'We’re the next wave': Palestinian-American DJ Habibeats on bringing Arabic music to the global forefront

Many diaspora communities across the world find strength, solace and a sense of home in connecting with the cultures of their motherlands.  

Momentarily transporting themselves to the lands they feel beat through their veins, from the languages they speak to the melodies they listen to, can bring them a unique form of contentment, allowing them to feel deeply connected to who they are at their core. 

For Palestinian American DJ sensation Habibeats – who has racked up over 17 million likes and one million followers on TikTok alone – this is no different.  

The DJ’s sets and remixes combine Arab and various international musical influences, as he quite literally mixes his culture into his work, in what feels like the “melding of the two halves” of his multicultural mind.  

His first, ongoing Europe tour of his hit club night Habibi’s House began in early September and ends in London on October 4. 

Through his tour, the DJ is excited about connecting with an audience ready to be enthralled by his diverse musical blends, as he puts his identity, and that of diaspora communities, at centre stage. 

“The first Habibi's House was one of those moments where my brain felt my identities fully merge — the Western side of me that’s a hip-hop head and grew up in America, and the Arab side of me,” DJ Habibeats tells The New Arab, reflecting on the event’s growing success since its debut in late 2022. 

The club night is infused with his cultural roots, alongside other cultural influences including Latino, Caribbean and Indian music, which DJ Habibeats blends with genres such as House, Afrobeats and Hip-Hop, in one big celebration of cultural fusion. 

The 'perfect storm'

Habibeats began DJing at just 13 years old from San Francisco’s Bay Area, where he grew up around a tight-knit Palestinian community. 

He perfected his craft as a hobby for years, not yet blending his cultural influences into his work, nor considering a full-time career in the field as a realistic possibility, until he graduated from law school just before COVID-19 hit. 

With DJing in public spaces off the cards during the pandemic, Habibeats turned to social media to keep up his passion, in what he describes as a “perfect storm” of events.  

He began integrating his love for Arab music into his content, with his first Arab, international remix — blending Lebanese singer Nancy Ajram’s Ya Tabtab with Brazilian funk — quickly gathering hundreds of thousands of views. 

The virality of the video – which has hit over 2M views since – led the DJ to realise an existing demand among diaspora communities for music that combined and reflected their diverse cultural influences.  

At the time, DJ Habibeats also noticed a rise in non-American music such as reggaeton and afro-beats, and knew that the moment provided an opportunity for him to throw himself into DJing, and put his cultural identity at the heart of his craft. 

“If Latin music can become this big mainstream and African music can become this big mainstream, why can’t we push Arabic music in the same way?” he remarked, explaining his thought process at the time, and present, to The New Arab. 

The Third Culture Kid struggle 

For DJ Habibeats, weaving his cultural identity into his work has also been significant in helping him feel connected to his cultures, because like many Third Culture Kids (TCKs) living in the diaspora, he didn’t always feel a complete sense of belonging to any one cultural group. 

“I’m Arab-American, I definitely grew up feeling a strong connection to both, but a disconnect from both too… my whole life I felt that cultural crisis, it’s a Third Culture Kid thing,” he told The New Arab. 

DJ Habibeats’ sentiments are echoed far and wide across the diaspora. The belonging struggle many Third Culture Kids experience can manifest in individuals feeling too Eastern for their Western side, and too Western for their Eastern side – for example.  

However, connecting with their cultural roots, other TCKs, and unique perspectives shaped by their diverse life experiences, can help Third Culture Kids find the sense of belonging they have been missing. 

The DJ has also noticed first-hand a contrast in a “hunger” for the culture between his diasporic crowds and those living in the Arab world. 

“It is interesting playing to a diaspora vs a non-diaspora audience. Because you’re starved for your culture in the West, if you get any bit of it, whether it’s an old or new song, you’re excited,” he explained, acknowledging that for Arabs in the diaspora, connecting with their culture can feel like a luxury and be a more emotive experience. 

“I think to an extent, [people living in the Arab world are] less blown away by playing a hit Amr Diab song from 20 years ago. I imagine they’re like yeah, we’ve heard that a million times,” he laughs, sharing that such an audience may be more interested in hearing “cutting-edge” tracks as opposed to the throwback classics. 

Painting your culture with your own brush

Beyond helping people feel more connected to their cultures, DJ Habibeats also views DJing as a tool for artists from underrepresented backgrounds to make their mark on the global narratives that shape our world. 

He believes musical art forms have the power to connect and unite people through shared joy, and that they can therefore foster openness and understanding between different communities as they interact with the art. 

“It’s crucial that we paint our culture with our own brush. If we leave it to the media, we can see how distorted and how completely backwards they can make things seem,” DJ Habibeats told The New Arab. 

He was referencing what many activists have deemed biased, anti-Arab racism in Western reporting of Israel’s current assault on Gaza, where Israel’s acts could plausibly amount to genocide, according to the International Court of Justice. 

“People are constantly consuming media which can have a sway on how they think. If you watch one hundred movies and Arabs are always portrayed as terrorists and you’ve never met an Arab, you might also have a preconceived view about them,” he added. 

The DJ also shared his view that Palestinian representation in the entertainment industry, through artists like Elyanna and Saint Levant, further “normalises” Palestinian culture, for those who may hold prejudices towards it. 

“They are bringing our culture to the world in a cool, contemporary and accessible way, where people who may not have been exposed to the culture before can be like ‘this is really cool and beautiful and you guys seem alright’… and I think DJing is a part of that too,” he told The New Arab. 

The future of Arab music in the West 

DJ Habibeats holds a strong conviction that Arab talent and music will rise within the mainstream. 

“I think we’re the next wave… it just feels like the world is at a place where it’s excited about people’s cultures, and people are really excited to share those cultures,” he said, crediting social media as a key medium in allowing culture to be shared. 

When it comes to the future of his own artistry, the DJ wants people to feel “happy, safe and represented” when they listen to his remixes and attend his events.

“I want them to feel inspired and excited about their culture,” he expressed.  

As DJ Habibeats continues to jet across Europe for his Habibi’s House tour, he has shared that he has also been crafting new original music and is working on collaborating with artists from a variety of different cultural backgrounds.  

As for the future of artists, including and like himself, who represent the Third Culture Kid experience and fly the flags of their cultures, DJ Habibeats is “stoked about the possibilities.”

Aisha Aldris is a London-based journalist who writes on social and humanitarian issues alongside culture and the arts

Follow her on X: @aishaaldris