“I realized that music alone is not a good enough reason. you have to be culturally motivated to improve your sound.” Ntitled may have been the one to voice this opinion during his interview with Billboard Arabia, but the other four young Saudi stars gracing the cover of the May 2024 issue could also share the sentiment. Looking at their collective chatter on the cover, one might think the five artists are close peers, but in reality, their journeys in the music industry have little in common. Each of them has taken a unique path and formed a unique experience. From genres and musical taste to discoveries, designs and projects, each of the five talents of Saudi Arabia have followed their own path.
Explore
Explore
Check out the latest videos, charts and news
Check out the latest videos, charts and news
Perhaps the only common factor in their journey is their identity as young people who grew up in the same culture and witnessed the recent historical change in Saudi Arabia. Just as the five artists began their careers, new horizons for the arts, media and society as a whole were opening up in Saudi Arabia on an unprecedented scale. Although this change affected the lives and experiences of the entire Saudi society, we could detect in our conversations with these young artists the specificity of this impact on the path each of them chose to make music that influences and is influenced by the culture of Saudi Arabia.
While the spark for Abdulaziz Mane and Jori Kattan's music careers were talent shows, their determination to prove their powerful sound and unique talent is what made them stars. Now they face a different challenge: using their sound and talent to deliver delightful pop music experiences. As they released their first releases, new horizons opened up before them. Shortly after Jori composed her first piece a few years ago, she found herself longing to pour herself back into the melodies and compose her own music. For his part, the young Abdulaziz Mane's experience in the theater quickly made him realize the versatility of his artistic identity.
The same goes for Hams Fekri, who won in his first season saudi idol, where she dazzled the giants of Arab pop music with every performance. When we delve into Hams' journey, we understand that her path to stardom was inevitable, with the incredible talent of her mother, Amani Al-Safei, running in her veins. And, like her mother, Hamms is a master of the Shaabi pop genre. Today, whatever genre Hams chooses to embrace, it's infused with her authentic voice and the refined sound of artists rooted in the melodies of their surroundings.
For Ntitled and Tamtam, the challenge was not to sing tarab or follow the rules of Arabic composition to reach the masses. Instead, they went for a more diverse experience, offering local sounds wrapped in international genres. They're not afraid to cross their tracks with a little English or other languages, yet, says Tamtam, who plans to mix in some Spanish on one of her upcoming tracks, before continuing with what she describes as her year of Arabic releases. . .
Besides music, Tamtam finds joy in writing. As in her debut, Gender play, many of the singer-songwriter's tracks revolve around similar themes (empowering women to raise their voices and convey their own experiences), her writing style is a testament to her bold and rebellious personality. Tamtam cares more about her growth as an artist than the size of her discography or the long gaps between her releases.
Ntitled, for his part, has successfully carved his name in the Saudi hip-hop scene despite his young age. In a short time, he has created powerful collaborations in the local music scene, such as “Ween Yabu” with Dafencii, “Adan” with Moayad & Kali-B and “LkLk” with producer Khayyat, as well as several experiments. of his own as a producer. His talent caught the attention of Swizz Beatz during one of his first visits to Saudi Arabia, who discussed his collaboration with Ntitled in an interview with Billboard Arabia, which Ntitled confirmed in his interview will be released soon.
from our partners at https://www.billboard.com/music/music-news/young-saudi-artists-billboard-arabia-1235703212/
