Wegz’s El Bakht really spoke to us this year: Egyptian rapper Wegz was the top-streamed Arab artist in the region in 2022, with his song El Bakht (Fortune) also ending the year as the most-streamed song on Spotify, according to a statement (pdf). The rapper also had two other songs in the top 10, alongside works from Marwan Pablo, Muslim, Ahmed Saad, and others.

Egyptian listeners are committed to their Arabic tunes: Nine of the 10 most-streamed artists on Spotify in Egypt this year are Arabs, with The Weeknd being the sole western artist to crack the top 10.

Globally, it’s Bad Bunny’s world: Puerto Rican rapper Bad Bunny snagged the top spot in the global roundup of most-streamed artists on Spotify this year (making it his third consecutive year to land the title), followed by Taylor Swift, Drake, The Weeknd, and BTS. Harry Styles’ As It Was took the most-streamed song accolade. Over in the podcast world, The Joe Rogan Experience was once again the most popular show — a spot it has held for the past three years.

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The fashion retail sector inflation crunch hits H&M: Swedish fast fashion giant H&M is laying off some 1.5k employees — around 10% of its total staff — as inflation and the cost of living crisis pile pressure on the retailer’s margins, according to a statement. The “global cost and efficiency program” is expected to save the company some SEK 2 bn per year, the statement says. The cost-cutting comes as H&M is competing with other retailers, including its bigger rival Zara and cheaper brands such as Primark, which are posting stronger sales and growth figures, Reuters reports. The “stiff competition” among retailers comes as consumers’ disposable income is squeezed amid soaring living costs, leaving them with less to spend after paying “for their food, energy, gas, and so on,” H&M IR head Nils Vinge tells the newswire.