Latest news with #Nawafiz
CairoScene
a day ago
- Entertainment
- CairoScene
Backstage: ZIAD ZAZA at Nawafiz Festival
The Egyptian rap star reflects on turning 25 and connecting with the crowd after his Netherlands debut at Nawafiz Festival. Jun 13, 2025 Just after his debut performance in the Netherlands at this year's Nawafiz Festival in Utrecht, co-curated by SceneNoise, Egyptian rapper ZIAD ZAZA took a moment to step back and reflect. The night wasn't just a milestone in his career. It felt like something deeper—a moment of shared presence with a crowd that felt strangely familiar. For ZAZA, it's never been about performing 'at' people. The energy he draws comes from a sense of closeness, even in places he's never been. Whether it's faces he recognizes from past shows or new ones that seem instantly in sync, it's the connection that stays with him. That sense of community felt especially strong at Nawafiz. In a city far from home, the festival created a space where Arabic music didn't feel like an export or a novelty. It felt local and rooted. For members of the diaspora who rarely get to experience this music live, it was a long-awaited moment. The show also happened to land right around his 25th birthday—a milestone that brought with it a wave of mixed emotions. Backstage there was celebration, cake, and chaos, but underneath it all was a quiet awareness of time passing. Turning 25 made him reflect on where he stands and where he's headed. He spoke candidly about the fear of time slipping away, of growing older in a world that moves fast. In the face of that, he's focused on making it count. For him, making music isn't just about success or recognition. It's about surviving, finding joy, honoring his faith, and giving his craft the attention it deserves. Watch the full video here:
CairoScene
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- CairoScene
Nawafiz: The All-Arab Festival Making Utrecht a Hotspot for MENA Music
A deeper look into Utrecht's all-Arab festival, providing a space for resistance, community, and regional sounds. Jun 12, 2025 At a time when censorship is intensifying and public expressions of Arab identity are increasingly suppressed, Utrecht's Nawafiz Festival has emerged as a crucial space for free expression and connection through music. With an all-Arab lineup, it offered not only a celebration of music but a gathering point for Arabic-speaking communities across the Netherlands and Europe. The 2025 edition brought together artists from across the SWANA region and its diaspora, not only to perform, but to speak, resist, and be seen. For the second year running, TivoliVredenburg opened its doors to an all-Arab program, making Nawafiz one of the few spaces in Europe where Arab voices are not tokenized, but placed at the forefront. Across four stages, the festival's line-up - co-curated by SceneNoise - showcased a vibrant spectrum of genres, from hard-edged rap and Egyptian mahraganat to experimental electronics, indie pop, jazz fusion, and late-night dabke. Artists like Ziad Zaza, Lina Makoul, Ahmed Eid, Double Zuksh, Lana Lubany, DAM, Narcy, and Noise Diva delivered standout sets, underscoring the depth and dynamism of the region's musical landscape. With this more ambitious second edition of the festival, Nawafiz is quickly becoming a vital platform for connecting SWANA artists with audiences across Europe, while celebrating the diversity and creativity flourishing in the region's music today. Watch the full Afterfilm from Nawafiz Festival here:
CairoScene
16-05-2025
- Entertainment
- CairoScene
The Artists Taking Over Utrecht's Nawafiz Festival 2025
Only days away, Nawafiz, Europe's leading all-Arab music festival, returns to TivoliVredenburg in Utrecht, the Netherlands on May 24, bringing a stacked lineup of MENA icons, rising voices, and underground heroes to the stage. Co-curated in part by SceneNoise and the Nawafiz team, this year's edition features some of the region's most vital voices, from rising stars to genre-defining heavyweights. Here's a rundown of the artists set to take the spotlight at Nawafiz 2025. STORMY Hailing from Rabat, Morocco, STORMY is one of the most exciting voices in North African hip hop. His 2024 debut album 'ICEBERG' showcased his diversity and prowess, with tracks like the Brazilian funk-inspired 'POPO' amassing over 45 million YouTube views and 20 million streams, making it one of Morocco's most-watched music videos. ZIAD ZAZA At just 23, Ziad Zaza has emerged as a transformative figure in Egypt's rap scene, seamlessly blending drill, oriental trap, and Brazilian funk. Hailing from the streets of Sheikh Hassan in Fayum, his roots in underground rap culture have deeply influenced his one-of-a-kind musical style. Lina Makoul Lina Makoul is a prominent independent Palestinian pop singer-songwriter who distinguishes herself not only by her exceptional musical talent but in fostering human connection through her music. Known for her wide vocal and musical range and multi-genre fusion, or as she likes to call it 'Indiepop in Arabic', Lina focuses on growing alongside her fellow Palestinian creatives in music, film, and fashion. DAM DAM is the first Palestinian hip hop crew and among the first to rap in Arabic. Formed in the late 1990s by Tamer Nafar, Suhell Nafar, and Mahmood Jrere, with Maysa Daw joining the group after, they were inspired to tell their story through the rhythms of hip hop. DAM's sound is a unique fusion of East and West, blending fierce Arabic rap with Middle Eastern melodies and the pulsating beats of urban hip hop. Lana Lubany UK-based Palestinian singer-songwriter Lana Lubany brings a whole new sound to MENA's avant-pop scene. Drawing inspiration from the likes of Rosalía and Billie Eilish, her music blends traditional Arabic and English vocals with modern self-directed electronic production, creating unique, bilingual pop hits. NARCY NARCY is a polymath based in Montréal, Canada. Real name Yassin Alsalman, he raps, produces, directs, teaches, writes, and creates across many-a-discipline. Predominantly recognized as the first Iraqi voice in the hip-hop community, he earned his chops during the war on his motherland, speaking truth to power across the world during one of the most challenging eras in modern Iraqi history. Double Zuksh Trap-infused shaabi duo Double Zuksh are renowned for their distinctive fusion of hip hop and alternative mahraganat. Their music is often characterized by pounding beats, complex rhythms, and incisive lyrics that address the realities of living in contemporary Egypt. El Rass Lebanese rap powerhouse El Rass is known for his sharp lyricism and thought-provoking content. His music often delves into socio-political themes, reflecting the complexities of life in the Arab world. With a commanding presence and a commitment to authenticity, El Rass remains one of the pivotal voices in Lebanese and Arabic hip hop today. Bedouin Burger Bedouin Burger is the collaborative project of Syrian singer and musician Lynn Adib and Lebanese producer Zeid Hamdan. Together, they blend traditional Middle Eastern melodies with contemporary electronic beats, creating a sound that is both nostalgic and innovative. Ahmed Eid Born in exile and raised in Ramallah, Ahmed Eid brings a deeply personal perspective to his blend of Arabic songwriting, experimental production, and traditional instrumentation. Eid's music balances nostalgia and defiance, drawing from his Palestinian roots while leaning into bold sonic experimentation. Abarra Abarra is a four-piece experimental band that fuses Arabic poetry, post-rock, and ambient textures into a sound that's both cinematic and emotionally raw. Their compositions merge traditional rhythms with atmospheric electronics to explore themes of memory, displacement, and resistance. Retro Cassetta Retro Cassetta, the alias of Moroccan DJ and collector Badreddine Haouat, is a sonic archaeologist reviving the golden age of Maghrebi cassette culture. With a personal archive of over 20,000 tapes spanning Moroccan, Algerian, and Libyan chaabi, raï, rock, and early rap, he digs deep into analog history to craft sets that are both nostalgic and electrifying. baby ganoush (ATAY Collective) Driven by feeling more than genre, baby ganoush translates the inexpressible into sound — layering euphoria with tension, light with shadow. With roots in Sweden and Lebanon, her eclectic sets drift through ambient, trance, IDM, breaks, grime, dubstep, and percussive club rhythms, unified by heavy bass and emotional contrast. Arabella Memdouh (ATAY Collective) Amsterdam-based DJ and producer Arabella Memdouh brings a high-energy, emotionally rich sound to every set — blending electronic SWANA edits, indie dance, and progressive house into something unmistakably her own. Noise Diva (ATAY Collective) Syrian DJ and producer Noise Diva brings emotionally charged, genre-fluid sets to the dancefloor, fusing Arabic trap, UK garage, and experimental electronics. A resident at Amsterdam's Garage Noord and co-founder of KLAB and the SALWA Foundation, her sound reflects themes of exile, resilience, and joy, carving out space for bold diasporic expression. Disco Arabesquo B2B Abdo Niger Disco Arabesquo is a DJ and producer known for curating and reviving vintage Arabic disco and funk tracks. His sets are a journey through time, bringing forgotten gems back to the dance floor and introducing them to new audiences, this year, he will be going B2B with Egyptian producer and DJ Abdo Niger, whose high-octane remixes collide traditional Egyptian melodies with trap, hip-hop, and club-driven beats. Dabke Night & DJ MaHerrie Dabke Night is a celebration of the traditional Levantine folk dance, Dabke. These events bring communities together to partake in the energetic and communal dance. For this edition of Nawafiz, they will be teaming up with Syrian DJ MaHerrie, whose sets dive deep into Dabke sounds from across the region. Expect sweat, stomps, and infectious rhythms all throughout the night.
