Ahmed Al-Shaiba (Arabic: أحمد الشيبة; June 16, 1990 - September 28, 2022) was a well-known Yemeni oud player. He was famous for re-arranging international and Arabic music and songs using the oud, breaking the convention that the oud is only compatible with Eastern art. He gained great popularity and presence in the artistic scene internationally and in the Arab world through social media platforms and concerts in the Arabian Gulf region and the USA.

Al-Shaiba was born on June 16, 1990, and grew up in Yemen, where he learned to play the oud by ear instead of reading musical notes. His first appearance with the oud was in 2007, and after his participation in National Women’s Day in 2009, he received many invitations to participate in musical events in Yemen, which contributed to the expansion of his fame. Then he moved to the United States of America in 2012 “to show the world the beauty of his old instrument.”

Al-Shaiba enjoyed the experience of playing Western music on the oud, wanting to show the beauty of the oud and the possibility of using it to play any type of music without restricting it to Eastern art, as he firmly believed that all musical instruments, despite their differences, are able to reach the world and show their beautiful aspects without being restricted by their background.

Culturally, Al-Shaiba was able to win over audiences throughout the Arab world, and to reach the hearts of Western audiences with his music. He re-composed more than 45 international songs using the oud, including songs by Michael Jackson, Ed Sheeran, Allen Walker and others, garnering more than 110 million views on YouTube and a lot of interaction on other live broadcast platforms such as Spotify, iTunes, and Anghami.

Al-Shaiba also introduced several famous and popular Arabic melodies to Western audiences. One of his most famous video clips in this context is a video entitled “My Journey Around the Arab World,” in which he appears playing pieces of songs from many Arab countries. Another is a video titled “My Journey in Yemen,” which contains melodies from different Yemeni cities and regions, and the song “Laugh at the Days” by Ali bin Ali Al-Ansi (Arabic: علي بن علي بن يحيى), the most popular Eid song in Yemen on Eid Al-Fitr and Eid Al-Adha.

Al-Shaiba and his band also presented a music album entitled “Malahide,” consisting of 10 various pieces of music. His band consisted of a group of professional players such as Brian Adler on drums and bass, Shanier Belmenkranz as the bass guitarist, Tariq Yamani as a pianist and organ player, Salah al-Din Mamdowski on clarinet, and the qanun player Tamer Benarbasi.

On September 28, 2022, Ahmed Al-Shaiba died as a result of a traffic accident in New York City, USA. Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.