Loading ...EMEL In Concert: When Music Becomes a Movement
By: David Elkin / Arab America Contributing Writer
With her recent album MRA, the Tunisian-born, New York-based musician EMEL continues to redefine boundaries, both sonic and societal. A beguiling blend of ethereal soundscapes, hip-hop grit, and indie-pop allure, MRA is a work of artistic liberation and feminist defiance. The album’s title, MRA, means “woman” in Arabic—but it is more than just a name. It is a declaration of autonomy and unity, embodied in EMEL’s choice to collaborate exclusively with female artists from around the world.
EMEL’s music and live performances have long been intertwined with resistance. In 2010, she was named ‘the voice of the Arab Spring’ when “Kelmti Horra (My Word Is Free),” once banned, was resurrected as a protest anthem. Two years later, amongst touring all over Europe and the US, EMEL furtively played an underground concert in volatile Baghdad, Iraq, and an all-women performance in Iran, as chronicled in the documentary No Land’s Song. In 2023, she performed in solidarity with Palestinian audiences in East Jerusalem and the West Bank despite mounting threats. “Music protects me,” she says. “It gives me strength, and I want to give that strength to others.”
Carrying the weight of these experiences with her, EMEL has remained fearless in her art and activism, using music to give voice to marginalized communities. With MRA, EMEL extends her legacy, crafting a deeply personal yet universal call to action. Written over three years and recorded across the globe, including in England, France, and her cabin in upstate New York, MRA is both a sonic and ideological evolution.
EMEL deconstructs to rebuild, boldly pressing forward her vision of a female-driven paradigm shift in a world in desperate need of one. EMEL’s vision for the album was clear from the start: she wanted to challenge the male-dominated music industry by enlisting only women to contribute — marginalized in recognition, but outsized in ability. “No one I approached in the industry could think of any women producers,” she recalls, “so I dug deeper, and I found them.”
Known for her theatrical, multimedia-infused live shows, bringing the fiery energy of MRA to the stage enlivens the album and creates an immersive experience for audiences. EMEL fuses contemporary dance, abstract visuals, and avant-garde fashion to create something truly transcendent. Whether collaborating with designers like Jean-Paul Gaultier or experimenting with bold, industrial sounds, her performances are a fusion of art and activism and have earned her praise by outlets like The Guardian for her “Björk-like glamour” and bringing “one of the weekend’s most powerful moments,” at last year’s Womad festival.
MRA is a project made to be seen by a worldwide live audience, especially considering its global influences bringing together voices from Mali, Nigeria, Iran, Iraq, Ukraine, and beyond. The trance-like “Lose My Mind,” featuring Iraqi-Swedish rapper Nayomi, explores the breaking point of exhaustion and disillusionment. On “Nar” (“fire” in Arabic), Malian rapper Ami Yerewolo trades sharp verses with EMEL’s haunting vocals over a trap-infused beat, creating an anthem for freedom fighters, EMEL shares, “taking back control of our lives, our narrative, of our color, our speech. We are building an army to reclaim women’s voices.” Through these tracks, MRA becomes more than an album, it is an archive of perseverance, a tapestry of voices reclaiming their space.
Drawing from a wide array of influences — from Joan Baez’s protest folk to hip-hop and pop — EMEL continuously reinvents her sound while staying true to her message of liberation. “I don’t create things to be consumed,” she says. “I hope it transcends time, boundaries, and cultures. Music can change the world.”
As she embarks on her tour, EMEL’s message has never been clearer: reclaim your voice, own your destiny, and stand together.
EMEL is a Tunisian-born musician who blends electronic, hip-hop, and indie sounds with a message of resistance. Her new album, MRA, features all-female collaborators. See her on tour: Tour Dates.
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