Sometimes a step back is necessary for progress.

That is the rationale behind Mohammed Assaf’s upcoming project. Speaking to press before his June 24 performance as part of the Mawazine Festival in the Moroccan capital Rabat, he announced he is working on a covers album dedicated to the late Egyptian crooner Abdul Halim Hafiz.

“That said, we are still in the early stages of this, we are communicating with his estate about having the rights to do these songs.”

The move may seem like a complete left turn from the popular Palestinian singer and former Arab Idol. His previous album, Ma Wahashnak was a completely modern affair with its Rai-pop single Rani and the collaboration with Cuban reggaeton duo Gente De Zona in the sun-kissed Baddek Enayah.

But if you follow Assaf’s career, you will discover a restless spirit. He is presently riding high in the regional charts with Makanak Khali (Your Place Is Empty), his first attempt at an Iraqi pop tune where he also sings in the native accent.

Before that was the effervescent Aywah Haghani which found him taking on the Egyptian breezy pop style made famous by the likes of veteran singer Mohammed Mounir two decades.

In a way, it all stems back to his days battling it out each week during the live episodes of Arab Idol in 2014. With television viewers often a fickle audience, he credits the talent show in instilling him a zeal to keep trying new things.

“And if we are really serious about it, that is also the mark of a real artist,” he said.

“From the beginning, I wanted to be known by the diversity of my styles. And, with all due to respect to my colleagues at the moment, there are not many people that are trying as many different things as at the moment.”

However, these experiments needs to be measured he cautions, otherwise they will fall into novelty status. When it comes to Makanak Khali, Assaf wanted to pay tribute to the Iraqi folk music tradition, which is presently making huge waves in the Arabic music scene.

“This style really is emotional and as a singer it really forces you to give it your all. You have to sing it with sincerity,” he said.

“Also the lyrics discuss various things like love and the agony of separation. It is not just about rhythms, the melodies and lyrics need to work together.”

It is for this reason that Assaf is looking back to the past for his next project. He views Makanak Khalisuccess as a shot in the arm to a stagnating Arabic pop music industry.

“I am not going to lie to you, there is a problem happening in the scene at the moment and it’s not the fault of the listeners, some of that responsibility lies on the shoulders of us artists ourselves. We can’t just say that we are simply following the market and giving people what they want,” he said.

“I have always discussed the importance of good lyricism and composition and the need to really bring the art back to the music. And this is the reason why I am increasingly adding more songs from the great classic Arab artists like Abdul Halim Hafez, Mohammed Abdul Wahab and Um Kulthum and Faiza Ahmed in to my sets because that to me is real art and that should be honoured.”

It was that that reasoning that allowed Assaf to begin work on the Abdul Halim Hafez project. Not only will it help enrich him as a singer, he hopes his popularity amongst younger fans will inspire them to rediscover some of the region’s musical giants.

“We need to make an effort to revive traditional Arabic music and in doing so we will then reach a stage where the lyrics that we are singing about actually mean something,” he says.

“I am talking about a love that is real and not, I guess, what other songs today are describing it as.”

That maybe the case, but is Assaf being a little bit unfair to today’s romantics? After all, fifty years ago romance and courting in the Arab world was a more organic affair. How can we capture that same vibe in the age of the tweet?

“Love is not limited to a time and place,” he beams.

“I mean you only need to look at the fact that people not from that era are still singing Abdul Halim songs. These songs are there because love always endures.”