20 Arab Female Artists To Look Out For !!

I've always been vocal about showing love and support to Arab Female Artists, so I just wanted to compile few artists that I believe you need to look out for, below is the list:-
** feel free to share with me few names @ thebeatdxb@gmail.com

Shébani, Reem Ekay, Fafa & Ghaliaa

• Shébani: This Iraqi Dubai Based Singer/Songwriter is a hard worker. Her song-writing skills is something that I totally respect. In Aug '16, she released her first EP entitled "Alter Ego" produced by RAYAN, and then she started releasing singles & collaborations with few artists in the UAE. She's truly unique and has a great vibe about her.

• Reem Ekay: Architect, Singer/Songwriter based in Dubai. R&B vibes with some incredible songwriting. She released her first EP in Dec 2018 produced by AY. She mainly performs in English and I hope someday I see her on a "Sudanese themed" beat because she will kill that..

 

• FAFA: Emirati Singer/Songwriter. Soul/R&B are her vibes. Her strongest qualities are her powerful voice and stage presence. Fafa will pull you in her world. Her live performance is something you wouldn't want to miss. She just dropped her first original song entitled "Running (Can't Stope Me)" and one can see that she's born to do this! We need more singles from this one this year!

• GHALIAA: The first time I heard Ghaliaa, I had goosebumps.. Syrian Singer/Songwriter. What I love about her is that she was able to fight stereotypes by using the fact that she's veiled as a source of inspiration for other women. She has released few singles and is on a mission to release an EP very soon. She plays the Guitar, The Oud, Keyboard and performs in English, French & Arabic. 

Mougleta, TamTam, Dounia, ROTANA

• MOUGLETA: Lebanese Singer/Songwriter and simply incredible performer. Her voice is truly unique and at a very young age, she was able to capture the hearts of so many that have heard her. She's currently in Germany pursuing music professionally and I expect big things from her in 2019!

• TAMTAM: Saudi Singer, based in LA (USA). She has one EP & one full album under her belt. She uses her music to also discuss few social topics which I totally respect. 

• DOUNIA: Moroccan - American artist. She's signed to EMPIRE which is an American distribution company and record label founded in 2010 by Ghazi Shami. Catch a vibe with Dounia, I personally would love to hear more "Moroccan Themed" instrumentals with her voice on those records! She Dope!

• ROTANA: Saudi Artist based in the USA. She's vocal about women empowerment and always fighting stereotypes through her music because of perceptions some people might have about Saudi women. Would love to see more work from ROTANA this year and also a collaboration with an Arab Hip-Hop Artist!  

Tina Yamout, MANAL, ABIR & Dina El Wedidi 

• TINA YAMOUT: Lebanese Singer/Songwriter. Tina has succeeded in paving her own way through the Lebanese Music scene and finding her own voice without confirming to your typical "mainstream" melodies. She's bilingual (English & Arabic), but currently she's focusing on Arabic lyrics. I vibe with Tina and I wish her the best, she's humble and has a vision to reach high places. 

• MANAL : Defies misogyny in every aspect. This Moroccan Singer/Songwriter has taken the MENA region by storm with her fierce yet simply lyrics. Her videos showcase the true talent and vibe of where she comes from. She's truly passionate. She's signed to SONY Music. she embodies the future of women in her country by inspiring them and encouraging them to believe in themselves. Her releases so far has been in Arabic & French!

• ABIR : Moroccan Artist based in USA. I feel the two next years will be huge for her. I am looking forward for her to include more Arabic influencers in her music weather its the beats, the vibe, the culture. Check out her vibe!!

• DINA EL-WEDIDI : Egyptian Singer. She is what I call the voice! her vocal chords are incredible. There is this one song of her when she performed on "Bassem Yousef's Show", called "El Haram" - that automatically made me a fan. I feel she blends the Egyptian Authentic culture with the modern vibes 

Gaidaa, Hana Malhas, Yasmine Hamdan & Lolo Zouaï

• GAIDAA : Sudanese Singer. She's based in Holland. You will quickly be drawn to her vibe. I can't wait to see what she has for us in 2019. 

• HANA MALHAS : Singer-songwriter from Jordan. Her vibe is electro-acoustic pop. She is also the founder of a series called "Bala Feesh" which is a series of events aimed to support artists by having them perform LIVE. 

• Yasmine Hamdan : Lebanese singer, songwriter and actress, now based in Paris. She became known with Soapkills, the duo she founded with Zeid Hamdan while she was still living in Beirut, Lebanon. She's an OG of the underground/indie movement in Arabia. She's someone who was able to change misconception about the Arab region because she gets a lot of gigs in Europe and people are always drawn to her music & performance. Her live performance is NOT TO BE MISSED! She performs mainly in Arabic.

• Lolo Zouaï : Algerian-French. I recently discovered her and want to get to know her music but she drew me in with her below song. I believe she uses her music to deliver a message and even though its R&B, I don't think all of it is all about love. I personally want to see her also reflect on her Algerian/Arab background. That would be so cool to see with her kind of talent !

Malak El Husseiny, Rosegold, Emaan Zadjali & Lea Makhoul 

• Malak El Husseiny  : Egyptian Based Singer/Songwriter who is just driven by art. I hope we see more original music from her as I think that her music is untapped and just waiting to be discovered even more. 

• Rosegold  : When I first found out about Palestinian-Canadian producer Rosegold, I was extremely happy to see a female music producer from the region. I then discovered that she also has a great voice which for me is also incredible and its a no-brainer not to feature talent like that on Re-Volt. Check her out here in a collaboration with MVRS. 

• Emaan Zadjali  : Omani/American Singer/Songwriter. Her vibe is a contemporary R&B sound, as well as some new age funk. I look forward to more music in 2019 !

• Lea Makhoul  : Lebanese/French Singer that carries out feel-good pop music, sweet personality. I believe she's still searching for her sound and with the help of Universal MENA, I believe she will be able to accomplish that.

Honorary Mentions:

Jana Diab 

• Jana Diab: She is the daughter of legendary Egyptian Singer Amr Diab. Her voice is truly out of this world and leaves me wondering what the future could hold for this sensation. Below is an original, I hope she drops more very soon. She's so so good! 

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH MOROCCAN POP ARTIST "MANAL"

As promised, here's the interview with Moroccan Pop artist "MANAL" , I truly appreciate her and I see huge things coming for her. Shout Out to the team at Sony Music Middle-East for hooking that up. 
I truly loved her answers! read the full interview below!



BIG HASS: Young female artists do not represent the majority in the regional music scene. It's refreshing to see rising artists like yourself stepping in with a unique style. Do you feel like there is a big responsibility on your shoulders or shoes to fill? 


MANAL: Yes. It’s important for women to be represented in the scene, to have their voices heard and their art appreciated and critiqued so I feel the responsibility to make great music, raise the game and show not only that we can do it but that we can do it as good or even better.


BH: Where have you found support? Who inspires you and who helped you pave your first steps into the industry? 

MANAL: I find support from many people ranging from family and friends to colleague artists and my fans and general fans of music. I’m inspired by life itself. My art reflects my experiences in life, be they thoughts, situations, opinions, etc. That’s usually the first step towards a song for me. When converting that into music I find much inspiration in the people that work with me. My manager Cilvaringz would be first, we discuss pretty much everything from beginning till end together. Then studio time is set up with the Wa Drari Squad which consists of Shayfeen, Madd, Xcep, West, DaMost and producers Soufiane AZ and Yo Asel. That’s when the magic happens.

BH: A fusion of elements from different music styles. How would you describe your music style? Do you like being boxed into one category or do you think music is a large space for experimenting?

MANAL: I’m definitely in a space for experimenting. Being an artist, being creative means you should express yourself in multiple ways reflecting your mood, your message, the different diverse parts that define you. You can generally define me as Urban Pop. But if a certain issue arises one day which requires me to express it through death metal, I would definitely not mind doing it. I’m open to all the elements and have a broad range of musical tastes. It’s just that many people never knew this as I was directed more into one particular genre by my previous guidance. But it was the same people who also noticed I could do rap music.


BH: What does Hassan Hajjaj mean to you? & how important is his support?

MANAL: Hassan is a genius, an original free thinker who brings beauty, reflection and style. I met him through Cilvaringz and sometimes you just immediately click with a person. Hassan was one of those people. Such a warm person, truly love him and his support is one that I’m truly honoured by. 

Manal - Photo by Hassan Hajjaj

BH: Women empowerment is a leading topic nowadays. From lifestyle, fashion to beauty and even music, how do you translate that need for women representation/recognition through your music and especially in your latest song "Taj". Describe the (feminist) themes you included in the recent video?

MANAL: In my recent video for TAJ there are three intertwined concepts. Lyrically, I’m speaking about a previous experience in the Arabic music industry that really left a scar on me. I’m not actually detailing the experiences but rather responding to them by telling the world that I will not again be told what to do or be what others will tell me to. That’s what I’m lyrically speaking on. Visually I really wanted to emphasize on two things. One, that women are capable, that we can do anything we put our minds to. That often it’s just society’s ideas of us that limit our imaginations but in reality women in Morocco and all over the world are taking charge of their lives, their destinies – they are taking up jobs traditionally thought of as men’s work- from being fire fighters to working in finance and government. This is about women making their own choices and not giving in to what may be expected of them. This is why you see me as a butcher, a car mechanic and a welder. People think it’s just cool visuals, but those are important shots with far more depth than just a shot. And secondly, in the wake of the #metoo movement, I wanted to highlight sexual harassment, something that unfortunately is still a lesser pressing issue in the Arab world. In the video my character is assaulted in a supermarket by a guy who touches her from behind and she reacts with outrage. The character then responds and shows that such type of men are nothing more but cowards. All these concepts make up TAJ. 


BH: How do you feel about being signed to Sony? 

MANAL: The greatest thing about being signed to Sony is working with the people there. It never was a major label thing for me. I was always resistant of signing to labels. But having spoken to the people there was far more important because we found a common ground on what situations work best for an artist like me to evolve. Creative freedom is highly important to me. I do not budge on it. And in the Arab world, it’s rarely given. Add to it that I’m experimental and not shy to address anything that comes to mind and you’ll have a mix for potential concern. But luckily I found in Sony Music ME a supportive group of amazing folks, and that’s what really did it for me and makes it great to be signed to them. 

BH: The regional music scene needs to refreshed and nurtured. Many local artists and aspiring singers struggle to break through. So much talent and not much support. What would you advise them to do in a competitive music arena?

MANAL: I don’t really give advice in that sense. The only thing I want every artist to consider is to always be true to themselves. Never let the critics or general public or anyone for that matter drive what you yearn to express. Express your feelings through your art, in the purest forms, no matter how quirky or weird or different or controversial. 


BH:  In this time of digital power, do you still believe Radio play is important?

MANAL: Yes. We love to turn on the radio in the car and listen to what’s hot. Radio gives a sense of community that people still want to be a part of. In that sense it’s important. But in comparison to streaming and YouTube, that’s debatable and in need of some meticulous metadata to draw a proper conclusion. 

BH: Would we ever see you collaborate with a rapper from the GCC?
MANAL: I look forward to seeing what’s out there in the GCC. For me, collaborations have to make sense artistically. I’m always open to them as long as they make artistic sense. So if someone from the GCC makes sense for a particular song then yes absolutely. As it would be for someone from Kazakhstan for example.  


BH: Any last words for Re-Volt Blog readers.
MANAL: Hope you guys like the new song and video! Definitely check it out! And I appreciate you Hass for doing what you do for Urban music!

Watch the video below

Moroccan Pop Artist "MANAL" releases "TAJ" // A woman empowerment track

MANAL

Born in 1993 in Casablanca, Morocco, Manal started singing at the age of 6. In 2015 Manal released her debut single ‘Denia’, a song she had written and composed. This song also got her the ‘Best Female Artist North Africa’ AFRIMA Awards that year. In 2016 Manal signed a management deal with ‘RPEG Ltd’ founded by Wu-Tang Clan artist and producer Cilvaringz. 
In April 2017 Manal released her second single ‘Koulchi Ban’ and in October 2017 signed a multi-year recording and representation contract with Sony Music Entertainment Middle East.

She just released the video for her new track "Taj" which means "Crown". Its so dope to see a young Arab female artist addressing & pushing women empowerment via her songs. Enjoy the video, watch it & share it.

Q&A with Manal will be on Re-Volt very soon! Stay Tuned!