Hoda Unpacks Identity & Imitation in Dark Pop Track ‘Nafs El Hala2’

After several years of quietly building a reputation through covers and high-profile collaborations - most notably alongside Tamer Hosny and Marwan Moussa for the official 2021 Handball World Cup song - Hoda Sherbeeny seems to be finally coming into her own.

Her new single, ‘Nafs El Hala2’, is as sonically polished as it is intellectually poised, coming as a brooding, dark pop exploration of a phenomenon that so many artists fear: the erasure of self through the imitation of others.

Rooted in a moody fusion of pop and R&B, the track serves as a manifesto on identity. Hoda doesn't just complain about being copied; she dissects the emotional weight of it with biting, conversational lyrics. She calls out the mimicry directly, singing about buying an earring only for her shadow to buy the exact same one the following week. It’s a literal and metaphorical take on that eerie moment when you realise your personal style is being harvested by another.

The tension in the track lies in the lack of soul in the imitation. She points out the missing ingredient in her imitators, noting that while they can copy the bag and the haircut, they are always ‘missing the style’. Her vocals - honed since she first started singing at the age of five - glide over production by Karim Enzo that feels both intimate and expansive, capturing the claustrophobia of being mirrored.

The accompanying music video, directed by filmmaker, comedian and all-round Swiss Army Knife of a creative Marwan Imam, takes this concept into surreal territory. Imam visually expands on the psychological friction by featuring two versions of Hoda: the real self and an encroaching alter ego. While the narrative initially suggests conflict and intrusion, the direction flips the script. Hoda detaches herself from the drama entirely, telling her rival that the only competition happening is with ‘yourself’. She leans into a cold persona not out of malice, but out of total indifference to the noise. As she references a seventh sense, she makes it clear she can see the lies from a mile away, choosing to stay focused on her own growth and her own path rather than the person trailing behind her.

In a scene that often rewards carbon copies of what’s already trending, Sherbeeny’s efforts to remain undiluted is commendable, with ‘Nafs El Hala2’ landing as an assertion of ownership from an artist who has already proven her vocal chops and is now cementing a very distinct, very singular aesthetic.