Girl Band Tops Israel Charts with Arabic Love Song

An Israel girl band made history when their debut single became the first ever song entirely in Arabic to top the Israeli music charts last year. Habib Galbi by the band A-WA, a group made up of three sisters, are descendants of Yemeni Jews who relocated to Israel after its establishment in 1948.

A-WA initially posted an online music video of Habib Galbi (Arabic for “Love of My Heart”), without mentioning they were Israeli Jews. “We wanted people to come to us with an open mind,” said Tair Haim. “We just wrote something like, ‘We are bringing you a fresh desert breeze.’”

Army radio, the most listened to in Israel, helped make Habib Galbi a summer hit, a first for an Arabic song in Israel. According to the sisters, they have also attracted a following in the Arab world.

Habib Galbi has been viewed on Youtube over eleven million times.