Biography
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Born
7 February 1993 (age 31)
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Born In
Jerusalem, West Bank, Palestinian Territory, Occupied
Bashar Murad is a Palestinian singer, lyricist, director and composer born and raised in Jerusalem. Bashar uses pop music and art as a vehicle to challenge stereotypes, normativity and to highlight social issues facing young generations of urban Palestinians.
Bashar grew up surrounded by the works and compositions of one of Palestine’s most innovative bands Sabreen. His father’s studio at Sabreen provided the perfect playground for Bashar to imbibe the masterful works of the band. He later went on to study at the Bridgewater College for Liberal Arts in Virginia where he gained creative knowledge to develop his own works. Since 2018 Bashar has been producing genre-bending music defying patriarchal and oppressive structures present within his immediate environment.
His works include “Shillet Hamal” (Bunch of Bums), Ilkul 3am Bitjawaz (Everyone’s Getting Married) and the United Nations commissioned song and music video for “Ana Zalameh” (I Am A Man) all garnering regional and global attention. Apart from the unique sound which Bashar managed to carve himself on the Palestinian and regional music scenes, he also accompanies his works with spectacular visual works testifying to his playful imagination.
In June 2021 Bashar Murad released his debut E.P. “Maskhara” (Arabic for “Mockery”). The work is a masterpiece of escapist sonic finesse, blending his native Jerusalem reality with a distinct pop style and genre-bending aesthetics. For the E.P. Murad has collaborated with pioneering Palestinian hip hop artist Tamer Nafar (DAM), recruited the brilliant oud mastery of Said Murad and Wisam Murad (Sabreen) and called on the expertise of world-class American producer Gannin Arnold. The four track E.P. was produced during the global pandemic and is inspired by Murad’s Palestinian reality, taking in the daily tensions that form an integral part of life in Jerusalem, while also infusing the sounds with a strong desire for escapism, satire and an innovative pop aesthetic. The music on the E.P. provides little space for rest or respite, upbeat and energetic sounds instantly take the listener to another dimension.
Bashar’s Arabic pop gumbo became sought after at regional, European and North American festivals and events and in 2020 he was signed to Indie Label Pop Arabia. He has been featured in articles from CBC, The Guardian, the Globe, The Mail and the BBC, with the press describing him as “The Palestinian singer blurring gender lines” and a “slightly built, mild-mannered Arabic provocateur.”
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