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Bashar Murad promises a colourful 2021 with latest release Maskhara

Palestinian singer-songwriter sums up torrid last 12 months and projects hope with new single out in the UAE

IF THIS PERFORMER’S photos don’t usher you into their universe, perhaps media outlets including the UK’s BBC and The Guardian newspaper describing the artist using terms such as ‘Arabic provocateur’, will have you reading on and taking a listen to the work. For the last few years Palestinian counter-culture pop hero Bashar Murad has been gaining global traction through a bold, colourful profile and catchy hooks. Behind the bombast aimed at courting attention in a notoriously cutthroat industry, however, lays a mild-mannered and considered balladeer intent on spreading a message of optimism, acceptance and unity.

With an aural two fingers aloft peaceful feel complete with Reggae bounce, Murad’s latest Maskhara (out via PopArabia in the UAE now) ostensibly riffs on mental health and escapism as a reference to 2020’s torrid events not only encompassing the pandemic, but also racist police brutality in the US causing worldwide uproar. Though through the track’s nods to disco, retro ‘80s synth and the visual feast that is the video streams hope; hope our psychological wellbeing, injustice and oppression can be improved.

“The message on Maskhara is that we all go through the dark times and we all have ways to bring ourselves out to the other side, into the light,” Murad said. “We’re all in this together and there is light at the end of the tunnel.”

Founder of Sabreen, the first alternative Palestinian music group in the 1980s, the unconventional scene is very much in Murad’s wheelhouse: a prevalent element in the song’s clip.

“The video has been playing in my brain for the past three years and we finally managed to film it after the second lockdown in June,” Murad said. “Because I had a lot of time to prepare I was able to plan every detail which was fun to see become a reality. We filmed in Nabi Musa, Bethlehem, and Jerusalem. The team and actors were all friends and family, and people who I felt really believed in this project.”

Reaction to Maskhara has already been positive. Comments left on just the YouTube posting reveal a broad consensus. Words like ‘masterpiece’ and ‘addicted’ abound, but it is the overwhelming mentions of ‘love’, which are really telling.

“We’ve been play-listed on Spotify’s Global X Playlist which is so exciting because I want to share my music on a global level.”

Murad may be a familiar face to some, having taken to the televised spotlight in February during Iceland’s search for a Eurovision entry. In terms of future performances, though, the future is a little more uncertain.

“We have to see how this year unfolds, but I’m excited to return to the stage and hope to perform new music, travel and create more.

“Without hope, I probably wouldn’t be doing what I’m doing. I would have just given up and carried on with the status quo. But on a day-to-day basis, I have to remind myself to remain hopeful and that I have faith in my generation.”