When Samah Mustafa was a child growing up in Palestine she would hear a song and repeat it.
“Music was my ‘safe place’, let’s say. My parents were singing all the time at the home, so hearing music constantly gave me the strength to express myself. I could listen to a song and then repeat it to myself for hours and hours. These songs that I learned from the TV or from my dad would keep me company. I could be alone in a small corner with my feelings.”
Samah Mustafa could be labeled a live-looping artist – but she is honestly so much more than that. For starters, she is also a qualified music therapist.
“I believe that the voice is a magical therapeutic instrument; it can express complicated feelings and emotions that words cannot describe. I aim to continue exploring my voice and its levels to express and share different emotions experiences and subjects I am going through.”
In just under two weeks her video for the Delia Sessions has already racked up 47,000 views and it’s not surprising. For there is a soothing quality to her looping sound that is tempting to listen to on repeat.
Samah Mustafa is making music that is at once authentic to her Palestinian roots and also effortlessly current and palatable to mainstream popular culture. Her sound is the bridge between Palestinian folk music of more than a century ago and the playlists of tomorrow where a brave new world craves her bold new beats.
Samah’s looping sound harkens back to the frenzied repetition of Palestinian folk music. What she does is digitize her beats and layer them with a truly unique vocal sound that brings her style of Palestinian music firmly into the modern world.
“I used to hear songs from the Palestinian folklore through my family, my grandparents, and also at weddings. Music is a very important part of our culture, songs have always been a strong way of resistance, and a way to express our connection and love to the land, it tells a lot of details about our traditions, stories and rituals.”
Samah returns to the well of traditional Palestinian folk music in its far-flung fields of history and then carries the water that is her fluid sound back to the modern village.
“I try to find a fun way to create music from scratch and then develop a full tune. A world of sound that is a combination between the modern style of rock and pop, and the Palestinian folk roots.”
Samah Mustafa was born and raised in a small village in the north of Palestine. She learned music as a young girl (her first instrument was a small organ), and she attended a local music conservatory and studied classical guitar. She was fortunate to attend the academy of music in Jerusalem (where she studied performing arts), and it was then that she became interested in understanding the voice as a tool for personal therapy.
She went on to get her masters degree in music therapy and it is from here that she now works both as a musician and as a therapist. More than most, Samah Mustafa appreciates the importance of being given an opportunity.
“As a Palestinian living inside Israel, music is very important for me. The opportunities we have we need to take as there is a lack of them. For everything I do, I need to think politics-wise too. This is why I am grateful for organizations like Delia. They not only connect Palestinians with the world but also with each other. We need these opportunities.”
Despite her country’s troubled political past and its uncertain present, Samah is upbeat about the future of Palestinian music.
“I see a lot of talent in all music styles and it says a lot about us as Palestinians. There is a rich Palestinian music scene. It doesn’t matter where – West Bank or Arab 48 – it’s still Palestine. More and more Palestinian talent is showing up on the global stage to perform. And with the platform of digital music, it is also easier for people to share. We have a rich world and we can share it with the rest of the world too.”
Through her work as a therapist, Samah does a lot of listening. It is her music though that gets the rest of us paying close attention.
“I want to express myself through music and express myself through people. I have a lot of ideas and feelings and I want to be heard more and more. It’s very touching when I see the tears and smiles on other people’s faces. I get to express others’ feelings too. That’s the magic of music.”
Samah Mustafa is currently working on a solo European tour and more music in the style of Palestinian folk music. Her collaboration with Delia Arts Center is available here and her new single Thikra is available on all streaming platforms.
Give her a listen. Guaranteed, you’ll put her sound on repeat.
