Marwan Halabi
Bio
Marwan Halabi’s quest for his own artistic space led him through various experiences. Influenced by his immediate environment, he started out by singing Arabic songs. He then taught himself to play the guitar and traveled to learn about spiritual forms of music. Marwan’s music can now be described as composite, imbued with diverse identities and musical forms.
Marwan has taught music for children and he went on to learn several disciplines which he did not see through, realizing that his true desire was to make music. He learned to sing and play at an early age at home, where being offkey was strictly forbidden. The fundamental influence on his art came from learning about spiritual music during his extensive travel in India, leading him to blend Middle Eastern maqams, Indian ragas, and the blues.
Marwan produced seven songs, through which he sought to address the complexities of present realities and the limitations on identity under occupation in his hometown of Daliat al-Karmel in northern Palestine. In “Nafham Ala Baad” (We Understand Each Other) and “Liqaa al-Malaeka” (Angels’ Encounter), he merges a spiritual musicality with his anger towards his reality, in a representation of inner light and darkness.
Marwan’s music can be said to range between rock, soft rock, and alternative Arabic music, but his work is broadly distinguished by the variety it contains and the uniqueness of its sound, transcending any dominant trends.
Released track Me & You
In this song “Me & You”, Marwan reconnects with his Self through a dialogue with two versions of himself in a moment of despair. He speaks of the chaos of existence and crisis of confusion in what unfolds as a dialogue between a person who finds himself at a loss and another who pulls towards hope. In the midst of his inner darkness, he struggles to restore the hope lost, with the realization that hope is but a small spark that needs to be fed and reignited into life.
Production Team
Vocals: Marwan Halabi
Composers: Marwan Halabi, Philip Halloun
Authors: Marwan Halabi, Mazen Hamdan, Muhamad Saleh Khalil
Guitar: Philip Halloun
Music Production: Philip Halloun
