Samah Mustafa performed at Rich Mix, London, on 3 March 2023. The tickets were offered for free courtesy of AWAN Festival.
Review by Amira Kadaan.
Samah walks onto the stage wearing an orange satin flowy tunic. She is barefoot and golden anklets decorate her ankles. Samah stands behind a laptop, a DJ deck and a tambourine. She starts off by voicing a short rhythmic sound then presses a button for this short sequence to be heard again and again. She does this overlap for several sequences to loop, creating a fantastic rhythm and musical tune. This is how Samah Mustafa creates an enchanting musical atmosphere on stage. Her angelic voice is repeated endlessly and overlaps with instrumental music which are all her own creation. She is a one-woman show that captivates the mind.
Samah Mustafa is a Palestinian singer, musician, vocal and music therapist. In addition to her voice, Samah’s talent lies in her dexterity managing different musical equipment alone on stage to create loop music in front of a live audience. Each song is a completely new creation and it can never be recorded the same way twice. For those not familiar with the term, loop music is recording of small sections of music into a seamless tune that plays continuously over and over again.
Samah’s musical repertoire was influenced by oriental classical Arabic folk songs. She combines this with ambient beats and underground sounds to develop her own unique musical style. I spoke to Samah after her performance, and she mentioned how unconventional it is to study musical therapy but also how acutely music is needed in the Middle East. Voicing one’s emotions is not a socially accepted norm therefore music therapy comes in as an outlet to express oneself in the absence of no other mean.
Samah’s performance was a mix of traditional folk songs transposed into modern upbeat music while keeping her singing voice authentic to the original theme. Samah performed several original songs from her album Ballour. ‘Taboo’ and ‘Daughters of Arab’ both songs speaking of the struggle of Arab women to convey their thoughts, emotions and ambitions. Highlighting the importance of getting your voice across, Samah sings in an angelic voice the poignant words that seemed to be coming out from all Arab women collectively.
Samah’s exceptional voice was the highlight of the evening. I had wished that she would perform an entire song without working on the technical side of music which took away some of the magic of her talent. Having said that, her ability in music creation and loop instruments is impressive.
Samah Mustafa’s beautiful performance was part of AWAN Festival which is produced by Arts Canteen. Arab Women Artists Now (AWAN) is the UK’s only contemporary multi-arts festival dedicated to showcasing Arab women’s artistic work, taking place each March, to coincide with International Women’s Day across venues in London. The festival celebrates and promotes high quality female artists from the Arab world and diaspora.
Image credit: Stephanie Claire Photography and AWAN Festival.