The musician discusses her latest release and finding her Arab pop sound
“I wanted to shatter those stereotypes that people have when they find out I’m Muslim or Arab or Moroccan - the pre-conceived notions that we're weak and repressed, that we're not allowed to live our lives. People need to understand that Arab women come in all different shapes and sizes, we’re multi-faceted, we practice different faiths.” Nataal is talking to Moroccan American singing sensation, Abir. Refreshingly outspoken and with a vocal range that’s as wide as her hair is long, this NYC-based talent is promoting her latest EP ‘Heat’ which sees her, for the first time, incorporate Arabic music styles into her hypnotic sound.
“This project is Arab pop, which is pretty much me wanting to bring my identity to the forefront of my music,” she explains. “I was going through a really tough time mentally, trying to figure out what my mission is, and decided I had to put who I am at the forefront because it's so necessary.” Abir first found acclaim in 2018 on Cash Cash’s ‘Finest Hour’, which she followed with the platinum-selling debut EP ‘Mint’. Since then she’s been deep diving into Moroccan music and honing her sound.
“I go against the grain and I make it my mission to live my life the way that I please”
Making use of traditional North African instruments, ‘Heat’ fuses music from the sonically rich Arab world with classic pop and R&B. The result is an incredibly catchy EP that makes you want to dance (or sing into a hairbrush). “Arabic music is just so beautiful, so intricate, and honestly, so tasteful,” she enthuses. “And you know, when you think of hits from the 90s and 00s - by Timberland and Aaliyah, even Britney Spears - all of that music had Arab influence.”
Lyrically, too, Abir is upending stereotypes with her latest work. Take single ‘Inferno’ for example, on which she spurns the idea of a heartbroken woman mooning about over a man. “It's the first record that my producer [Mick Schultz] and I unlocked the secret juice on how to bring the east and west together,” she reflects. “When you think about women and love, we're always depicted as the ones getting our hearts broken. But I'm not waiting around for a man to tell me whether it's going to be serious or not, I call the shots.”
While ‘Yallah’ – which is Arabic for ‘let’s go’ or ‘hurry up’ – began life as a song discussing interfaith relationships before turning into a powerful track about being whoever you want to be. “I wrote the first verse and realised that this is for everyone. It’s about marginalised people all over the world, anyone who feels they have to go against the grain to do something that they feel in their heart to do. I’m here for the liberated – this is really my anthem. I'm an Arab woman in music, wearing crop tops and showing skin, and living my life the way I please.”
For the accompanying music videos, Abir collaborated with Arab creatives including director Sharif Abdel Mawla, and shot them on location in the Moroccan desert. They show her wearing extravagant looks that play with motifs found in Orientalist arts. “Fashion is everything, I use it as a weapon as much as I use singing as my weapon,” she laughs. “In the ‘Yallah’ video I’m with my girls. We had a Nike hijab in one scene and we had burkas in another in order to show that these women have a choice; some women cover up, some women don't. Here in the US, they believe what they see in the movies, which is one of two things: terrorist or oppressed. I always like to challenge, provoke and to change perceptions.”
Born in Fez, Abir moved to Arlington, VA when she was six years old. Her parents kept the Moroccan influence alive at home and it’s her father, who owned a limousine company, that she owes her love of music. “He had music to entertain his clients and he used to play so much jazz. I would sit in the back of his car trying to imitate it until I eventually learned how to sing,” she recalls. “I was also inspired by strong ass women! I listened to Whitney Houston, Etta James, Beyoncé, Celine Dione – I was so big on powerhouse vocals.”
It’s now her own fiery voice that’s giving pop music a much-needed new energy. “I named my project ‘Heat’ because there’s this idea of combustion. I’m a third culture kid, which gives me a unique perspective on life and a unique taste in music, but I’m also so much more than that.”
‘Heat’ by Abir is now now. Find it here.
Visit Abir
Published on 03/10/2020