Latest news with #Tamtam
CairoScene
11 hours ago
- Entertainment
- CairoScene
June 12
Shuffle | June 12 - June 25 We picked the best new releases that came out from across the MENA region and beyond over the past fortnight, featuring fresh tunes from the likes of Nxdia, Tamtam, Rasha Nahas, and El Sawareekh. In this edition of our bi-weekly cocktail playlist, 'Shuffle', the SceneNoise went down the rabbit hole to handpick the best releases that came out from across the region over the past fortnight. The playlist features new music from the likes of Tamtam, El Sawareekh, Nxdia, Rasha Nahas and more. LA-based Saudi indie artist Tamtam dropped a new single from the vault, 'Begin Again', which appears to be an outtake that didn't make it to her latest album. Through contemplative yet hope-filled lyrics, Tamtam chronicles her journey of self-discovery and new beginnings, highlighting the serenity and beauty that comes with starting afresh. She offers a new perspective to view the world, one that surpasses the fear that comes with swimming against the current, but rather focuses on the beauty of staying present and the promise of clarity and serenity. Next up, we have Manchester-based Egyptian-Sudanese alt-pop star Nxdia with 'Body On Me', from her brand-new fearless mixtape, 'I Promise No One's Watching', a compelling coming-of-age diary of the chaos that comes from trying to be everything and nothing at once. Meanwhile, Egyptian electronic duo Husa & Zeyada come in with 'Kelmetein', a beautifully unhinged psychedelic electro cut, blending gypsy grooves, retro Egyptian pop and rababa arrangements with psych synths and bold brass hits. The playlist also features Bitter Mouthfeel with 'Ebki', Rasha Nahas' 'Ghanneli', along with Inji's brat-coded dance banger 'Good Time Girl' and Musiqar Fantazia with glitch-hop 'Motarbike'. TRACKLIST: Tamtam - Begin Again Inji - Good Time Girl Jaylann - Ha Wlidi Earlobe, Rima Sharkawy, One Be Lo - Rather Than Farah Nakhul - Ya Bent El Sawareekh - Dayra Nxdia - Body On Me Doaa El Sebaii - Fi Hekayat Roy Chalach - TareE2 Tenye Nour Khan - Sarab ft. Ahmed Kore BIJI - Left Right Sunny Daze - Last Night JenJoon - Doggi Bebi Zanib - Up Musiqar Fantazia - MOTARBIKE Theo Alexander & Qow - Doniya Tegebak Amin Jeff x Waran Kruz - Let It Shine Abu Muhammad - Ya Bint Ana Booda x Kok Da Boss - Mahragan El Habayeb Donia Wael & The band - Ezay (Live Session) Husa & Zeyada - Kelmetein AlBakri - Romantic Misr Rasha Nahas - Ghanneeli
Arab News
11-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Arab News
Tamtam's Goast Flower: Growing a vibrant Saudi music community
ALKHOBAR: With her signature curls and radiant smile, internationally acclaimed Saudi singer-songwriter Tamtam brought her boundless energy to Alkhobar this week, aiming to nurture and connect the Kingdom's growing music scene from the ground up. Known mononymously as Tamtam, the artist chose early in her career to go by a single name — a decision that helped to maintain her privacy while allowing listeners to focus on her message and music. Over time, the name became synonymous with her genre-blending sound and global appeal by singing in both English and Arabic, and her bold advocacy for creative freedom. The event, hosted at Bohemia Cafe and supported by MDLBEAST Radio, was part of Goast Flower's community activation — a grassroots initiative launched by Tamtam to support emerging artists and independent creatives. The gathering transformed the space into a pop-up creative hub, where artists exchanged merchandise, contacts and ideas over coffee — free to anyone with a hand stamp at the door. Entrance was free with sign-up, allowing MDLBEAST to collect people's contact information to stay connected. The event, hosted at Bohemia Cafe and supported by MDLBEAST Radio, was part of Goast Flower's community activation — a grassroots initiative launched by Tamtam to support emerging artists and independent creatives. (AN photo) MDLBEAST Radio co-hosted their first such event in Tamtam's hometown, Riyadh, a few weeks earlier — a sahoor at Beast House — and this was their second stop on this mission. 'Honestly, I'm so, so happy. This is really cool because we get to play the music,' Tamtam told Arab News. During the Riyadh sahoor, they merely mingled but did not perform or listen to music. 'In Alkhobar, so many people showed up — people are excited. There aren't many events going on in Alkhobar, so I really feel like everyone is super appreciative,' Tamtam said. Zamzam with their merch exchange swag. (Photo by Goast Flower) She added: 'The whole point of this is for artists and people in the music industry to meet, and that's what's happening. Like literally everyone's telling me, 'I've met so many people, thank you so much.' I'm so happy — we need it. The goal has been achieved again.' Raised in Riyadh and now based between the Kingdom and Los Angeles, Tamtam's music explores themes of identity, gender equality and cultural connection. She blends alternative R&B with pop and personal storytelling, and her independent streak led her to create her own platform for creative control. 'Goast Flower is an independent music label I started a couple of years ago,' she said. 'I've been releasing my music through it — it was a way for me as an independent artist to have my own label because I don't want to be controlled by anyone. It's amazing to have that freedom as an artist. I'm very grateful.' (AN photo) Beyond being a label, Goast Flower functions as a creative hub. Its first major project, the Saudi Music Community, is a public database designed to help local talent connect. 'I literally collected all the artists I knew. Fulana, another Saudi artist, collected all the artists she knew. We put together a Google document and made it live,' she explained. 'Now there's another document where people can join and add their information, and someone checks it. In this way, artists can find each other in Saudi Arabia. A lot of artists are like, 'Hey, I'm looking for a female rapper,' or 'I'm looking for a guitar player for my live show.' And now they can just go to the database and find people.' In Alkhobar, the idea found fertile ground. Singer-songwriter, architect, photographer and university professor, Yazeed Al-Amasi, who attended both the Riyadh and Alkhobar events, said: 'I've been living here in Dhahran since 2011, and this is the first time I feel super connected to the music community,' he told Arab News. 'I don't want to say it, but I think people are friendlier and more open to collaborating in Alkhobar. Or maybe people in Riyadh were just tired from Ramadan.' Tamtam meets Zamzam. (AN photo) A key part of the gathering was the merchandise exchange, a concept introduced by Tamtam to encourage artistic support without the barrier of money. Participants brought T-shirts, lyric booklets, CDs, stickers and creative works to swap with one another — artist to artist. 'The idea is that instead of spending money, artists are supporting each other. It's a gesture of support that this community is all about,' Tamtam said. 'I really, really believe in this community, and I don't think anyone can grow without a community in any industry,' she added. 'I just feel like the music industry in Saudi needs this push, and the foundation needs to be stronger.' During the event, guests took the mic to introduce themselves and share what they were seeking — producers, vocalists, instrumentalists, collaborators. Photographers offering band headshots and live performance images also stepped forward, strengthening the bonds in the room. A post shared by tamtam تام تام (@tamtamsound) 'I actually discovered local musician Zamzam through the Saudi Music Community when I was putting this together,' Tamtam said. Zamzam, a frequent Bohemia performer and lover of all music genres, walked in as Tamtam was speaking about her. Zamzam, who also goes by a mononym, found the database through Tamtam's initiative and was excited to meet her in person. Both shrieked in delight on noticing they were face-to-face. 'Maybe we will have a Tamtam and Zamzam collaboration in the future,' someone said in the background. 'I added myself to the database!' Zamzam told Arab News. 'I follow Tamtam and I saw the (Instagram) story about Goast Flower. Whenever I see a label or something that could be a creative hub, I want to connect.' A post shared by tamtam تام تام (@tamtamsound) The venue itself played a role. Bohemia Cafe has become something of a beacon for alternative and indie creatives in the Eastern Province. One of them, Fatima Falath, shared that she had written a song inspired by her visit to Bohemia. 'Two years ago, I was sitting at Bohemia and got inspired by the drawing on their cup,' Falath told Arab News. 'I had some matcha — even in the song we mentioned matcha,' Falath said with a laugh. 'I sang and wrote the lyrics, and my friend and producer, who goes by Hajj Alibaba, did the background music. I made all my friends and family listen to it — it's a driving-around-in-the-car song. I haven't published it yet, but I'm inspired to publish it tonight at this event because we wrote it here.' Everyone at Bohemia had a chance to listen to Falath's creation for the very first time, and many other musicians joined after and played their songs. Rohit Jayakaran of MDLBEAST Radio drove in from Riyadh to support the event along with Tamtam and the team. For nearly four hours, they were fired up to be there. He was beaming as the songs were being played. 'We're very excited to be part of the Saudi music community and support it as MDLBEAST Radio,' Jayakaran told Arab News. 'We believe that great things will come out of this community. Bohemia — this is the place where people come for music in Sharqiya. What I discovered today is that there is a community — and it's a growing community. It's eclectic. It has all sorts of dynamic energies in here. And it's just really nice to have this here because it didn't exist before. It's amazing. It's awesome.' Jayakaran hopes that connections made will showcase their collaborative talents at the next live show at Bohemia, in Riyadh, or just in general. For now, Goast Flower remains Tamtam's personal label — though she doesn't rule out signing other artists in the future. 'I really, really respect the artist. Unless I know I can invest a lot of money in the artist — money, time and effort — I'm not going to sign them,' she said. 'A lot of the big people in this industry take advantage of artists. Artists don't make enough money from streaming. The music business has a lot of work to do.' She hopes that Saudi Arabia can do things differently. A post shared by tamtam تام تام (@tamtamsound) 'Saudi is such a special place right now because it's the beginning of the music industry. We are in a place where we can shape it in a different way — we don't have to copy the West. We can learn from the mistakes happening in other industries.' Next, Goast Flower is headed to Jeddah, where they will host a similar activation on April 16 at Hayy Jameel. It will essentially go from the heart of the Kingdom to the two coasts, like a hug to the music community in Saudi Arabia.
CairoScene
12-02-2025
- Business
- CairoScene
This Label Dropped Saudi Arabia's First Public Music Industry Database
With this database, Tamtam's Goast Flower label and creative hub aims to help the Kingdom's artists and agencies to connect, collaborate and grow. Feb 12, 2025 Goast Flower, a music label and creative hub founded by Saudi artist Tamtam, has just launched the first-of-its-kind public database of artists, creatives and music executives connected to Saudi Arabia's music industry. Named 'The Saudi Music Community', the database is a Google sheet that serves as an open source for artists and creative agencies and entities from across the Kingdom to connect, network and collaborate, whilst also linking international and regional entities and industry figures with the Saudi music scene by providing them with the resources needed to book talents, venues and studios in the country. 'I believe a strong foundation is key to building our music industry, and my hope is that this platform makes it easier for the right creatives to find each other and thrive,' Tamtam tells SceneNoise. 'This is basically a yellow page for the Saudi music community, and you don't have to be Saudi to be listed - you can just be based in Saudi.' To get listed, fill out the Google form in @goastflower's bio. You can access the link to 'The Saudi Music Community' database via Goast Flower's official website. View this post on Instagram A post shared by GOAST FLOWER (@goastflower)
