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Palestinian Pop Artist Bashar Murad on His Life Affirming New EP ‘Maskhara'

RollingStone India

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August 2021

House beats, Arabic instrumentation and a resounding story of self-belief against the odds became the fuel that drove the East Jerusalem-based singer-producer

- ANURAG TAGAT

Palestinian Pop Artist Bashar Murad on His Life Affirming New EP ‘Maskhara'

Over a video call from his neighborhood of Sheikh Jarrah, Bashar Murad sums up the journey so far as a pop musician. “When you’re a Palestinian artist, everyone has something to say. And I think that’s a good thing,” he says.

There’s a lot which can draw anyone to Murad as a personality as well as a musician. As a singer, he shot to fame after collaborating with Icelandic techno/punk group Hatari on the song “Klefi” in 2019 and also provided backing vocals on Coldplay’s song “Orphans” offtheir 2019 album Everyday Life. On his new EP Maskhara, his Arabic vocals inflect over lyrics about escapism, self-love and of course, protest.

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