DUBAI: Palestinian Jordanian artist Zeyne is gearing up for the release of her album “Awda” on Oct. 16.
The singer shared the track list, including 13 songs, and also took to Instagram this week to share behind-the-scenes photographs from a recent performance in Saudi Arabia’s AlUla.
Saudi label MDLBEAST this week revealed that the artist’s music has been submitted for consideration in four categories at next year’s Grammy Awards.
The record label submitted the songs “Asli Ana” and “Hilwa” for the Best Global Music Performance award and the Best Music Video award.
Zeyne’s most recent single “Hilwa” dropped in July and the artwork — shot by Zaid Allozi — shows three women interlocked by their braided hair.
“The image shows three generations — me, my mother and my grandmother — all connected by one continuous braid. It’s a symbol of inheritance; the quiet strength and love passed from one woman to the next,” Zeyne told Arab News at the time of the release. “The braid holds the kind of love that isn’t always spoken, but is deeply felt and remembered.”
Following Zeyne’s 2024 hit “Asli Ana,” which reimagined Arab rhythmic traditions through a futuristic lens, “Hilwa” pays homage to her mother and grandmother, whose love and wisdom deeply shaped her sense of identity. “While ‘Asli Ana’ was about resistance, ‘Hilwa’ is softer,” she said.
Born Zein Sajdi in Amman in 1997, Zeyne was raised in a household where music and culture were key. Her father was a record collector, her mother led a dabke troupe and her sister trained as a classical pianist. Zeyne began performing aged five and was already writing her own lyrics in her teens.
Since the release of her 2021 debut single, “Minni Ana,” Zeyne has carved a singular lane in Arab pop — merging traditional Arabic sounds with modern, genre-defying production.
Earlier this year, she launched a three-stop regional mini tour, “The Golden-Hour Run,” that included a landmark performance at the OffLimits Festival in the UAE and stadium appearances as a special guest on Ed Sheeran’s Mathematics Tour in Qatar and Bahrain, where she performed to more than 65,000 people.
She became the first female artist from the Levant to appear on the globally renowned music platform COLORS with her song “Ma Bansak,” and a viral performance in collaboration with Bottega Veneta blurred the lines between fashion, music and Palestinian resistance.
