Palestinian musicians Saint Levant and MC Abed have joined forces to release “Deira”, which sees the artists pay a peaceful tribute to the people and culture of Gaza and perform in the style of traditional Arabic folk music. Levant recently signed a contract with Universal Arab Music, founded by Wassim “Sal” Salibi, The Weeknd’s manager and CEO of XO.
Levant, who is of Palestinian, Algerian, French and Serbian origins and currently resides in Los Angeles, said: “Deira is the name of the hotel that my father Rachid, the architect, built with my mother in 2000 when they moved to Gaza.” Angeles. “Deira means the Kasbah or the old city. He built this hotel with mud because it was impossible to import cement at that time. This hotel is located on the beach, and is considered one of the most beautiful hotels in Gaza. It consists of 22 rooms. It was a true architectural marvel. On July 16 /July 2014, four children who were playing ball in front of the hotel were killed by Israeli missile fire, the last of which was the complete destruction of the hotel as a result of bombing three months ago.
He continued: “This song is also a celebration of Palestinian daily life.” “With a sound inspired by Dahmane El Harrachi, considered the great master of Algerian popular music, Deira is rooted in Algerian culture through her sound (where my mother is from) and in Palestinian culture through her lyrics (my father’s land). Deira represents a mixture of my parents’ cultures.
Abdul (pictured above, left, wearing the starred hat), 15, a well-known rapper from Gaza, contributes English verses to the song. “I’m very happy with this release,” Abdul, who was the subject of a feature on diverse “It was an exciting experience for me to be a part of this song,” he said in 2020. “This is for my people, this song is for Palestine. And I’m happy that I filmed this in Jordan with my brother Saint Levant. I can’t wait for us to perform it together.”
He continued: “The last few months have been very difficult for me. “I left Gaza a month before the war started so that I could finish some songs and release new releases for my fans. I never realized things would turn so completely upside down. Some of my family members, friends, neighbors and relatives have died from the war. Music is my therapy and I wanted to express myself through this amazing song. It’s been my comeback song for a few months. I will always speak up and represent the culture.”