Gina Dirawi - Meet Me In Jannah

Monday, new week and it's time to introduce "Record Of The Week".

This week I take out the turns a bit and offer a bit of Pop with Arabic Folk Music, something out of the ordinary.

In addition to the big TV shows jobs, Gina Dirawi always dreamed of recording an album. Already seven years ago, she released a couple of singles, but it was only when she came in contact with Björn Yttling and Freja Drakenberg that she found home. "It has been like seeing yourself in sound," Dirawi said after meeting them.

Dirawi was born on 11 December 1990 in Sundsvall, Sweden, the second of four children. She is of Palestinian descent and her family comes from Lebanon. Dirawi's paternal grandparents convinced her father to move to Sweden.

"Meet Me In Jannah" is Gina Dirawi's debut album, produced by Björn Yttling and Freja Drakenberg, got released February 18th. In Juli 2021 she released the excellent singles ”Sunday” and ”Live And Die”, both of them was included in the Netflixserie ”Young Royals”. They got followed by "Blame It On Me" and Dirawi's first tune on Arabic, "Bmoot", that means "I die". The music on the album sounds magnificent, it's raw and feels spontaneous, partly improvised and the voclas are just marvelous, she intertwines Arabic folk music with alternative pop and creates a sound that is completely its own and she does it with such a confident, like she was born to do this full time. Her voice flows nicely, it's intimate and raw, like an instrument by it's own. The opening track "Sunday" she sings about praying to Allah: "Catch you on a Sunday / When you got the weekend off". It does not matter that it is a holiday and that no one may listen, the need for inner peace is too great to wait. The final and closing tune "Live And Die" is recorded in a single recording and the end of the song has been completely improvised. It is one of many moments on "Meet Me In Jannah" that remains long after the last notes have sounded out. I really enjoy this, after working with Gina, I never thought she would possess this knowledge, quite magically I must say, nicely done Gina! Now make sure to release this on Vinyl, because I want this.

Sum: ”Meet Me In Jannah” a rare confident debut, get it.

Today's tune "Meet Me In Jannah" is the title track from her debut album, "Jannah" is Arabic for "Paradise". TRIGGER WARNING, violent video.



Here is a excellent clip from the TV show "Nyhetsmorgon" a few days ago.

https://www.tv4.se/klipp/va/13748943/meet-me-in-jannah-med-gina-dirawi

More info @

Official Gina Dirawi Facebook

Listen to ”Gina Dirawi - Meet Me In Jannah" on Spotify!

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