# Aar Maanta

> Aar Maanta: London-based Somali singer-songwriter who fuses qaraami with modern styles; album Hiddo & Dhaqan (2008).

Source page: https://calankii.com/en/people/aar-maanta/
Last checked: 2026-11-12
Publisher: Calankii (https://calankii.com)

## Who is he?

Aar Maanta, born Hassan-Nour Sayid, is a Somali-British singer-songwriter, actor, composer, instrumentalist and producer ([Wikipedia, Aar Maanta](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aar_Maanta)). He was born in Jigjiga in the Somali Region of Ethiopia and moved to the United Kingdom alone as a child at the end of the 1980s (same source). See [Somalis in London](/en/diaspora/london/).

He studied music at school and university, then took a science degree under family pressure before returning to singing (same source).

## Music

His music mixes many styles with traditional Somali music, including the oud-based qaraami love songs of the 1940s, and has been called "afro-hop" ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aar_Maanta)). In 2006 he performed at Rise: London United, a festival attended by more than 80,000 people (same source). He has worked with the Raï singer Abdelkader Saadoun and the Somali musicians [Maryam Mursal](/en/people/maryam-mursal/) and [Hudeidi](/en/people/hudeidi/) (same source).

He recorded his debut album, *Hiddo & Dhaqan*, in his home studio and released it in 2008 (same source). He then set up a multinational live band in London to play Somali music (same source).

## In short

A Jigjiga-born, London-based musician who mixes classic Somali song with modern genres.

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