Prominent Saudi singer Mohammad Abdo surprised audiences around the Arab world by launching his latest song “Al Amakin” (Places) as the theme song of a television commercial for a new perfume.
The new perfume holds the same name as the song.
According to the Saudi based daily, Al Riyadh, the singer leaked the song “Places” to the fragrance company for their commercial before releasing his album.
The point of controversy is that the model in the commercial, wearing a skimpy bathing suit, dives into a swimming pool, disregarding the conservatism of the average Arab viewer and that of the singer himself.
The singer has indicated that he feels his popularity was exploited to promote the new fragrance. Although, Abdo’s cooperation with the fragrance company is not his first, the company has used a number of his most popular songs to market their fragrances.
Many fans view the commercial as unusual, since the actual album has yet to be released.
Abdo is shuttling between Cairo and Jeddah to place the final touches on his first album “Al Amakin” under the production of Rotana. The album is scheduled to hit record stores around the Arab world mid-summer.
Abdo has worked with some of the top composers and hopes the album will meet the satisfaction of his fans.
