{"id":17031,"date":"2025-06-05T10:32:16","date_gmt":"2025-06-05T07:32:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/al-rawiya.com\/?p=17031"},"modified":"2025-06-05T14:35:44","modified_gmt":"2025-06-05T11:35:44","slug":"fann-w-fenjein-sarah-mansour","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/al-rawiya.com\/ar\/fann-w-fenjein-sarah-mansour\/","title":{"rendered":"Fann w Fenjein: Sarah Mansour"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t<div data-elementor-type=\"wp-post\" data-elementor-id=\"17031\" class=\"elementor elementor-17031\" data-elementor-post-type=\"post\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-fabafbd elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"fabafbd\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-bcf7d06\" data-id=\"bcf7d06\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-c0d6ef5 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"c0d6ef5\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">RnB-Soul<\/span><\/p><p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>Love in Three Languages: Sarah Mansour Turns the Page<\/strong><\/p><p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">By Abe Younan<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-fe0c19a elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"fe0c19a\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-8a439d9\" data-id=\"8a439d9\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-b25e583 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"b25e583\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Being an indie-pop artist in Lebanon in 2025 is like walking a \u201ctightrope\u201d (a reference to Janelle Monae for fans of the genre). You&#8217;re expected to deliver the full package: to define a sound that carries the political weight of a generation, to produce quality visuals on a shoestring budget, and to stand out in a saturated scene. Where the audience demands authenticity, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/sarahdmansour\/?hl=en\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Sarah Mansour<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> doesn\u2019t flinch. She sings RnB in three languages\u2013 even though English-Arabic infusion is the hot trend right now, Sarah\u2019s signature trilingual harmony is more than a branding game. Her 2023 EP <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Uninterrupted<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> collected her past singles into a self-portrait that introduced her powerful vocal runs and emotional depth. With her new single <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Electrified<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> (2025), she leans into a more expansive, layered, and upbeat sound, hinting at a new direction for her future music. At the core of all her songs is love: a starry-eyed idealism perhaps, but Sarah\u2019s lens is one of adulting through the imperfections. Sarah calls this her \u201cromantic comedy era,\u201d and her belief that love is the thread that ties together our scattered lives across cities, screens, and expectations is a credence we could all use more of. In this conversation with fellow singer and love-crooner <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/abe_younan\/?hl=en\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Abe Younan<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, she dives into how music became a purpose and a home of her own making.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-66cfec8 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"66cfec8\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-dbc8b1e\" data-id=\"dbc8b1e\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-de926f1 elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"de926f1\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"768\" height=\"1152\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/al-rawiya.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Copy-of-PRESS-KIT-6.jpg?fit=768%2C1152&amp;ssl=1\" class=\"attachment-medium_large size-medium_large wp-image-17044\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/al-rawiya.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Copy-of-PRESS-KIT-6.jpg?w=4480&amp;ssl=1 4480w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/al-rawiya.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Copy-of-PRESS-KIT-6.jpg?resize=200%2C300&amp;ssl=1 200w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/al-rawiya.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Copy-of-PRESS-KIT-6.jpg?resize=683%2C1024&amp;ssl=1 683w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/al-rawiya.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Copy-of-PRESS-KIT-6.jpg?resize=768%2C1152&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/al-rawiya.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Copy-of-PRESS-KIT-6.jpg?resize=1024%2C1536&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/al-rawiya.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Copy-of-PRESS-KIT-6.jpg?resize=1365%2C2048&amp;ssl=1 1365w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/al-rawiya.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Copy-of-PRESS-KIT-6.jpg?resize=600%2C900&amp;ssl=1 600w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/al-rawiya.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Copy-of-PRESS-KIT-6.jpg?w=1600&amp;ssl=1 1600w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/al-rawiya.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Copy-of-PRESS-KIT-6.jpg?w=2400&amp;ssl=1 2400w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-a0aae7a elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"a0aae7a\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><em>Photo courtesy of Flo Husseini<\/em><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-877a834 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"877a834\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-b244df4\" data-id=\"b244df4\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-5b57804 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"5b57804\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><b>ABE YOUNAN:<\/b><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Hey Sarah, how are you? I&#8217;ve been listening to your music all morning, it\u2019s really cool stuff! I like it, it\u2019s poppy and original.<\/span><\/p><p>\u00a0<\/p><p><b>SARAH MANSOUR:<\/b><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Nice to meet you! I checked you out as well. You have a very old school vibe about you. It reminds me of a different time.<\/span><\/p><p>\u00a0<\/p><p><b>ABE<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">:\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Thank you, I\u2019ve been doing this for a few years. I used to only play live gigs if I was doing original music, but it felt like the venues kept demanding cover songs, so I\u2019m practicing with that these days, doing covers in my own style. I was really moved by your sound, I felt you owned the identity of a Lebanese artist singing original music in three languages.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p>\u00a0<\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Maybe this question is a bit clich\u00e9, let\u2019s start with telling us a bit about your background, where you grew up, and what music inspired you while growing up?<\/span><\/p><p>\u00a0<\/p><p><b>SARAH<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">:<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The place I&#8217;ve lived most in my life is here in Lebanon. I was born here, and I was raised here. I moved to the States at 18, where I studied my undergrad in film production, and then I worked in the film industry in LA. This was one of the most important times of my life, and an important decision I made\u2026and then the other most important decision I made was moving back, and that was right at the <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">thawra<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">! I had left when I was 18, and I returned to a different place, as you can imagine. I\u2019ve been back for about five years.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-cf36218 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"cf36218\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-1273639\" data-id=\"1273639\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-a61e4cb elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"a61e4cb\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><b>ABE:<\/b><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Yeah, the last five years have been crazy\u2026<\/span><\/p><p>\u00a0<\/p><p><b>SARAH:\u00a0<\/b><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Absolutely bananas.<\/span><\/p><p>\u00a0<\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">So, that&#8217;s where I\u2019ve lived. A lot of different influences\u2013 already just being Lebanese, I think many people feel this way, that so much has influenced what our culture is. When we live abroad it connects even more with this multicultural aspect of our identity. I think that really affected my work, and where my inspiration comes from.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">There was a lot of Arabic at home, classic icons like Fairuz and the Rahbanis, a lot of Majida al Roumi and Carole Samaha. I also grew up listening to American pop. I&#8217;ve been into music my whole life, and I knew this was what I was meant to be doing, even though I never really got into it professionally until a later time. Because, I feel like it took me so long to define my sound, and I think that it wasn&#8217;t until I got really into RnB Soul\u2013 especially during my time in LA getting into Erykah Badu and Sade, HER and Daniel Caesar, and then the pop like SZA, Beyonce, Ariana Grande\u2013 so when I started singing, I got comfortable in pop music. And I knew that I was going to get into a very pop, RnB identity, and that&#8217;s it. But you know, what I listen to and what inspires me always changes. Right now \u0625\u0646\u0648 I&#8217;m obsessed with The Mar\u00edas.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p>\u00a0<\/p><p><b>ABE:\u00a0<\/b><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I want to ask this specifically about your song <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Alter Ego<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, what inspired you to sample <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Bent El Shalabeya<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">? Why did that one Fairuz song hit for you? I love that song, the words are simple but it immediately feels like home.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-d03da21 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"d03da21\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-eca0633\" data-id=\"eca0633\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-eeda882 elementor-widget elementor-widget-video\" data-id=\"eeda882\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-settings=\"{&quot;youtube_url&quot;:&quot;https:\\\/\\\/www.youtube.com\\\/watch?v=4jYMhobDjMU&amp;pp=ygUSI3lvdXRlYmVrYW5hbGFsdGVy&quot;,&quot;video_type&quot;:&quot;youtube&quot;,&quot;controls&quot;:&quot;yes&quot;}\" data-widget_type=\"video.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-wrapper elementor-open-inline\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-video\"><\/div>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-0b1048b elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"0b1048b\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-fe5c663\" data-id=\"fe5c663\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-2e8fe8b elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"2e8fe8b\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><b>SARAH:\u00a0<\/b><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I grew up listening to <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Bent El Shalabeya<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and I remember even learning that song and performing it in the choir at school. It\u2019s actually an old Levantine folk song that became famous because of Fairuz. My producer and I were playing around with a specific beat and the song just came to me, but I changed the melody of the last two notes of \u201cShalabeya\u201d for \u201cAlter Ego\u201d, which made it sassy, whereas the Fairuz song feels cute and sweet.<\/span><\/p><p>\u00a0<\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I&#8217;ve been listening to a lot of Ziad Rahbani\u2019s classic album <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Houdou\u2019 Nisbi<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and that song <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Khalas<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> [sings]&#8230; whenever I listen to Arabic music, I connect on every level, my attachment and my groundedness in Lebanon as a country, nothing can compare to that\u2013 I feel a literal attachment to the land. So when I&#8217;m listening to Lebanese artists it makes me very emotional, especially overseas, there\u2019s a \u201cneither-here-nor-there\u201d kind of thing. With Lebanese classics, you feel like you&#8217;re home, automatically. Even during the war recently, I went to London for a few weeks, and I was waiting to get on the tube, listening to Julia Boutros, and I couldn&#8217;t believe I was in a tight crowd of people like that, you put your headphones on, and suddenly you&#8217;re just, physically, completely elsewhere. I was listening to <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Betnafas Hirriyi<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, do you know that song?<\/span><\/p><p>\u00a0<\/p><p><b>ABE<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">:\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I\u2019m not sure, no. I&#8217;m not very into Arabic music, I&#8217;m starting to get into it again.<\/span><\/p><p>\u00a0<\/p><p><b>SARAH:\u00a0\u00a0<\/b><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I got into Arabic later in life, I&#8217;m talking on an intellectual level. Before that we would just hear it by growing up here. Did you grow up in Lebanon?\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p>\u00a0<\/p><p><b>ABE:\u00a0<\/b><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I did. But my family was very western oriented, and my dad&#8217;s really into music. He&#8217;s not one to mess around: he has over 10,000 vinyls at home, but we didn\u2019t listen to a lot of Arabic stuff, more American, British, African music. Every two days, I would be at the record store, so I know my stuff a lot, but I say unfortunately, I never got into Arabic. The only person who got me into it was Ziad Rahbani in the beginning. Now I&#8217;m willing to open up, because more resonates when you grow older, like what you&#8217;re saying. We listen to them in Arabic restaurants and in very weird setups\u2013 taxi cabs, elevators or supermarkets, we don&#8217;t really give it value. And then when you listen to them again and feel like <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u0647\u064a\u0643<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> they hit a spot that nothing else can.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p>\u00a0<\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">People sometimes argue that we Lebanese don&#8217;t have a strong identity because we don&#8217;t know how to use Arabic perfectly. But I argue that multilingual is our identity. And just the fact that we speak all three languages in one sentence, I&#8217;m glad that somebody like you can own it, do it in a song. What made you take that step and really have the courage to find that voice?<\/span><\/p><p>\u00a0<\/p><p><b>SARAH:\u00a0<\/b><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It didn&#8217;t make sense to have only one facet of me in the music, because making music\u2013 to me\u2013 is really about coming into myself as a person. Music is the tool, and I&#8217;m still experimenting. It&#8217;s taken me time to realize how I like to paint it for myself\u2013 I would say my songs are like 70% English, sprinkles of French, and then more solid pieces in Arabic. I just want more of what I make to embody me as a person.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-d8f5192 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"d8f5192\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-45dc0f6\" data-id=\"45dc0f6\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-3bb92f6 elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"3bb92f6\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"768\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/al-rawiya.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/IMG_0388.jpg?fit=768%2C1024&amp;ssl=1\" class=\"attachment-large size-large wp-image-17042\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/al-rawiya.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/IMG_0388.jpg?w=3000&amp;ssl=1 3000w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/al-rawiya.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/IMG_0388.jpg?resize=225%2C300&amp;ssl=1 225w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/al-rawiya.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/IMG_0388.jpg?resize=768%2C1024&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/al-rawiya.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/IMG_0388.jpg?resize=1152%2C1536&amp;ssl=1 1152w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/al-rawiya.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/IMG_0388.jpg?resize=1536%2C2048&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/al-rawiya.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/IMG_0388.jpg?resize=600%2C800&amp;ssl=1 600w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/al-rawiya.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/IMG_0388.jpg?w=1600&amp;ssl=1 1600w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/al-rawiya.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/IMG_0388.jpg?w=2400&amp;ssl=1 2400w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-715b7ee elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"715b7ee\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><em>Photo courtesy of Aya Saleh<\/em><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-8442607 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"8442607\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-b312591\" data-id=\"b312591\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-201b20f elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"201b20f\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><b>ABE:\u00a0\u00a0<\/b><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Yeah, I think as artists, we need to be genuine. We need to be ourselves. What about the new music you have coming out this year? Is there a new direction to your sound?<\/span><\/p><p>\u00a0<\/p><p><b>SARAH:\u00a0\u00a0<\/b><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Well, <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Electrified<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> is bilingual, not trilingual. Everything from <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">All Your Love<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> onwards has a similar soundscape, and <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Electrified<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> is a love song. It&#8217;s about feeling safe in an intimate relationship, feeling like you know your time together is never enough, but no matter where or what gets in the way, no matter how much distance there is, you still find a way back to each other. Managing your lives, but still finding that time for the relationship. I&#8217;m very excited about this one. It&#8217;s the first time I co-direct my own music video, alongside my creative director Nadim Abu Alwan, I went back to my film roots. I call it my little romantic comedy.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-e111749 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"e111749\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-b2b664e\" data-id=\"b2b664e\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-caea5e9 elementor-widget elementor-widget-video\" data-id=\"caea5e9\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-settings=\"{&quot;youtube_url&quot;:&quot;https:\\\/\\\/www.youtube.com\\\/watch?v=qc9t7ICodM8&quot;,&quot;video_type&quot;:&quot;youtube&quot;,&quot;controls&quot;:&quot;yes&quot;}\" data-widget_type=\"video.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-wrapper elementor-open-inline\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-video\"><\/div>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-c59377b elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"c59377b\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-9dacb92\" data-id=\"9dacb92\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-d3f2edf elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"d3f2edf\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><b>ABE<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">:\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">On the topic of love, I was wondering about your focus on love songs and ballads. There is this expectation for indie artists to sing about politics or different aspects of life, what moves you to sing about love?<\/span><\/p><p>\u00a0<\/p><p><b>SARAH:\u00a0\u00a0<\/b><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I never go into writing with judgment on what I&#8217;m supposed to do. I write to release things, and to connect the world to what I&#8217;m connecting with at the moment. Some songs are stories that I&#8217;ve really experienced, and some are about overcoming feelings that others have experienced. I know it&#8217;s gonna come off as personal stories, whether I&#8217;m talking about myself or not. But, what can I say, I am a romantic! Even saying <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u2018I&#8217;m in a romantic comedy era\u2019<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, I don&#8217;t mean that just in terms of the music. When you watch these movies, you&#8217;re literally in love with life, you&#8217;re in love with yourself, and everything seems so picturesque and perfect. But I think that\u2019s just me.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-5698a45 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"5698a45\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-5db7c14\" data-id=\"5db7c14\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-0ec2468 elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"0ec2468\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"800\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/al-rawiya.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Electrified_Cover-Art_3000x3000.jpg?fit=800%2C800&amp;ssl=1\" class=\"attachment-large size-large wp-image-17035\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/al-rawiya.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Electrified_Cover-Art_3000x3000.jpg?w=3000&amp;ssl=1 3000w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/al-rawiya.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Electrified_Cover-Art_3000x3000.jpg?resize=300%2C300&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/al-rawiya.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Electrified_Cover-Art_3000x3000.jpg?resize=1024%2C1024&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/al-rawiya.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Electrified_Cover-Art_3000x3000.jpg?resize=150%2C150&amp;ssl=1 150w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/al-rawiya.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Electrified_Cover-Art_3000x3000.jpg?resize=768%2C768&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/al-rawiya.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Electrified_Cover-Art_3000x3000.jpg?resize=1536%2C1536&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/al-rawiya.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Electrified_Cover-Art_3000x3000.jpg?resize=2048%2C2048&amp;ssl=1 2048w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/al-rawiya.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Electrified_Cover-Art_3000x3000.jpg?resize=70%2C70&amp;ssl=1 70w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/al-rawiya.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Electrified_Cover-Art_3000x3000.jpg?resize=600%2C600&amp;ssl=1 600w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/al-rawiya.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Electrified_Cover-Art_3000x3000.jpg?resize=100%2C100&amp;ssl=1 100w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/al-rawiya.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Electrified_Cover-Art_3000x3000.jpg?resize=400%2C400&amp;ssl=1 400w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/al-rawiya.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Electrified_Cover-Art_3000x3000.jpg?w=1600&amp;ssl=1 1600w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/al-rawiya.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Electrified_Cover-Art_3000x3000.jpg?w=2400&amp;ssl=1 2400w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-b3fbf14 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"b3fbf14\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><em>Photo courtesy of Nadim Abou Alwan<\/em><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-a896fbb elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"a896fbb\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-87bf5f9\" data-id=\"87bf5f9\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-5212377 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"5212377\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><b>ABE<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">:\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You should watch a movie called <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Moonstruck<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, by Cher and Nicholas Cage. I never thought my favorite movie would be a romantic comedy\u2013 I\u2019m usually into action, but I swear it is! There&#8217;s something theatrical about it, that love is a crazy feeling and you should follow it.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Ok, something I\u2019m personally curious about is when did you write your first single?<\/span><\/p><p>\u00a0<\/p><p><b>SARAH:\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/b><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Wow I&#8217;m writing that down, will definitely check it out! Well I wrote my first single <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">When You Call<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> at the beginning of 2021. It was a bad time for me, and even in Lebanon specifically. I was finally face-to-face with the question of <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u2018if you died tomorrow, what would you do?\u2019<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> When you&#8217;re really in a confrontation with your existence, you have to make a decision, and the decision is often not what you&#8217;re doing with your life. We&#8217;re really not meant to be where we are. I had this moment of honesty, and ended up writing my debut single.<\/span><\/p><p>\u00a0<\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">What started as one song and <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u2018put it in the world\u2019<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> became a full-on, proper release. And after I released the first song, I was like, \u2018<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">there&#8217;s nothing else I&#8217;m going to be doing for the rest of my life, I&#8217;m going to be writing and releasing music and performing.<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u2019 I just knew,.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-ea622e1 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"ea622e1\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-f8737a9\" data-id=\"f8737a9\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-efcc110 elementor-widget elementor-widget-video\" data-id=\"efcc110\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-settings=\"{&quot;youtube_url&quot;:&quot;https:\\\/\\\/www.youtube.com\\\/watch?v=22nE6CwsjLU&quot;,&quot;video_type&quot;:&quot;youtube&quot;,&quot;controls&quot;:&quot;yes&quot;}\" data-widget_type=\"video.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-wrapper elementor-open-inline\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-video\"><\/div>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-eaf6e05 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"eaf6e05\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-28db9c5\" data-id=\"28db9c5\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-a99a22b elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"a99a22b\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><b>ABE:\u00a0<\/b><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Did you grow up playing an instrument or singing? What is your songwriting process? Do you start with lyrics or does a song start with the melody? Is it all in your head? Or is it different every time?<\/span><\/p><p>\u00a0<\/p><p><b>SARAH:<\/b><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It is a bit different every time, but also different things inspire us, right? Ninety percent of the time, I work on melody first. Sometimes it comes to me\u2013 the keys and chords together. Sometimes, I&#8217;ll sit with my producer, I&#8217;ll say \u2018<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I want to write a song that feels like this,<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u2019 and I&#8217;ll give him a reference, and then we work on a beat. When it comes to lyrics, for a long time I was writing lyrics alone, but when I started branching out to Arabic, I started collaborating with Talia Lahoud, she&#8217;s amazing. We did <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">All Your Love<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> together, as well as <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Electrified<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. I&#8217;ve also been playing piano since I was six years old. But I don&#8217;t play classical piano anymore, I just play to sing now.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-e5291b2 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"e5291b2\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-4430741\" data-id=\"4430741\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-8e56b6d elementor-widget elementor-widget-video\" data-id=\"8e56b6d\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-settings=\"{&quot;youtube_url&quot;:&quot;https:\\\/\\\/www.youtube.com\\\/watch?v=gU8guP0P-G0&quot;,&quot;video_type&quot;:&quot;youtube&quot;,&quot;controls&quot;:&quot;yes&quot;}\" data-widget_type=\"video.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-wrapper elementor-open-inline\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-video\"><\/div>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-6110f02 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"6110f02\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-567bbf7\" data-id=\"567bbf7\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-6b5696c elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"6b5696c\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><b>ABE:\u00a0<\/b><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Very cool. Ok, I have one last question, and this comes from me as an artist and being in Lebanon\u2013 I\u2019m very inspired by how everything you do is polished, and I bet it\u2019s a management nightmare. Producing a song, finishing it, mixing it, mastering it, and then the video! Costume designers, DOP, lighting, managing everything on one day for everyone to come together, I don\u2019t know, food. How?! And especially with the economic situation in Lebanon.<\/span><\/p><p>\u00a0<\/p><p><b>SARAH:\u00a0<\/b><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I think only a fellow artist would ask that! It\u2019s as much of a challenge as it looks, I\u2019m not gonna even pretend. I\u2019m so lucky I\u2019ve found like-minded people to collaborate with me on all of these projects. With the whole team, we always manage to come out with something that resembles the vision for that time. I\u2019m always restructuring the plan, reimagining the way it should be, we live in such a different time for music\u2013 even from just seven years ago. I feel very blessed because the people I work with ground me and protect me and my artistic vision, and are so talented in their own right, especially with Nadim recently, he\u2019s been incredible. It\u2019s all home-made; that is how it is for independent artists. You need to be extremely organized and really go for it. With all of that, try not to burn out, try to remember why you\u2019re doing this, and sometimes that\u2019s very hard.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p>\u00a0<\/p><p><b>ABE<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">:\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">And stay creative at the same time!<\/span><\/p><p>\u00a0<\/p><p><b>SARAH:\u00a0<\/b><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I\u2019ve learned this the hard way, but there are phases: artists go through seasons. There\u2019s a time where it\u2019s about hibernating and deep introspection, then it\u2019s all plotting and collecting inspiration, and then comes the fragile time of creating music. After that you\u2019re promoting, and then you\u2019re performing. So you have to always stay present in the phase and remember it\u2019s okay not to do everything at the same time\u2013 because that\u2019s a recipe for disaster.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-5e8948b elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"5e8948b\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-8be8c17\" data-id=\"8be8c17\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-44b0a9d elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"44b0a9d\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"640\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/al-rawiya.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/PRESS-KIT-3.jpeg?fit=800%2C640&amp;ssl=1\" class=\"attachment-large size-large wp-image-17069\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/al-rawiya.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/PRESS-KIT-3.jpeg?w=2741&amp;ssl=1 2741w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/al-rawiya.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/PRESS-KIT-3.jpeg?resize=300%2C240&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/al-rawiya.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/PRESS-KIT-3.jpeg?resize=1024%2C819&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/al-rawiya.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/PRESS-KIT-3.jpeg?resize=768%2C614&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/al-rawiya.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/PRESS-KIT-3.jpeg?resize=1536%2C1228&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/al-rawiya.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/PRESS-KIT-3.jpeg?resize=2048%2C1638&amp;ssl=1 2048w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/al-rawiya.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/PRESS-KIT-3.jpeg?resize=600%2C480&amp;ssl=1 600w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/al-rawiya.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/PRESS-KIT-3.jpeg?w=1600&amp;ssl=1 1600w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/al-rawiya.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/PRESS-KIT-3.jpeg?w=2400&amp;ssl=1 2400w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-f39591d elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"f39591d\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><em>Photo courtesy of Nadim Abou Alwan<\/em><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-76b4ca4 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"76b4ca4\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-4cf4574\" data-id=\"4cf4574\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-d79564c elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"d79564c\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><b>ABE<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">:\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I love that answer, that\u2019s inspiring me to write again. When are you performing next?<\/span><\/p><p>\u00a0<\/p><p><b>SARAH:\u00a0<\/b><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I\u2019m performing at Salon Beyrouth, it&#8217;s one of my favorite spots, I\u2019m excited to launch <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Electrified<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. I\u2019m also performing in the lineup at AUB Outdoors. Come by.<\/span><\/p><p>\u00a0<\/p><p><b>ABE<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">:\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Definitely, I\u2019ll try to be there. You performed at AUB last year too, right?<\/span><\/p><p>\u00a0<\/p><p><b>SARAH:\u00a0<\/b><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Yeah! But I joined Taxi 404 for one song. This year I\u2019ll be performing my own set.<\/span><\/p><p>\u00a0<\/p><p><b>Abe<\/b><\/p><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I love your song <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Heaven Knows<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> featuring Aminn from Taxi, <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">he\u2019s \u0648\u062d\u0634<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and you\u2019re amazing, I was so happy to see you did something with the people that I like. So, yella! See you soon!<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-8b8264a elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"8b8264a\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-d4344f1\" data-id=\"d4344f1\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-61a2008 elementor-widget elementor-widget-video\" data-id=\"61a2008\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-settings=\"{&quot;youtube_url&quot;:&quot;https:\\\/\\\/youtu.be\\\/sM7MM7vM-Ik?si=U4_ugkdwDJxKSZhP&quot;,&quot;video_type&quot;:&quot;youtube&quot;,&quot;controls&quot;:&quot;yes&quot;}\" data-widget_type=\"video.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-wrapper elementor-open-inline\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-video\"><\/div>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-2ed1717 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"2ed1717\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-c45f151\" data-id=\"c45f151\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-f466e03 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"f466e03\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/sarahdmansour\/?hl=en\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Sarah Mansour<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> is a multi-faceted artist and creative professional. As a singer-songwriter, her debut EP <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Uninterrupted<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> was showcased at her first sold-out headline show in London in 2023. Drawing inspiration from her Lebanese heritage and time in Los Angeles, Sarah describes her music as \u201cniche but for everyone.\u201d With her next project, Sarah hopes to fully embody her cross-cultural identity, crafting a sound that is both deeply personal and universally resonant.<\/span><\/p><p>\u00a0<\/p><p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/abe_younan\/?hl=en\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Abe Younan<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> is a singer and songwriter whose soulful blend of alternative Rock \u2018n\u2019 Roll conjures nostalgia mixed with youthful energy. His track <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Be3na Kilshi Bibalesh<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> was released on the Beirut &amp; Beyond &#8211; 10 years compilation album, spotlighting original songs for emerging musicians in Lebanon. Known for his warm voice and subtle storytelling, Abe performs regularly across Beirut\u2019s live music venues.<\/span><\/p><p><br \/><br \/><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>RnB-Soul Love in Three Languages: Sarah Mansour Turns the Page By Abe Younan Being an indie-pop artist in Lebanon in 2025 is like walking a \u201ctightrope\u201d (a reference to Janelle Monae for fans of the genre). You&#8217;re expected to deliver the full package: to define a sound that carries the political weight of a generation, [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":17032,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_eb_attr":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[160,322],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-17031","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-column","category-fann-w-fenjein"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/al-rawiya.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/coverartfinal_electrified-copy.jpg?fit=2748%2C2748&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/al-rawiya.com\/ar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17031","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/al-rawiya.com\/ar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/al-rawiya.com\/ar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/al-rawiya.com\/ar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/al-rawiya.com\/ar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=17031"}],"version-history":[{"count":27,"href":"https:\/\/al-rawiya.com\/ar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17031\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":17073,"href":"https:\/\/al-rawiya.com\/ar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17031\/revisions\/17073"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/al-rawiya.com\/ar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/17032"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/al-rawiya.com\/ar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=17031"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/al-rawiya.com\/ar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=17031"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/al-rawiya.com\/ar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=17031"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}