Latest news with #Wedyan
The National
4 days ago
- Lifestyle
- The National
How Lebanese band Adonis found space to retreat and rebuild on new album Wedyan
What's the difference between silence and quiet in times of conflict? For Lebanese band Adonis, it came down to agency – the ability to choose how, and when, to express themselves. Released last month and recorded during the 2024 Israel invasion of Lebanon – the veteran group, known for their ebullient sound and emotionally precise lyrics, has delivered a set of songs intentionally detached from the immediate context of the conflict. In doing so, it becomes a statement of resilience – that their art is guided by creative intent, not shaped by the surrounding disorder. And, crucially, that making music became a means of emotional preservation in times of chaos. 'We were devastated during the war, of course,' singer and keyboardist Anthony Khoury tells The National. 'But the music was elsewhere. It didn't sit with us in that very dark place. We needed to protect something. Maybe it was our joy, our creativity.. maybe even our sanity.' It's no wonder Wedyan – meaning 'valleys' – is Adonis's most insular album to date. Across 12 tracks, we follow a character who slowly but intently shies away from society into a life of solitude and contemplation. The lyrics don't frame this as a form of defeat, but as a healthy response to turmoil – a way to protect one's inner state when the world outside feels overwhelming. The lyrics drift between musings and fragments, reflecting on identity, exile and life itself. Some are drawn from personal moments, including Khoury's newborn nephew and a tribute to his late grandmother. Intriguingly, the turn inward isn't always mirrored in the music. While the arrangements are more languid, the four-piece stretch out with light-footed shifts into electronica – like on Khod Sa'at – and chirpy RnB vocals on Yeskerni. Even Nancy, the album's most upbeat track, is anchored by a laid-back funk groove. That marriage of emotional introspection and expansive musical approach, Khoury explains, comes from the band writing the songs separately. Khoury was living between Paris and Amman, while the rest of the group – Joelle Khoury (guitar), Nicola Hakim (drums) and Gio Fikany (bass) – remained in different parts of Lebanon. 'For the first time, we weren't really immersed in the Lebanese context,' Khoury says. 'It definitely felt like we were writing from the outside. That physical distance, I think, gave us the space to reflect without the same kind of pressure. We weren't reacting, were just processing.' He adds the time apart, about 15 years into Adonis's career, was also liberating – a chance to recalibrate, both creatively and emotionally. Khoury says the step back wasn't a difficult one – just necessary. A moment to take stock, acknowledge what they were feeling and prepare for the often gruelling process of recording new material. 'Like the character in the album, we were isolated – and we longed for that isolation. You reach a point where you just want to protect something. For us, it was the ability to create without being swallowed by everything happening around us. That's why this album feels different. It had to be.' Indeed, the album stands out for the distinct sonic flavours it employs to channel the various states of mind of its protagonist. The aching melancholy of Ma'rafha – meaning I Don't Know Her – melds a sparse piano motif with minimal electronic beats, as Khoury reflects on the quiet devastation of a breakup. Not the rupture itself, but the self-protective urge to erase everything attached to it. 'Even if they asked me, 'Who's the beautiful one?'' he sings in the refrain. 'I'd tell them: I don't know her, I don't know her.' While in Kel Ma Tsame'n i (Whenever You Say), the resigned character's exile from his troubles results in the clarity he needs, and a quiet sense of resolve emerges in his decision to stay away from unwanted opinions: 'Every time you tell me lines from movies, from friends who wanted to give you their opinion about me". In Abtal (Heroes), Adonis emerges from lyrical detachment to directly engage with the present moment. Over ebbing beats, the band pays tribute to the unsung heroes of Lebanon — ordinary individuals offering shelter, comfort and their professional skills in times of crisis. Khoury says he witnessed this during the aerial bombardment of Beirut by Israeli forces, a situation that left many villages cut off from one another, with civilians and neighbours stepping in to fill the initial absence of official support. "In Lebanon, the conflict created a rupture between different parts of the same city – some areas were being bombarded, while others weren't directly affected. What happens in that kind of environment is that you start noticing how people respond socially. Usually, you're too consumed by the tragedy itself to really observe. But this time, I saw people – civilians – stepping up in quiet ways," he recalls. "I was in Beirut during that phase, in an area that wasn't directly targeted. But the entire neighbourhood was mobilised to support those that were. I'm talking about doctors, journalists, teachers – even pilots who continued operating flights despite bombings near the airport. Abtal is dedicated to them. With the band recently completing a headline set at the Bred Abu Dhabi festival and returning soon for a solo concert at Dubai Opera on July 3, Khoury says Wedyan has left Adonis not only rejuvenated, but with a renewed sense of direction. It also served as a reminder of how creativity can be a grounding force during uncertain times. 'I wasn't raised or trained to be a musician. I had a different path in life,' he says. 'But what I've found through music, and what I think I'll keep finding for a very long time, is meaning. I feel like I have a place and a voice. 'I'm aware that our kind of work is the least essential when it comes to keeping a society functioning. And sometimes in Lebanon, we're in first-degree survival mode, more often than we'd like to be. But I have immense hope. Hope in my country, in our region and in the goodness of people. And with that hope, I think there will be less and less to lose and much more to gain.'
CairoScene
23-04-2025
- Entertainment
- CairoScene
Adonis to Perform at Cairo Jazz Club 610 April 30th
Syrian multi-instrumentalist Hadi Birajakli will be the opening act for the Lebanese indie-rock outfit. Apr 23, 2025 Fresh off the release of their brand new album 'Wedyan', Lebanese indie rock outfit Adonis is set to take the stage at Cairo Jazz Club 610 on April 30th as part of their 2025 world tour. Over the past decade, Adonis has been a pioneering force at the forefront of reshaping the Levantine alternative scene, seamlessly fusing elements of rock with dance-pop aesthetics and oriental instrumentation. Their latest offering, 'Wedyan'—marking their seventh studio album—sees the band venture beyond their comfort zone and signature sound, exploring a new terrain of baroque pop and alternative R&B, drawing inspiration from the Arabic pop wave of the 2000s. The event will feature Hadi Birajakli, a Syrian multi-instrumentalist who has built a reputation for his innovative sonic approach and distinctive fusion of Middle Eastern instrumentation with progressive rock elements, as the opening act. You can book your tickets at Cairo Jazz Club's official website.
CairoScene
16-04-2025
- Entertainment
- CairoScene
Adonis Explore Resilience in New Indie-Pop Album ‘Wedyan'
On their seventh studio release, the Lebanese band expands beyond indie rock, embracing pop, R&B, and baroque influences. Apr 16, 2025 Twelve years into reshaping the Levantine music scene, Adonis return with their most expansive project to date. 'Wedyan' (Valleys), their seventh studio album released on April 10th, sees the Lebanese band move beyond their signature indie-rock comfort zone into lush new terrain—baroque pop, alternative R&B, and nods to nostalgic Arabic pop all collide in this concept album rooted in resilience and uncertainty. Produced between Amman and Beirut by Amr Shomali, with contributions from Taym and Robert Al Assaad, Wedyan is a genre-fluid, emotionally rich record. Tracks like 'Kel Ma Tsame'ni' and 'Khod Sa'at' channel the golden age of early-2000s Lebanese pop, while the swelling chorus in 'Nadini' plays like a ballad, full of devotion and urgency. The album's two interludes, one for a newborn nephew, the other for a late grandmother, add an intimate, narrative depth. If 2022's 'Hadis El Layl' romanticized love, 'Wedyan' reflects on its limitations. It's about cutting ties, embracing truth, and finding strength in solitude. 'No broken person can ever break me,' Anthony Adonis sings on 'Yekserni'—a defiant line that sets the tone for the album's emotional clarity. Just days before the album dropped, the band released 'Ma'rafha', a music video directed by Eli Salameh. Set in a dark security control room, it visualizes the futile attempt to erase someone's memories—a poetic metaphor for the album's central conflict. Adonis will support the album with a global tour, kicking off in Abu Dhabi, Cairo, and Riyadh before heading to Canada and Beirut.
