Who is the most popular musician in the Arab world today? Names like Algeria's Khaled and Lebanon's Fairuz come to mind. But if the question is based on record sales, the answer is simple: Egypt's Amr Diab. The king of Arabic pop began singing publicly at the age of six. It was then when his father brought him to the 23rd Music Festival at Port Said, Egypt, where he was invited to sing Egypt's national anthem, "Biladi, Biladi". The young Diab was awarded a guitar as a prize - which helped launch his highly successful career. He studied music formally at the Cairo Academy of Art, and following his graduation, he released his first CD, "Ya Tareeq".

Amr Diab quickly developed fame for his new style of "Pan-Mediterranean" Arabic music, fusing touches of Flamenco and Rai, western pop with traditional Arabic rhythms. By 1992, he became the first Arabic artist to start making high-tech music videos. The following year, Diab launched a film career, starring in 3 features including "Dhahk We La'ab" (Laughter & Fun), with acclaimed actor Omar Sharif.

In 1996, Diab returned to the recording studio and produced the smash hit, "Nour el Ain" (You are the Light in My Eyes), an infectious pop hit that immediately went platinum and became the biggest selling Arabic recording to date, and earned Diab three Awards at the 1997 Arabic Music Awards (for Best Video, Best Song and Artist of the Year). Since then, Diab has remained at the top of the Arabic music scene, expanding reach to all parts of the Mediterranean with his 1999 release, "Amarain", that featured duets with Algeria's Khaled and Greece's Angela Dimitriou.