Bondok joined Maraka for a live performance of their recent collaboration Da2a (Heartbeat).
The surprise duet drew an enthusiastic response from the festival audience, marking the pair’s first major live performance of the song since its release on 10 August.
Written by Maraka, Da2a brings together the Eastern-Western pop fusion associated with his music and the Egyptian shaabi sound central to Bondok’s repertoire. The track also incorporates electronic elements, energetic Arabic rhythms and touches of disco.
The single was accompanied by a music video directed by Nayrouz Abouzid and filmed on Egypt’s North Coast.
During his Citadel Festival concert, Maraka also performed several of his popular songs representing a decade of his creative journey. Among the older highlights was his early romantic hit Ya Bay (Oh, Wow) - released in 2016 and included in Maraka's self-titled 2018 album - which always prompts audience's participation.
Speaking during the concert, he expressed his happiness at returning to the festival for a second time.
Maraka, born in Tunisia in 1983 to a Palestinian father and Lebanese mother, grew up in Amman and launched his career there. He gained wider recognition with Bent El-Nas (Respectable Woman), from his 2008 self-titled debut album, and has developed a sound he calls Razz, combining Arabic rock and jazz with lyrics in the Jordanian dialect.
Bondok, born Mahmoud Mohamed Hassan in 1998, has built a substantial online following through music drawing on Egyptian shaabi, mahraganat and contemporary pop. His YouTube channel has more than 1.7 million subscribers, while his songs Rawa2an (Relaxation) and El-Gay Bta3y (What’s Coming Is Mine) have each surpassed 100 million views.
The 34th Citadel International Festival for Music and Singing, organised by the Cairo Opera House, is taking place from 15 to 24 August 2026 at the Mahka Theatre inside Cairo’s historic Saladin Citadel.
The festival brings together established Egyptian and Arab artists alongside emerging musicians, with a programme spanning Arabic music, Sufi chanting, heritage and folk traditions, rock, indie and electronic music.
Check the Festival's programme here
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