Manal Fires Back at Haters on New Single ‘Carte Rouge’

Since her 2018 breakthrough hit ‘Slay’ with Moroccan rap mogul, ElGrandeToto, Manal has carved out a place as one of North Africa’s most distinctive voices, even becoming the first MENA woman to land on Spotify’s New Music Friday playlist in the US.

On her new single ‘Carte Rouge’, the Marrakech native hands out red cards to anyone who betrayed her or critics who doubt her and reveled in her struggles. Over hard-edged, rai-infused production, she delivers razor-sharp verses with a commanding, diva-like flair, drawing a definitive line between herself and those who dare cross it.

The music video for ‘Carte Rouge’, directed by Farid Malki, features striking rouge visuals, shows Manal on a football pitch (cementing the 'red card' reference of the title), along with shots of her alongside a motorcycle gang surrounded by smoky clouds of red flares, another nod to the tribal traditions of football fans. a visual language borrowed from football celebrations that reframes her personal win as a full-blown triumph.

With ‘Carte Rouge’, Manal doesn’t only respond to criticism and haters by reclaiming her narrative, she is out there staking her claim, leaning fully into her ambition and choosing to go forward with her career, irrespective of what her doubters might think of her.