By Emel Mathlouthi (b. 1982)
Emel Mathlouthi, vocals
Giancarlo “GC” de Trizio, drums
Enrico de Trizio, keyboards
In 2018, MetLiveArts partnered with the World Music Institute to present three of the most creative, expressive female singers/songwriters hailing from Muslim-majority homelands. Though each presented music inspired by different places and events, together they issued a powerful call for freedom, unity, and peace.
Emel Mathlouthi rose to global acclaim after her 2007 recording “Kelmti Horra (My Word Is Free)” became the viral anthem of the Arab Spring, earning her the title “voice of the Tunisian revolution” and eventually an invitation to perform at the 2015 Nobel Peace Prize ceremony. Her powerful, heartfelt music defies genre, melding electronica and Tunisian textures into her unique cinematic universe. Bearing out influences from the East and West, Emel’s compositions realize an epic, gorgeously ornamented vision and are as well-known in her home region as they are acclaimed around the world.
Recorded at Women’s Voices on Saturday, March 24, 2018 in the The Grace Rainey Rogers Auditorium, The Met Fifth Avenue.
Women’s Voices was made possible by the Art Jameel Fund and the Doris Duke Foundation for Islamic Art.
Women's Voices was presented in collaboration with the World Music Institute.
