Imagine standing face-to-face with someone who feels like your mirror image, but every “truth” you exchange is a lie. In spiritual lore, a twin flame is often described as one soul separated into two people. Think of it as an intense other half that both exhilarates and unravels you.
It’s the kind of deep connection that plays out more like a dramatic movie than a rom-com. Egyptian alt-R&B artist Hoda Sherbeeny (Instagram) dives straight into this paradox with her latest single “Kadabeen” (Arabic for “liars”). The song captures that runaway-heart feeling. Two people who love each other fiercely yet keep circling back to the same toxic patterns. Twin flames are supposed to heal each other, but sometimes they just reel one another back into familiar chaos.
And that is exactly the tangled story Sherbeeny tells in her new track.
“Kadabeen” wears its theme on its sleeve. From the first beat you sense a dark-pop atmosphere: deep synths and a thumping bass underlay a hypnotic loop in the chorus. The title literally means liars, and the lyrics confess that both sides of this love have been hiding truths. It is a mutual betrayal dressed up in melody. As the chorus repeats like a mantra, the song feels almost ritualistic, driving home the idea that each lover has spun their own web of half-truths.
The production (by long-time collaborator Karim Enzo) deliberately keeps this cycle in focus: the beat grows more urgent with each verse as two hearts tighten their grip on each other. In other words, the song itself is a bit of a slow-burning confession, an immersive dark-pop journey that doesn’t point fingers at just one person. Instead, Sherbeeny balances the blame. Neither flame is innocent, and both are trapped in this intoxicating, destructive dance.
Hoda Sherbeeny is that Egyptian “It girl”, a style icon with serious artistic ambitions. As she herself jokes, “I’m definitely a ‘silver girly’ at heart,” and that gleaming, futuristic vibe shows in everything from her wardrobe to her visuals. Sherbeeny takes full charge of her image. She designs her own concepts, choosing every outfit, makeup look, and hairstyle so that the visuals feel just as personal as the lyrics.
Sherbeeny’s journey began long before Kadabeen. She first made noise on Egypt’s music scene with slick English cover songs, proving from a young age that she could sing anything from pop hits to R&B jams. In late 2021 she released her debut EP Mehtara, a moody three-track set that announced her arrival.
Even before putting out originals, she grabbed attention on a huge stage: as a teenager Sherbeeny was tapped to sing alongside superstar Tamer Hosny and rapper Marwan Moussa on Erfa3 Eidak, the official anthem for Egypt’s 2021 Handball World Cup.
That moment was a breakthrough. She got to hold her own with Egypt’s pop heavyweights, and it opened doors. After the handball song, she focused on building her own voice in Arabic. Her first original single “Had Baady” (2021) was a melancholic R&B/hip-hop fusion, the kind of track that lets her switch seamlessly between singing and rapping.
From the start Sherbeeny’s sound has blended genres. She calls herself experimental – most of her music lives in the hip-hop and R&B realm, but she’s never afraid to bend it. A perfect example is her 2022 single “Retro” (produced with Yonyo), which pairs trap beats and 808s with gritty guitar and hushed vocal sections.
Looking ahead, Sherbeeny is gearing up to push this mix of sound and style even further. On October 23rd, she dropped the music video for Kadabeen, turning the song’s tense, smoky world into a visual story. She’s said more music is on the way: another single (tentatively titled Nafs el Hala2) is queued up for later this year, complete with its own video. Sherbeeny’s vision is to keep releasing singles accompanied by visuals, each one a little cinematic moment that matches her evolving sound.
There’s a precision to her work that matches how carefully she chooses each word. Hoda Sherbeeny may write songs about big, dramatic feelings, but her delivery is calculated and cool, almost like she’s narrating her own life movie from a detached corner. Whether she’s whispering a hook or spitting a rapid-fire verse, it all feels intentional. The result is a track that’s grounded and introspective, even as it pulls you into its dark, vivid atmosphere.
Sherbeeny’s pop cred and fashion-forward persona might make her sound glamorous, but there’s a genuine soulfulness underneath. She got into music singing on her own just for fun at age five, and over the years she’s sharpened her craft, writing in Arabic, experimenting with new genres, and singing what she feels rather than what’s easy. Those who’ve followed her from her cover days to Mehtara and beyond can see the growth.
With “Kadabeen,” Hoda Sherbeeny invites us into her world: one where love is kinetic and dangerous and style is an extension of the self. It’s pop music with a bite and a gaze firmly on the future.
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