3 days ago
Hunna launches mentorship programme for Middle East's female music talent
Hunna, a women-led initiative dedicated to amplifying female talent across the MENA music landscape, has officially launched its 2025 Mentorship Programme and accompanying workshop series.
Through a combination of one-on-one mentorship, community events and expert-led workshops, the 2025 programme aims to further equip women creatives with the resources, connections and visibility they need to thrive in an evolving music industry.
The third edition of the initiative's flagship programme builds on Hunna's mission to professionalise, amplify and connect women in music, and leads into its annual community gathering at XP Music Futures, taking place December 4–6 in Riyadh.
With more than 120 active members from countries including Palestine, Lebanon, Jordan, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and beyond, Hunna has grown into a network and platform for women in music across the region.
The 2025 Hunna Mentorship Programme
The 2025 Mentorship Programme launched in July with the announcement of six selected mentees from the MENA region and its diaspora, each matched with an established woman professional working across a range of music disciplines.
The cohort will participate in the programme from July through December, receiving monthly individual mentorship sessions, tailored development plans, access to Hunna's wider programming, and the opportunity to present their work at the Hunna Gathering at XP Music Futures in December.
This year's mentor-mentee pairings include:
Chaima Soudani, a Tunisia-based music entrepreneur, mentored by Celine Hitti, Head of Artist Services MENA at Believe;
Nadine Lingawi, known artistically as Fulana and recognised for her atmospheric electronic-pop soundscapes, working with Emmy-nominated composer and BBC Radio 3 presenter Hannah Peel;
Egyptian multi-instrumentalist and producer Martina Ashraf being mentored by Montréal-based experimental electronic artist Liliane Chlela;
Saudi composer and pianist Nora Aljebrin paired with Nadin Al Khalidi, a seasoned world music performer and lead vocalist of Tarabband;
Lena Chercaoui, a DJ and producer weaving genre-defying rhythms to tell stories of identity and resistance, mentored by pioneering Saudi DJ and producer Cosmicat;
Palestinian-Jordanian vocalist Lina Sleibi, known for bridging heritage and modernity, paired with singer-songwriter and visual creative Lina Makoul.
The mentor/mentee cohort was selected through a rigorous, anonymised process led by the Hunna Committee — an intergenerational panel of industry professionals and past mentees who brought both strategic insight and lived experience to the review process.
The process involved two stages: individual scoring of applications based on artistic potential, clarity of goals, and potential impact of the mentorship, followed by a panel discussion to determine the final cohort.
Notable members of the committee included cultural strategist Sarah El Miniawy, artist manager and founder of Simsara Music; Christina Lazic, DJ, producer, and advocate for inclusion in electronic music; and Salam Kmeid, senior executive at Anghami and expert in music distribution across the MENA region.
Former mentees Haya AlHejailan, Nazli Reda and Soumaya Laghiti also contributed to the process, ensuring that the committee's decisions reflected both institutional knowledge and the lived reality of navigating the region's creative industries.
Workshops and community-building remain a core part of Hunna's programming in 2025. On 20 August, Hunna will host a dedicated Introduction to Music Production Workshop at Beast House in Riyadh. The workshop is scheduled Wednesday, August 20, hosted by Laughta and Cosmicat.
A virtual masterclass titled 'Plan A Release,' led by Lina ElSahli of MDLBEAST Records, will follow on Wednesday, August 27, offering practical insights into preparing and executing a professional music release. Hunna's monthly workshops — running from July to November — bring in leading regional and international women to explore topics such as production, live performance, artist strategy, and global positioning.
These sessions are open to all members of the Hunna community, reinforcing the initiative's commitment to accessibility and shared growth. October will mark another community milestone with a Listening Circle hosted in Marrakech, alongside a special dinner and music experience at Beast House in Riyadh. The year culminates in December 4-6 with the highly anticipated Hunna Gathering at XP Music Futures in Riyadh.
This in-person convening — held during one of the region's most influential music conferences — offers space for mentors, mentees, alumni, and community members to reflect, connect and celebrate.
For many in the Hunna network, the Gathering is the emotional heart of the programme: a rare moment to experience collective ambition, shared purpose, and face-to-face connection.
