Hamid El Shaeri

Abdelhamid Ali Ahmed al-Shaeri (; born 29 November 1961), better known as Hamid al-Shaeri (also al-Sha'eri and al-Sha'iri; ), is a Libyan-Egyptian singer, songwriter, and producer. In addition to his solo work, al-Shaeri has also been noted for his work as producer, including the songs "Law Leki" performed by Ali Hemeida, and "Ainy" (1997), performed by Hisham Abbas.

Early life Al-Shaeri was born in 1961 in Benghazi to a Libyan father and an Egyptian mother. One of sixteen children, al-Shaeri was raised in a polygamous household; his mother died when he was 13. He briefly studied aviation in the United Kingdom, where he was first exposed to synth-pop, though his father originally forbade him from pursuing a career as a musician.

Career After returning to Libya, al-Shaeri briefly served as an organist in the Libyan Radio Band, before becoming a founding member of the Sons of Africa group, composed of Arab and African musicians, which found particular success within Libya. Al-Shaeri subsequently moved to Alexandria, Egypt, reportedly after witnessing the public burning of Western music instruments. As a result of renewed interest in al-Shaeri's work, a 2022 compilation of his early songs, entitled The SLAM! Years (1983-1988), was released, also by Habibi Funk.

Criticism Al-Shaeri faced criticism for "infringing" on Arabic culture and heritage. Egyptian composer Helmy Bakr accused al-Shaeri and other up and coming musicians at the time of tarnishing traditional Arabic music due to their lack of musical education. Al-Shaeri refuted this, stating his musical instinct was more important than his musical knowledge. Al-Shaeri and Bakr appeared to reconcile in 1998 when they both contributed to the so-called operetta "The Arab Dream".

Discography

Solo albums

Collaborative work

Producer credits