A R T S & E N T E R TA I N M E N T
Nadine Linjawi
Bringing Life to Robotic By Sumaiyya Naseem
Nadine Linjawi occasionally hides away in a quiet corner to record songs and create melodies using Garage Band on her Mac. Real life conversations, people and emotions are her inspiration, and she loves the color yellow.
How did you get into composing and recording music? I was inspired by my high school teacher to try Slam Poetry. I had friends who played instruments and so I tried to combine their music with my words. But it turns out words are the secondary thing for me; my focus is on the instruments.
What was the concept behind your last project? The Garden was inspired by heartbreak. I have a problem where I get fixated on a person, even the way they blink or move their fingers, and I turn this into music.
This album was about a friend whose conversations were like traveling to other cultures. So I used instruments from various cultures and included unexpected rhythms to represent her personality. A personal touch was snippets of sounds from the streets and of random conversations.
What do these real life sounds represent to you? I’m essentially an electronic artist and this category is usually considered distant from the human touch. The snippets of people talking help me bring life to robotic.
Do you ever link architecture and music? There’s a system in everything. I feel my study of architecture adds to it because as architects we don’t miss out on any layers. If you break down my songs you’ll find a specific structure, just like any building or structure.
Any artists that inspire you? Chet Faker and Bonobo; they make music that is so touching without even a single word.
62 DESTINATION JEDDAH OCTOBER 2016
Chet Faker
Bonobo
STAFF PHOTO/BATOOL MANSOOR
The hidden talent who translates words into music.