Saudi singer, composer and oud virtuoso Abadi Al Johar is reflecting on more than five decades in music in a new cover feature for Billboard Arabia. Published in connection with the magazine’s September 2026 issue, the interview traces his journey from a young musician in Jeddah to one of the longstanding figures in Saudi and Arabic music.

The feature revisits Al Johar’s early years in the 1960s, when he spent hours practicing the oud. His talent attracted the attention of poet and media personality Lutfi Zaini, who introduced him to renowned Saudi singer and composer Talal Maddah when Al Johar was around 14 years old. Maddah recognized his musical ability, and the meeting became a turning point in his career.

Al Johar’s relationship with Maddah developed into a close personal and professional bond. He recalled visiting Maddah regularly and learning from the established artist during his formative years. In 1976, Maddah recorded “Taweela Ya Droub Al Asheqeen,” a composition by Al Johar that became an important part of their shared musical history.

The interview also revisits Maddah’s death in 2000 following a sudden heart attack at a concert in Abha. Al Johar was with him shortly before he went onstage. The feature recounts how Maddah had admired an oud bearing his image and asked for one of his own, but died before Al Johar could give it to him. Al Johar later brought the instrument to the Billboard Arabia photo shoot, where he played it.

Beyond his work in Saudi Arabia, Al Johar has composed music for artists across the Arab world, including Assala, Rabeh Saqer, Samira Said and Ahlam. He has described his compositions as Arabic music that can reach listeners across the region while retaining elements of Saudi musical heritage, including local rhythms and traditional structures.

According to the feature, Al Johar’s catalogue includes more than 500 songs and compositions accumulated over five decades. His career has encompassed singing, composing and performing on the oud, an instrument central to his musical identity and the source of his nickname, “Akhtabout al-Oud,” commonly translated as “the Octopus of the Oud.”

During the conversation, Al Johar also spoke about the depth of Saudi Arabia’s folk-music traditions and the work still to be done to document and present them. He recalled how Saudi artists introduced their country’s musical identity to international audiences through concerts, television appearances, recordings and cassette releases, long before social media became a major channel for music discovery.

The feature follows other recent coverage of Al Johar by Billboard Arabia. In a Sept. 25, 2026, interview, he discussed emerging Saudi artists, including Zeina Emad, Ayed and Nawaf Al Shubaili, and emphasized the importance of developing an individual musical identity rather than imitating established performers. He also confirmed that he had given Nawaf a melody for a forthcoming collaboration.

Al Johar continued performing internationally in 2026, appearing at the 40th Jerash Festival for Culture and Arts in Jordan on July 29. At the South Theatre, he performed familiar songs including “Min Athabi” and “Eyounak Akher Amali” for festivalgoers. The performance brought his established repertoire to an audience at one of the region’s cultural festivals.