NARCY

Iraqi rapper and early-2000s Arab hip-hop pioneer Narcy joined rising artists, London-based DJ and radio host Nooriyah, Riyadh singer and cultural strategist Nourah, and PalestinianAlgerian-French-Serbian musician Saint Levant in the Arab Wave 2.0 session to reflect on the challenges and blessings of coming up and working as an Arab artist.

The core theme discussed was the power of music and how it conveys the richness and history of the MENA region. In an homage to her Saudi roots, Nooriyah explains, “To me, the aim is to make our traditional sounds enjoyed globally. Just as amapiano is making a huge buzz, just as Afrobeats, we deserve a seat at the table. I think our sounds are infectious.”

Nooriyah’s mission is to spotlight the MENA region’s music worldwide. She’s bringing it to all channels: residencies on Foundation FM and Plus

1 Radio, her Instagram series highlighting Arabic sampling in music, festivals from New York to Glastonbury to Dubai—and most recently, her Middle of Nowhere party’s Boiler Room premiere.

Music infrastructure still has to catch up. Nooriyah observes that Western influence can be “insidious.” “Even on Ableton and software where you produce music, it’s much harder to play outside of the Western scale. You have to use all these plugins to get the traditional microtones.”

But the Arab Wave 2.0 panelists recognize that the pace of change has been rapid. They shared hopes for more accessible spaces for music in Saudi Arabia. Nooriyah envisions “spaces where women and people at large can go to DJ, to learn and practice at an affordable rate. Pirate Studios adjacent, but in the Middle East.” Similarly, Narcy advocates for “studios, grant systems, and access to those studios through those grant systems. Venues for performances on every level: a 300-person venue, a 1000-person venue, a 7000-person venue, and arenas and public spaces… [Then] you have a culture that you start creating.”

Asked to share one wish for this emerging generation of Arab musicians, Narcy doesn’t hesitate: “No censorship, just freedom. The ability to say what you want at all times. Not making it an industry first, making it a culture. Culture over commerce. And a loving community.”

Creating Opportunities For Next Generation Artists

In the community-driven, TikTok-based talent show Sound of Saudi, KSA Music Commission and MENA-leading streaming platform Anghami hunted for the top ten upcoming talents of 2022. The top ten contestants were awarded the opportunity to have an original track produced and receive release support from Anghami.

World Class Music Education

Opened in 2020, Berklee Abu Dhabi set out to transform arts education in the Middle East, developing “a curriculum that is representative and targeted to the needs and interests of the region” rather than “copying the model and curriculum of other schools,” says Berklee Abu Dhabi Artistic Director and Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter Mayssa Karaa.

Growing The Music Ecosystem Locally

In Beirut, hybrid cultural center Station runs Shuruq, a music development initiative strengthening and promoting independent music in Lebanon and the MENA region that offers music training, content creation, and live events.

Empower Authentic Sound

Encourage young people to share their own stories on their terms. In local, experimentalfriendly spaces.

Increase Access To Basic Music Education

Integrate music education into all schools across the MENA region and not only in the big cities. Raise awareness around the benefits of quality music education for all.

Build Real Relationships

Use All Tools

Create Your Own Best Practices

“Everything here is a blank sheet of paper. You can build your own business industry, your own image, your own way. You don’t have to say what are the best practices in the US or the UK. Those are all best practices from a different industry, from a different time. You can create your own”, says Shridhar Subramaniam, President of Corporate Strategy & Market Development for Asia and the Middle East, Sony Music Entertainment.

Encourage artists from different parts of the world, even cross-genres, to collaborate. Tap into each other’s audiences, inspire and create new and original genres, concepts, and sounds.

Try out different social media platforms. Dig into online data such as streaming statistics and harness the full potential of all tools, such as Spotify for Artists’ data, to plan tours strategically and generate greater audiences.

Start Local

Engaging a strong regional fan base is fundamental to reaching global success. Artists, producers, labels, promotors, managers—local initiatives, build the music industry from the bottom up.

Consistency Is Key

Building careers on consistency, doing things intentionally, and creating music that emerges from a place of sincerity is seen as the key component to building sustainable, lasting artist careers.

Do The Impossible

Alsarah and the Nubatones put together an alllocal team to produce their music video, ‘Men Ana.’ “We did what is considered impossible in Sudan, and we did it independently. I wanted to do that really to show myself and to everyone around me the quality of work we can get out of Sudan. Even under such duress. So imagine what we can do if we had more opportunities”, said Alsarah.

Improve Technology

Reinvent music production software geared at producing non-Western scales and sounds because “our sounds deserve a seat at the table,” says international DJ Nooriyah.

Protect And Monetize Creativity

Instruct artists to familiarize themselves with the Intellectual Property Law guidelines to control their IP use and protect their work from unlicensed or uncredited usage.