DUBAI: Palestinian-Jordanian singer Zeyne and Moroccan singer Manal Benchlikha are set to release their first collaboration, “Kentili,” on Oct. 16.
The two artists have followed each other’s work for years, according to a recent press release. The song is about walking away from a one-sided relationship, with each singer telling it from her own perspective.
The release follows Zeyne’s AWDA Tour, her first European headline tour, which kicked off at London’s KOKO on Sept. 1 and ran through Sept. 18, with stops in Dublin, Brussels, Paris, Amsterdam, Berlin, Milan, Barcelona and Istanbul.
The tour followed the release of her debut album, “AWDA,” in 2025.
Born Zein Sajdi in Amman in 1997, Zeyne studied at the UK’s University of Sussex before returning to Jordan in 2020 to focus on music. She released her debut single, “Minni Ana,” in 2021, and her 2024 single “Asli Ana” drew about 500,000 YouTube views in its first three days.
She later released the single “Hilwa,” a tribute to her mother and grandmother, through Saudi label MDLBEAST Records in partnership with her own label, Scarab Records. Her music has amassed more than 46 million streams across platforms.
She was the first female artist from the Levant to appear on the COLORS platform, with her song “Ma Bansak,” and performed as a special guest on British singer Ed Sheeran’s Mathematics Tour in Qatar and Bahrain.
She has also written songs for Palestinian-Chilean singer Elyanna and Lebanese-Canadian singer Massari.
Manal is known for blending traditional Moroccan sounds with contemporary pop. Her track “Niya” pays tribute to the chikhat, Morocco’s traditional female singers, while “Mahboula” mixes rai with contemporary beats.
Her 2022 music video for “Makhelaw Magalou,” a tribute to Moroccan culture, has drawn more than 56 million views.
That same year, she became the first Arab female artist to appear on COLORS, with “3ari,” a song addressing domestic violence against women.
She also featured on “Light The Sky,” the official anthem of the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, alongside Moroccan-Canadian dancer Nora Fatehi, Emirati singer Balqees Fathi and Iraqi singer Rahma Riad.
Manal co-founded the streetwear brand Bari & Soch with her husband, Moncef Guessous, in 2021.