Arabic Music Conquers America: Rising Superstar Nadia Lando Drops “Arab Money (Solo Version)”

Nadia Lando is an American born-Jordanian Spaniard singer-songwriter. On Instagram she has amassed a burgeoning following in the hundreds of thousands. The Los Angeles-based artist recently released a hip-hop anthem called “Arab Money (Solo Version)” The song has a hard hitting Arab inspired beat and chorus that gets embedded in your brain. You don’t have to be Arab to vibe to this song. As the lyrics state “throw it up like you got Arab money,” this song is for everyone to vibe to. 

We caught up with Nadia Lando to ask her more about the song and about her future plans. While Nadia uses a few phrases in Arabic, most of the song “Arab Money (Solo Version)” is in English. Throughout the song there is use of a traditional Middle Eastern clarinet being played live in the studio. Nadia says “I want to open doors for Middle Eastern artists and for our music to be impactful in the U.S. and globally, so it was important for me to infuse both Arabic and English in this song. Also there are a lot of Middle Eastern bosses, who are successful businesswomen and businessmen and I wanted “Arab Money (Solo Version)” to reflect that. This song was over a year in the making so I was super excited to finally release it. I had run into some who wanted to ethnically cleanse the song of the Arabic drums and I was not going to let that happen. I may drop another version of “Arab Money (Solo Version)” which includes more Arabic on the track, possibly featuring another artist from the western world.” 

While Nadia Lando is mainly a pop singer she jokes that she “let her inner Marky Mark out for this song.” For those who don’t know who she is referring to, Marky Mark is also known as actor Mark Wahlberg who started out in the industry with a rap career in the 90’s. Similar to Bad Bunny or Justin Bieber who sing on a lot of their songs but also rap, Nadia proves she has rap skills too. When asked about who are some hip-hop artists she admires, Nadia responded with “2Pac, Eminem, and Lauryn Hill.” The Sped Up version of Arab Money (Solo Version), dropped on Spotify and all streaming platforms this week. We asked her to tell us about the single artwork for Arab Money المال العربي (Remix Sped Up). Nadia said, “yes the photo we used is a photo that I took in Jordan when I traveled to Petra. Many have probably seen Petra in Indiana Jones the Last Crusade. It’s a breathtaking place, I recommend everyone go see it once in their life. I rode by horseback down to the entrance, so this picture was taken along the way. I was dressed in traditional Jordanian clothing a (thawb or thobe) and scarf (keffiyeh). I love horses and horseback riding. Arab Money is spelled out in Arabic on the cover of المال العربي (Remix Sped Up).” The music video for “Arab Money” is set to be shot in 2024, with the video premiering on Nadia Lando’s official YouTube channel. Nadia has two more Middle Eastern inspired songs on the way. 

Nadia Lando has partnered with Los Angeles boutiques to sell clothing/merchandise on her official website nadialando.com where a portion of proceeds go to domestic and civil violence victims. “I have been asked by a lot of men if I have clothing for guys on my site. The answer is yes, I have merch for men and it will be on the site very soon, but for now fellas buy stuff for your girl, sister, and mother.” 

What’s even more impressive is that Nadia is also a doctoral student at Northeastern University. When she graduates she will be a Doctor of Psychology. Although her main passion is music, she is determined to complete her program and one day use her skills to help those in the mental health sector, in some capacity using her influence as a global superstar. We asked her to tell us more about her doctoral program. “Yes I wasn’t ready for the world to know about that information yet, but I did an impromptu recorded interview and they were introducing me as Dr. Nadia so I was like well the secrets out (laughs). I am currently in the dissertation stage of my doctoral program. Also no this is not an honorary doctorate, I’ve been working my ass off in school for many many years. It’s just me, I depend on myself, I have very little family, so it was always important to me to finish my education. In the Middle Eastern culture we value education. It is true that my main passion is music, although I feel I can still apply my degrees and expertise towards my business ventures. As you can see with my educational journey, when I have a goal I see it to the end and want to reach the top, and that is how I treat my music career. I plan to give my all and be the best version of myself. That is why I hadn’t officially released any music until recently because I wanted to complete all my courses in school, so that I could put my all into my music.” Tapping into her Latin roots Nadia is also set to drop some Spanish inspired tracks in the near future. Nadia Lando’s musical versatility and talents are impressive, as she takes over the world, we can’t wait to see what she drops next. 

https://www.instagram.com/nadia_lando/