Shereen Abdel Wahab Criticized for Playback at Mawazine

What was meant to be a triumphant comeback for Shereen Abdel Wahab quickly turned sour at Mawazine.

Fez– After nearly a decade away from Moroccan stages, Egyptian superstar Shereen Abdel Wahab made her long-awaited return at the closing night of the Mawazine Festival in Rabat.

Her performance, heavily promoted as a headline event, was met with excitement and nostalgia. But what began as a celebratory comeback quickly turned into a night of unexpected tension.

The singer, known for her powerful voice and emotional stage presence, opened her set to thunderous applause.

Yet minutes into the concert, murmurs began circulating among the crowd. Observers noticed that something was off: Shereen appeared to be singing to a pre-recorded track.

It didn’t take long for frustration to surface. Several attendees realized she was performing in playback, and some left the venue in protest.

For a festival that prides itself on live music and international caliber performances, the use of backing vocals or full playback is a sensitive issue, especially from a headliner of Shereen’s stature.

The moment sparked widespread unease among the audience, many of whom had waited years to see her live.

Facing mounting pressure from the crowd, Shereen shifted course. Responding directly to calls from the audience to sing live, she took to the microphone without the playback track and continued her set with her real voice.

The gesture, though late, was welcomed by the audience, and the energy in the venue gradually began to recover.

Despite the rocky start, Shereen managed to salvage the evening with a selection of beloved hits and emotional tributes.

She performed some of her most iconic songs alongside classics from the golden age of Arabic music.

A standout moment was her rendition of Um Kulthum’s “Alf Leila Wa Leila,” a performance that reminded many of the vocal talent that made Shereen a household name across the region.

Another emotional highlight came when she sang “Ma Ta’tazeresh,” a song she said holds special meaning for her due to its melody, composed by star singer Majid Al Mohandis.

She dedicated the track to the Moroccan audience with a heartfelt message, seemingly aware that she needed to rebuild trust after the playback incident.

The Mawazine Nahda stage also witnessed chaos and confusion on Saturday evening when Shereen Abdel Wahab’s entrance was unusually delayed, allegedly due to a sudden financial dispute with festival organizers, sparking widespread anger among attendees

Converging reports said Shereen refused to go on stage at the scheduled time because she had insisted on receiving her fee in cash, which was not met; the organizers insisted on payment via bank transfer.

This disagreement led the artist to defy the announced program, delaying the start of her performance by more than an hour.

The unexplained delay provoked significant unrest among the crowd gathered at the Nahda stage, with boos and whistles erupting amid widespread frustration over the lack of communication from the festival administration and calls for respect toward the audience who endured the wait.

This incident placed the Mawazine management in a difficult position, especially as Shereen’s concert was one of the most anticipated events of this edition, given her immense popularity in Morocco.

While the night didn’t go as smoothly as many had hoped, Shereen’s ability to regain control of the stage and reconnect with the crowd in real time helped shift the mood.

Still, the controversy sparked by her use of pre-recorded vocals will likely linger, raising questions about performance authenticity in an era where spectacle often trumps substance.

Mawazine remains one of the Arab world’s most high-profile music festivals, and expectations for its closing acts are always high. Shereen’s return was historic, but not without lessons.