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Interview: singer Hayat Al Idrissi promotes Moroccan music abroad
الأحد, نوفمبر 25, 2007 // 0 التعليقات // Arabic Digest // Category: Hayat Al Idrissi , Hayat El Idrissi //Moroccan singer Hayat Al Idrissi speaks with Magharebia about her recent international tour and her efforts to promote Moroccan music around the world.
Moroccan recording artist Hayat Al Idrissi recently returned from a tour which took her to Egypt, the Emirates, Bahrain and Kuwait, and culminated in shooting the video for "Khaifa" for Bahrain Radio and Television.
The tour, which lasted almost five months, also resulted in collaborative projects with other Arab artists and composers. In an exclusive interview with Magharebia, Hayat Al Idrissi explained how her tour aimed at promoting Moroccan music, which still suffers from poor distribution.
Magharebia: How was your tour of Egypt and the Gulf?
Hayat Al Idrissi: It was great, and productive. The main aim behind it was to introduce Arab listeners to Moroccan music, because these sorts of tours are essential for artists to introduce themselves and their work. So why not promote Moroccan songs?
This tour was an adventure for me, but it was a wonderful adventure, which led to the filming of a new music video called "Khaifa" for Bahrain Radio and Television. The tour, which lasted about five months, also resulted in a series of projects with other Arab artists and composers.
[It was] a great challenge in order to spread Moroccan music outside the country, setting aside the problem of dialect, which many people use as an excuse. The real problem facing Moroccan singers, in my opinion, is distribution, since the Moroccan market still [lacks] a distributor capable of taking charge of promotion outside the country.
Actually I found that the Gulf states took well to Moroccan songs, particularly at the eighth Doha Festival.
Magharebia: During your visit to Egypt, you donated the revenues to the Opera House fundraiser for the Lalla Salma Cancer Foundation in Morocco and the Children's Cancer Centre in Egypt, does this have anything to do with the health scare that you've been through?
Al Idrissi: My donating of the revenue from the fundraiser was merely a humane gesture which could have come from any Arab artist, and as such, what happened at the Opera House is a natural extension of the role which should be played by artists in joining with and voicing the different issues which concern society.
I believe that Arab musicians – and particularly Moroccans – are ready to continue taking this kind of stand, genuinely expressing their solidarity and support for humanitarian issues. I have previously taken part in concerts in support of important Arab and humanitarian issues. All of these are gestures that any human being has to make, if history is not to pass them by.
I went through difficult times with my health, while I suffered from cancer, but thanks to God I got through the worst of it and came out the other side stronger than ever. My ordeal showed me just how much the fans care – they showered me with love and moral support in letters and telephone conversations.
Magharebia: You have said that you would welcome working with Emirati recording artist Hussein Al Jassmi?
Al Idrissi: Yes I would like collaborate with him on duets, because of his presence as an artist and a human being. I have previously done collaborative work with Egyptian artist Mohammed Lhelou and Tunisian singer Noureddine El Baji. I am not averse to leaving Morocco to sing, as travel abroad is a good thing to encourage the artistic process and gain experience through the exchange of artistic cultures, but I am opposed to anyone who leaves their country to sing in another dialect, seeking a fast-track to fame at the expense of content.
Source : magharebia
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