There’s a well-liked metaphor that goes, “the eyes are the window to the soul,” a reminder that what we see on the floor is only a glimpse of one thing deeper.
For artists, their studio is that soul — the center of their inventive course of. But, too usually, it’s the seen work — the artworks, journal covers, movies — that get all the eye, whereas the behind-the-scenes contributions of those that make it occur stay uncredited.
In latest months, there was a surge of articles highlighting the rise of Arab expertise on the worldwide stage, from the Monetary Instances declaring that “Arabic pop is having its breakout second” to Pitchfork noting that “Arabic music is on the point of a world breakthrough.”
There’s a noticeable cultural shift in direction of embracing extra numerous music kinds, with a specific concentrate on Arabic sounds. Nevertheless, this shift can be the results of years of collective effort from creatives working behind the scenes to construct a homegrown motion that celebrates and elevates Arab and African artists.
Arab voices have lengthy been underrepresented in distinguished world inventive businesses and studios, and it isn’t only a matter of illustration but in addition a scarcity of possession and recognition. Recognizing this hole, NOOR Studios was co-founded by Rebecca Hanna, often called Bex, and Yasmeen Afifi, two Egyptian-American creatives deeply dedicated to mix tradition, creativity and activism.
The studio, named “Noor,” that means “gentle” in Arabic, embodies their mission to make clear Arab and African expertise—usually missed or uncredited for his or her contributions behind the scenes.
As Arab creatives make their mark on the worldwide stage, NOOR Studios is main the cost for a brand new technology that’s reshaping the business. “We’re not your typical company; we’re an anti-agency company,” Bex tells Egyptian Streets. “NOOR is for the rebels, the outsiders, the minorities—those that create with out boundaries and defy the foundations.”
Mixing tradition, creativity and activism
There’s extra to creativity than simply artwork. There’s additionally tradition and activism, and that is one thing that Bex and Afifi have come to grasp rising up overseas in america. Whereas many individuals prefer to preserve activism and tradition separate from the inventive world, each Bex and Afifi see them as two sides of the identical coin.
Raised in an Egyptian family, Afifi was surrounded by robust cultural traditions, values, and a deep sense of unity. “Rising up, my mother and father and my grandma did an awesome job of instilling these values,” she recollects. “They gave me the framework to navigate between two very totally different worlds—the Egyptian tradition at dwelling and the American tradition exterior.”
When the primary technology of Arab immigrants arrived in America, their focus was usually on survival — settling down, discovering work, and constructing a life in a brand new nation. They didn’t have many devoted areas to reconnect with their cultural roots, however they quickly realized one thing necessary: tradition thrives in public areas, which is why they started to create them—mosques, neighborhood facilities, and locations the place traditions could possibly be preserved, shared, and handed on.
Afifi, rising up as a part of the following technology, noticed firsthand simply how highly effective these areas had been in creating a way of belonging. She remembers the time spent within the mosque, the place she discovered not only a place of worship, however a real neighborhood — a spot the place the native Egyptian-American neighborhood got here collectively, shared tales, and supported each other. “In America, we’re removed from the motherland,” she says. “So we hunt down those that share our tradition. We construct connections to really feel a way of belonging.”
Afifi’s deep connection to her tradition and id helped her understand that the artwork world was lacking a richness of tradition, and there was an actual disconnect between cultural views and artistic ones. “I didn’t see myself in magazines, on TV, or in motion pictures,” she displays. “Rising up, there was little or no illustration of Arabs, particularly in inventive areas. This was one thing I actively processed as a baby.”
It was this lack of illustration that made her understand that the inventive world was missing cultural narratives that had been ready to be advised. At first, she believed that one of the simplest ways to signify and help her tradition and neighborhood was by politics and diplomacy, which is she pursued a level in worldwide relations and immersed herself in activism, attending protests and advocating for causes she was keen about.
Impressed by her mom’s deep involvement in political activism, she imagined a future as a lawyer or diplomat. Nevertheless, school marked a pivotal turning level. “It wasn’t till I used to be a sophomore in school that I noticed I may apply my enterprise diploma within the inventive business,” Afifi displays.
That is when she began exploring careers within the leisure and music industries—fields she had at all times admired however by no means thought potential as a result of lack of Arab illustration. With a brand new sense of readability, Afifi set her sights on firms she revered, together with Spotify, the place she would finally develop into head of the Arab neighborhood worker useful resource group.
“We centered rather a lot on centering Palestinian and Arab artists. Due to that, I by no means felt afraid to talk out concerning the points I deeply care about,” she says.
NOOR Studios: Shining a Mild on Tradition
Whereas working within the business, Afifi witnessed firsthand the shortage of Arab voices and the way continuously they went uncredited, which is why felt a fair stronger calling—to create one thing from scratch, one thing that was Arab-led, homegrown, culturally related, and pushed by the values she held pricey.
All of it started in 2022 when Bex took the leap and based NOOR Studios. A yr later, Afifi joined the journey after years of friendship and shared imaginative and prescient. Each creatives, they had been decided to make artwork that was not solely culturally related but in addition grounded in autonomy.
“We began as associates, however what actually related us was being Egyptian creatives in New York,” Afifi displays.
Their bond grew naturally, from friendship to inventive partnership. On the time, Afifi was at Spotify, main the Arab worker useful resource group, and he or she had to herald exterior creatives, which is when she employed NOOR Studios as an inside company to deal with every part associated to Arab tradition and music at Spotify. Later, Afifi felt prefer it was the proper second to dive into NOOR full-time and proceed doing the work she’s keen about.
“The explanation I’ve stayed dedicated to constructing NOOR is as a result of, within the media panorama in America, I can’t even title a single company run by North African girls. It’s actually about illustration, which is one thing we lack within the leisure and media industries,” she explains.
“The best way we’re portrayed within the West is commonly Orientalist, and we’ve little to no presence in Western media. For me, it’s all about telling our personal tales from our personal views, moderately than ready for others to inform them for us.”
Since then, NOOR Studios has develop into an area devoted to elevating Arab and African creatives, providing them a platform to share their work free from the filters and misrepresentations usually present in mainstream media. “NOOR is all concerning the reality,” Bex says. “What units us aside is that we don’t consider in gatekeeping. By way of collaboration and creating a powerful neighborhood that help one another, we proceed to develop and develop.”
NOOR Studios has labored with a various vary of purchasers, from branding and expertise. Their tasks have included producing Nadine El Roubi’s Rolling Stone profile pictures, designing a visualizer for Rema’s 2020 tour, and creating Elyanna’s visible id for Arabs@Spotify’s first hearth chat.
Whereas world genres like Afrobeats and Reggaeton have discovered success lately, Afifi believes that Arab music is on the point of a cultural revolution. She factors to the success of artists like Elyanna at Coachella and the latest announcement of Mohamed Ramadan performing on the iconic competition as proof that Arab music is gaining momentum.
“It’s occurring slowly however certainly,” Afifi says, “and we’re simply getting began.”
One of many most important targets of NOOR Studios is to determine a homegrown company that offers Arab and African artists extra management over how they current their music to the world. “At Spotify, there have been hardly any Arabs, and the choices about which artists obtained airtime had been made by individuals who didn’t perceive the tradition,” Afifi recollects.
“For Arab artists to really be seen, we want business insiders who perceive the tradition and are advocating for these artists behind the scenes.”
As NOOR Studios continues to develop, Yasmeen and her group are getting ready for his or her most bold venture but: XP Music Futures, a significant music, vogue, and leisure competition in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, occurring in December 2024. The occasion will showcase a various vary of artists from throughout the MENA area and diaspora, bringing collectively voices which have lengthy been underrepresented within the world scene.
“It is a full-circle second for us,” Afifi says. “It’s the end result of every part we’ve labored for. We’re showcasing the following wave of expertise from the Arab world, and I couldn’t be extra proud.”
As she displays on her journey from the U.S. to the Arab world, she expresses deep delight in being a part of an area inventive scene that’s thriving and evolving. “I need to use the data and expertise I’ve gained within the West to uplift native artists and types right here,” Afifi says.
“It’s not about searching for Western validation. It’s about creating one thing for us, by us, that may stand by itself.”
