Algerian singer-songwriter Souad Massi is one of the Arab world’s most cherished alternative artists.
While she performs predominantly in Arabic, her melancholic Western-influenced songs and melodic vocals have drawn comparisons with Joan Baez and Françoise Hardy.
On Jan. 20, GCC audiences will have their first chance to experience Massi’s live show when she plays at Wasla Festival in Dubai, alongside several other great alternative Arabic acts.
What they'll find isn’t just a beautifully expressive singer and composer, she’s also an eloquent, compelling interviewee who – unlike many of today’s musicians – is willing to state her opinions openly, without a PR-friendly veneer.
Here are six quotes that show why Massi is an artist you don't want to miss.
1. On fighting for freedom
"I believe in people who are fighting for freedom, and I try to give them some hope with my music. It’s my responsibility and my role.” – discussing her 2015 album El Mutakallimûn (‘Masters of the Word’) in The Guardian.
2. On coexistence
"Cordoba had a very rich culture around the 10th century. They worked together, living as Muslims and Christians, scientists, researchers, artists. People from all fields would commune and coexist despite their differences, to develop the sciences and culture." – on her project with Eric Fernandez and Cordoba Choirs reworking Cordoban poetry and music from the 9th and 10th centuries, in Ahram Online.
3. On defining success
“What is success? I don’t have a million in the bank. I don’t own an island in Caribbean, or a football team. I suppose success for me is being able to perform, travel and meet loads of people.” – on what’s really important, in Songlines.
4. On terrorism
"To remain silent would mean that terrorists have won and that all the intellectuals they murdered died for nothing." – explaining her habit of inviting audience members up onstage to talk with her during her shows, in GateofAfrica.com.
5. On being an artist
“The true artist is always searching and he is never happy with the results. He always wants to improve himself and create, and so we’re still learning. We stay searching and that is wonderful.” – in Al Monitor.
6. On being Muslim
"I’m a cosmopolitan artist who happens to be a Muslim woman. Do people constantly ask Western singers about their religion? My faith is in the background, not the foreground." – in The Scotsman.