{"id":27104,"date":"2022-09-07T16:19:29","date_gmt":"2022-09-07T12:19:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/me\/?post_type=articles&p=27104"},"modified":"2022-09-08T15:45:55","modified_gmt":"2022-09-08T11:45:55","slug":"arab-artists-musicians-interview","status":"publish","type":"articles","link":"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/me\/articles\/arab-artists-musicians-interview\/","title":{"rendered":"In Conversation With The Middle East’s Rising Musical Talents"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Courtesy of RELM, Nakheel<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Whilst the legendary Nancy Ajram and Haifa Wehbe will never seize to leave our Arabic playlists, perhaps it’s time to get acquainted with some new, refreshing and undeniably talented Arab artists that have the potential to become the next big Arabic singing icon of their generation. Finding success in the music industry is no easy task, made all the more difficult when you’re also in the Middle East. Thanks to RELM, a regional platform that is dedicated to nurturing and helping emerging talents, we were introduced to five incredibly talented singers that we’d now like to introduce to you. Below, get to know Abri, Sandra Sahi, Lea Makhoul, Nagham Debal and Noel Kharman. We guarantee you’ll be playing their music on repeat.<\/p>\n

Abri<\/h3>\n
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Courtesy of RELM, Nakheel<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

When did you first discover your talent in singing and how did you decide to pursue it into a career?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I was around 16 years old when I discovered that I could sing. I would sing all the time in high school, during classes, during lunch break. I joined the music club and that\u2019s when my music journey started. Initially I wanted to be a visual artist, specifically a painter, so I went to college to pursue that in Miami. During my free time there I joined a few bands and started to open my musical horizon by listening to other artists from various genres. I started performing on stage and at first, I was really nervous performing in front of people to the point where I would try to sing but no sound would come out. But I kept at it and I began to love it and that\u2019s when I decided that music is the craft I wanted to pursue.<\/p>\n

Do you think the music industry in the Middle East is more difficult to find success and stardom in than the Western music industry?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I think breaking into the music industry in general is a difficult task, anywhere in the world. Its takes a lot of hard work, determination and a stroke of luck to get noticed and taste a bit of success. There are specific challenges here in the Middle East of course, specifically for Arab artists who do western music and who sing or rap in English. But I see it changing for the better. I see the whole music industry in the Middle East growing and we are already seeing success stories happening.<\/p>\n

What has been your largest hurdle in your career to date?<\/strong><\/p>\n

My largest hurdle was definitely in the beginning of my career when I was out there performing my original songs. Some people who got out to watch live performances prefer hearing songs that they already know. So, it took a little while to get people to warm up to my original compositions. But once they started to get into my music it was off and running.<\/p>\n

Any sneak peaks or spoilers of what we can look forward to?<\/strong><\/p>\n

My new single Higher (Breathe Easy) is coming out soon, and its release is in conjunction with an amazing project that I am a part of called RELM (Recognizing Emerging Local Musicians). Created by Nakheel, it\u2019s a platform that is supporting and empowering local and regional artists to take their career to the next level. From October 21 to 23, there will be a grand 3-day festival, featuring live performances from me and the other 4 artists as well as the launch of 5 new fountain shows for each of the artists\u2019 new hits, including my song \u201cHigher\u201d and non-stop music throughout the night.<\/p>\n

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A post shared by ABRI (@abri.music)<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n