The rise of Palestinian pop

The rise of Palestinian pop David Corio Musicians from the territories are making a big noise – which is all the more remarkable given the obstacles they have overcome to get their work heard, writes William Ralston. “There is now a diversity to the scene, and it’s starting to come out.” A new network At the centre of this evolution is PMX, a meeting point geared towards providing Palestinian artists with opportunities to showcase their music, learn new skills, and connect with the global music industry. David Corio TootArd were one of the acts who played at this year’s Palestine Music Expo, which has become a way for Palestinian musicians to connect with the industry “It gives artists opportunities,” Jrere says, “and encourages them to take a step forward, to continue perfecting their sound, and to develop their brand.” It also creates a healthy bit of competition, and connects the various musical scenes that for so long had been fragmented. “World music has always been dominated by English-speaking music, but now you’ve seen K-Pop and South American music, and also Indian and Chinese music; within three years, I feel everybody is going to be talking about the Middle Eastern region, including Palestine.” Hussain Yoosuf, senior vice-president of creative and A&R at Reservoir, an independent music publisher based in New York, believes it’s only a matter of time before we see Palestinian musicians in the global charts. “As a Palestinian artist, you always have people impose on you your genre; people always think we are going to play traditional Palestinian music, but we’re like every other place in the world with lots of artists doing different things.” LeBlanc, who has attended PMX each year, feels that only those able to sing in English will cross over into the mainstream charts, while others will depend on sales in Arabic-speaking countries.