Join us for an intimate performance and conversation with Palestinian singer and songwriter Israa Shalaby which took place at Habibi Festival this October. Recently relocated to NYC, Israa reflects on how her performances act as a spiritual connection to something divine and otherworldly. She shares the profound influence of her hometown Akka in shaping her identity as a Palestinian, while addressing the challenges of navigating and resisting the categorization of Palestinian identity, particularly being labeled as an "Arab of 48." Israa also opens up about her experiences with a band she initially believed to be made up of leftist Israeli anarchists, the tensions that arose around her vocal activism, and her decision to leave the group following the events of October 7th. Her story offers a powerful glimpse into the intersection of music, identity, and resistance
00:00 Powerful Long Set Performed by Israa
30:23 Mikey Interviews Israa on Stage
Israa Shalaby is a Palestinian singer and songwriter. Her new single release featuring American Producer Carmen Rizzo is a mixture of Sufi style with experimental organic sounds. Israa’s songs are a powerful testament of the free spirit. She is known for her raw, honest lyrics and her ritual-oriented performances, and for her role in The Hallways, an innovative Experimental Arabic Drone Music collective.
Connect with Israa 👉 https://www.instagram.com/israa.wmusic/
Habibi Festival is back for another year at Joe's Pub, bringing Arabs, comrades, and lovers of music together in New York in these difficult times that our nations continue to endure. And for another year, afikra was on stage to speak to the musicians and bring their conversations and performances to you on afikra's Quartertones podcast.
Created with the goal of giving a snapshot of contemporary and traditional music of the South West Asia North Africa (SWANA) region, every year Habibi Festival takes listeners on a journey of the sounds wafting through the airwaves and living rooms of cities spanning Marrakech to Baghdad. This performing arts festival (now in its fourth year) is a collaboration between the Director of Joe's Pub Alex Knowlton, artist/composer/curator Yacine Boulares, and curator/producer Meera Dugal who are bonded by the goal of creating more joyful spaces for performance, conversation, and storytelling from this part of the world.
Follow Habibi Festival 👉 https://www.instagram.com/habibifestival
Hosted by Mikey Muhanna 👉 https://www.instagram.com/mikey_mu