هذا اللقاء هو حديث عن الموسيقى والشتات. كيف من الممكن أن تلهم الصعاب الفنان. بدءاً من منفاها وصولا إلى الوباء العالمي، تصر المغنية السورية ليندا الأحمد على إيجاد طرق فنية لتستخدم صوتها وتوسع مخيلتها لمواجهة الواقع الصعب الذي تعيشه من خلال الموسيقى.

A Journey from Syria to Spain: How exile inspired the voice of singer Linda Alahmad.

This interview is a conversation about music and diaspora, and how an artist could be inspired by hardships. From her exile to the pandemic, Syrian singer Linda Alahmad insists on finding new artistic ways to use her voice and expand her imagination to face the difficult reality she is living in through music.

Interviewed by Raghad Al Makhlouf | Arabic

In this interview with El Kontessa, Huda Asfour highlights her trajectory from visual arts and graphic design to becoming one of Cairo's most sought after DJ's. Experimenting with Shabi music and Mahraganaat to produce fresh mixes with a clear identity is what sets El Kontessa apart.

Status host Omar Shanti traces Raï throughout its history from its inception in the 1930’s until the early 2000’s. This podcast episode will analyze Raï not as a strictly musical phenomenon, but as a vehicle for articulating and embodying complex narratives. In the tradition of Schade-Poulsen (1999), it will treat Raï as a total social fact defined by the situated practices of performance and listening - which in the age of records also translate to production and consumption.

Rapper and Producer Hani al-Sawah (aka Al-Darwish) talks about his first complimentary rap battle, against Synaptik, that took place in The Arena ME Beirut.

Tracks sampled in this interview:

اسامينا

زمن المسخ

Interviewed by Mohammed Ali-Nayel
June 16th 2018 | Arabic

Rapper and Producer Nasser Shorbaji (aka Chyno) unpacks the Middle East's 1st official Rap Battle League in Beirut.

Between Damascus and London, Hamsa Mounif, a rising Syrian singer, has established a lot in a short period of time. She participated in several concerts both in Syria and around the world. She left Syria to England looking for better opportunities. She is trying to survive there, despite nostalgia and homesickness.

Interviewed by Raghad Al Makhlouf
July 23rd, 2018 | Arabic

Status host Raghad Al Makhlouf speaks with Lubana Al Quntar, a Syrian opera singer from Suwayda (a Druze stronghold south of Damascus), who had to flee the country because of her political opinions. Al Quntar has lived in the United States since 2011 and describes the difficulties and challenges she faced both personally and professionally in this transition.

Meet Lebanese composer, producer and guitarist for the band Kinematik, Anthony Sahyoun or Mme Chandelier. Rather, Anthony Sahyoun with Mme Chandelier. The two are interchangeable - the same person, yet two sides to the same coin.

February 22nd, 2018 | English
Interviewed by Paola C. Messina

A well-known figure in the tight-knit Beirut music scene is Fadi Tabbal - a Lebanese-born musician, band manager and engineer who founded Tunefork Recording Studios in Burj Hammoud. In this conversation, Fadi speaks of his decision to return to Beirut after studying in Canada, current projects, and his hopes for the future of the city's music scene.

Yasmine Hamdan

Hosted by Paola Messina

Ghalia Ben Ali

Hosted by Huda Asfour

Emel Mathlouthi

Hosted by Huda Asfour

Hosted by Moe Ali Nayel

Beshar al-Azzawi

Interviewed by Dima Yassine

Hani al-Sawah

Interviewed by Moe Ali Nayel

Nova Emad

Interviewed by Dima Yassine

Samer Jaradat, Terez Sleiman, Mahmoud Jrere, Shurouq Qawariq, Mohammed Najem, Anas al-Najjar, Ibrahim al-Najjar, Ismael Daoud, Khamis Abushaban

Hosted by Huda Asfour

Bassel Kassem

Interviewed by Tania El Khoury

Sobhi al-Zobaidi

Interviewed by Dima Yassine 

Kinda Hassan and Khyam Allami, interviewed by Huda Asfour, 19 December 2014 [Arabic].

Ramy Essam, interviewed by Bassam Haddad, 23 November 2014 [Arabic].