alter ego. Musically, its music incorporates pop with influences from different genres, including ballad and rock. In late 2002, Ajram started to record her then-upcoming material. The recording sessions took place in studios around Beirut, Lebanon and Cairo, Egypt, including Saba and Boudy Naoum Studios in Beirut and Leila Studio in Cairo. As executive producer, Ajram's then-new manager Lamara enlisted a wide range of new collaborators for the album, including Lebanese famous songwriter Nizar Francis, Lebanese noted singer-composer Samir Sfeir and well known Egyptian musician and record producer Tarek Madkour, who created the track "Yay". In addition, Egyptian songwriter Mustafa Zaki, who wrote the title track "Ya Salam", Lebanese composer Salim Salameh, who composed three tracks in the album and Egyptian record producer Mohammed Mustafa, who also produced three tracks. Egyptian songwriter Fawzi Ibrahim and composer Mohammed Saad had created the track "Akhasmak Ah" in 2002 and offered it to Lebanese singer Aline Khalaf, who rejected the song and preferred another one entitled "Haymana", stating she had enough songs for her to record; at the time, Khalaf was working on her seventh studio album Law Andak Kalam. Then they reached out to Jiji Lamara, who bought the record and forwarded it to Ajram. In December 2002, "Akhasmak Ah" was released as the album's lead single, followed by the album official release on February 24, 2003. Collector's Edition The album was re-released on February 14, 2007 by EMI Music Arabia for the Middle Eastern and European markets. It's re-packaged as Ya Salam: Collector's Edition with the audio and visual discs and a different artwork. The audio disc is a digitally remastered version of the album which also contains mobile wallpapers, the visual disc contains three music videos and other three live performances. Singles "Akhasmak Ah" was serviced as the lead single from the album in December 2002. Upon its release, the song received mixed reviews from critics; some of whom criticized its sound, while the others chose it as a stand-out track from Ya Salam. Its accompanying music video, directed by Nadine Labaki, was criticized due to its sexual content, and sparked protests in the Arab World. However, it was a huge hit, topping Arabic music charts for 10 continuous weeks. The album's second single and title track was "Ya Salam". Released following the controversial "Akhasmak Ah" in May 2003, "Ya Salam" garnered positive critical reception. Commercially, the single gained impact