From Saudi trailblazers to London-based tastemakers, these artists are reshaping the sound of the Arab club scene at home and across the diaspora.
International Women’s Day is the perfect moment to celebrate the women pushing Arab electronic music forward. Spanning Riyadh, Haifa, Beirut, London, and beyond, this new wave of DJs and producers blends heritage with high-impact club sounds, from techno built on Arabic scales to genre-hopping sets that draw on jungle, grime, Afro-house, and classic Arabic pop. Whether they are soundtracking packed dance floors or building platforms for their communities, these are the emerging female Arab DJs to have on your radar right now.
Cosmicat
Crowned “Saudi Arabia’s leading female DJ”, Cosmicat is widely recognised as the Kingdom’s first female DJ and producer. She weaves Saudi heritage into contemporary club sounds, capturing a musical landscape that is evolving at speed. Born Nouf Sufyani, Cosmicat has become a defining figure in Saudi Arabia’s cultural renaissance under Vision 2030, helping push electronic music from the margins into the mainstream. As the world watches the Kingdom’s creative scene expand, she remains one of its most visible trailblazers, championing local talent and women in music.
GO: Follow @cosmicat on Instagram for more information.
Elissar
Lebanese-Palestinian DJ and fashion designer Elissar is known for sets that move freely between genres, from Arabic music and jungle to grime, trap and dancehall. Born and raised in Germany, she can often be found playing in Hamburg, with occasional appearances in Berlin. Rather than sticking to a single sound, Elissar builds momentum through unexpected combinations, creating a fast-moving journey that reflects the influences shaping her style and taking audiences on a global musical detour without losing the energy.
GO: Follow @elissarthedromedary on Instagram for more information
Hiba Salameh
A producer, filmmaker and DJ from Haifa, Hiba Salameh was recently named “one of the Palestinian DJs you need to know” by Mixmag. Her sets stretch beyond geography and genre, blending traditional Arab music with contemporary electronic sounds to create something that resonates with the diaspora and new listeners alike. Expect heavyweight techno layered with intricate Arabic melodies and scales, delivered with a sense of purpose and storytelling that makes each performance feel like its own world.
GO: Follow @_hibasalameh on Instagram for more information.
Jameela Elfaki
London-based multidisciplinary artist and DJ Jameela Elfaki is also the founder of AZEEMA, a cultural platform and creative agency. With Sudanese roots and an East Midlands upbringing, she blends British club culture with Arab heritage, shaped further by her father’s love of reggae and her mother’s classical music background. Storytelling sits at the centre of her sets, shifting from smooth melodies to high-tempo rhythms while spotlighting lesser-known tracks. Her sound draws on Afro-house, UK funky, dub, breakbeat, jazz, neo-soul, R&B, Gnawa house, and more.
GO: Follow @jameelaelfaki on Instagram for more information.
Luma
Iraqi-British DJ, radio host and nightlife curator Luma is the founder of SWANA club night Habibti Nation. Raised in Southeast London, she has been DJing for around 13 years and has played across the UK, including venues such as Jazz Café and Aaja Music. Her sets bridge geographies through 2000s Arabic pop and pan-Arab electronic sounds, shaped by Iraqi heritage and London roots. What started as a way to reconnect with the music she grew up with has evolved into a celebratory space for the Arab diaspora to dance, remember and belong.
GO: Follow @luma_dj on Instagram for more information.
Nooriyah
Saudi-born and London-based, Nooriyah has built a reputation for high-energy, inclusive nights that speak to both the Arab diaspora and homegrown audiences. She is also the founder of SWANA collaborative Middle of Nowhere, which hosted her Boiler Room set and has clocked millions of streams. Known for blending Arab and Western genres with ease, Nooriyah sharpens her sound through deep musical research, including how Arab scales have appeared in mainstream music via artists such as Jay-Z and Aaliyah. Her international rise has taken her to Glastonbury, alongside sold-out shows at UK venues including Jazz Café, KOKO and Colour Factory.
GO: Follow @nooriyah._ on Instagram for more information.
Olivia Melkonian
Producer, DJ and sound artist Olivia Melkonian works across radio, record labels, film production and the cultural sector. Her practice centres on platforming the Western Armenian lived experience, using memory and music archives as tools of resistance. She founded Analogue Armenia, an archival cassette project dedicated to preserving and celebrating Armenian cassettes. The open-access digital archive features digitised recordings spanning music, poetry, radio broadcasts and more.
GO: Visit @oliviamelkonian_ for more information.
Saliah
British-Lebanese producer and DJ Saliah reimagines Arabic pop and classics through club-ready edits that feel both nostalgic and future-facing. Her sets are high energy, built to move crowds through genre-shifting journeys that still feel cohesive and intentional. Her production skills have earned particular praise within the Arab diaspora, with signature mashups including her Daft Punk and Ehab Tawfik blend. Touring internationally, she often threads locally resonant tracks into her performances. A recent headline show at KOKO in Camden blurred the line between DJ set and live performance, complete with a dabke dance group on stage.
GO: Follow @saliahgram on Instagram for more information.
Sama Abdulhadi
Palestinian DJ and producer Sama’ Abdulhadi is frequently referred to as the “queen of the Palestinian techno scene”. Her journey began while studying sound design in Beirut, where she discovered techno after hearing a set by Japanese DJ Satoshi Tomiie. After relocating to Cairo to work as a sound engineer, she began DJing across the Arab world. In 2018, she returned to Ramallah for a Boiler Room performance that has since attracted millions of views, cementing her status as a regional icon. That same year, she founded Union Collective to create safer spaces for gathering and to platform other DJs in Palestine.
GO: Follow @samaabdulhadiofficial on Instagram for more information.
Simi and Haze
Born in Saudi Arabia as Sama and Haya Abu Khadra, Palestinian sisters Simi and Haze were raised across Riyadh, London and Dubai before settling in Los Angeles after university. In recent years, they have become globally recognised as an influential sister-DJ duo. What began as casual sets at friends’ parties soon turned into a full-scale music career, supported by industry peers and professional management. Their bookings have taken them from major Cannes Film Festival events to the annual MoMA Party in the Garden. Beyond the decks, Simi and Haze have also used their platform to advocate for Palestine and support wider humanitarian causes.
GO: Follow @simihaze on Instagram for more information.