Tomorrow).
El-Esseily was also an opening act for Amr Diab's concert at the university.
Starting 2002, his popularity began to grow, as he kept opening concerts by other well-known singers, including Elissa.
He was then discovered by producer Ayman Abbas, who supported the release of his first album titled Where Are You Going (Rayeh Ala Fein) in 2004.
El-Esseily has since released several albums, becoming one of the most popular Egyptian singers and songwriters: Meen Ana (Who Am I, 2006), Tool Manty Ganby (As Long As You Are Next To Me, 2009), Donia Gedida (New World, 2012), etc.
Faithful to the light pop genre, El-Esseily touches the hearts of his fans with songs that tackle themes of happiness and the pains of romantic relationships, which take a highly personalised angle.
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