RIYADH: The latest guest on “The Mayman Show” — Arab News’ “personable podcast” hosted by Hussam Al-Mayman — is Saudi singer-songwriter Mishaal Tamer, who’s been making a name for himself internationally with his soulful voice and personal lyrics.
Tamer — who was born and raised in Jeddah to a Saudi father and Ecuadorian mother, and studied music in New York — had just returned from Los Angeles, where he was working on the teaser trailer for his upcoming debut album “Home is Changing,” which is due out in October.
That album title is a theme to which Tamer returned multiple times during the podcast, as he enthused passionately about the Kingdom’s burgeoning cultural scene and his desire to promote it to the world.
“A lot of what the kids are making in Saudi now — it’s a lot more real than a lot of the stuff that I see coming from outside of Saudi,” Tamer told Al-Mayman. “Because it’s a lot more raw. And it’s a lot more needed. We did not have this privilege to express ourselves 10 years ago. There was no platform. Now? The sky’s the limit. They’ve got our back. Do you know how proud this makes me?”
Here, we select some highlights from Tamer’s conversation on the show.
On going viral recently:
We were shooting the album teaser and we were playing this song called “Baba Fein” (a viral hit in the early 2000s). And I just made a little TikTok video from this thing, just showing what I’d done with the sample, basically. And it just blew up. This has never happened to me before. Never had a moment like that. And look, it’s cringe, and everybody’s like, “Oh my god, TikTok ruined the song” or whatever. But for an artist, if you have a song go viral on TikTok it is the greatest marketing tool that you could dream of. So, needless to say, I’m excited.
On insecurity:
I’ve been making music since I was nine. And I’ve been showing my music to people since I was 17 — starting with the little clip of “Can’t Love Myself.” But I’ve battled with a lot of insecurity. I’m an introvert, so I think I was just scared. If you’d asked me two years ago, I’d have been, like, “Don’t show anyone any of this! I don’t want my music to leave this laptop.” I was frightened. But I’m not afraid anymore. Because I feel like it’s selfish if I do that. Like, the music helped me a lot. I made it for myself. I was going through a really tough time and it got me through it. Today, I understand that I’m in a position where I have an opportunity to really make a difference and really help push the envelope. Do what I can to be just a little part of this wave that’s happening already. With or without me, it’s gonna happen.
On how home is changing:
I can tell you something I haven’t said in any (interview) before. I was born and raised here. I grew up in Jeddah. But when I was a kid, I didn’t want to live here when I was a grown up. And that broke my heart because I love this country. Now? There is no other place I’d rather be. What I’m trying to say is, for anybody who felt like how I felt when you were a kid, please understand that home is changing. Or if you used to live in Saudi and now you’re living outside, please understand that home is changing. I tell this to people who used to live here when they were kids — a lot of them are not even Saudi, a lot of them are Lebanese — and I show them, like, “Look what it’s like now!” Home is changing. People need to be more excited about this. It’s a beautiful thing. It’s an historical thing.
On Saudi Arabia’s arts and culture scene:
When I came back home after being in the US for five years, I got the opportunity to work with (Saudi artist) Ahmed Mater, to do the (artwork) for the song “Wallahi.” And looking into that world of Saudi art, it was, like, “This is a goldmine!” And the best part is, it’s not just for the Arab world; it’s universal. Number one, this shows the importance of art. And number two, it’s coming out of one of the most unlikely places. The force that it is right now reminds me of when you’re in the shower and you hold a bar of soap, you know? The harder you try to squeeze it, that moment it gets its freedom, the further it will fly. This is exactly what’s happening in Saudi Arabia today. We’re ready. We want to go. And we’re not going to stop until the job is done. And the job will be done, it’s only a matter of time. For 40 years, this country had artists in the closet. And the beauty that we find! My God! We have a lot to offer. It’s alien to the outside world. And right now, in an age where so much saturation exists, the world needs something new, and I honestly believe that the modern Khaleeji youth is it. And it’s only a matter of time until people know — until it’s shown to the masses. All it really (takes) is exposure. Because, my God, do we have the art.
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