logo
Saudi jazz singer is hitting all the right notes

Saudi jazz singer is hitting all the right notes

Arab News17-07-2025
RIYADH: From soulful Hijazi oud melodies to renditions of smoky jazz and blues tunes, Loulwa Al-Sharif is crafting a sound, shaped by personal loss, that is uniquely her own.
The self-taught singer, also known as Lady Lou, left journalism to pursue her heart's yearnings, she said during her appearance recently on Arab News' The Mayman Show.
'I knew that I loved, like, music since I was a little kid. I used to love to perform just for my family and myself, but then I stopped for a long time.
'And while I was working in the newspaper and in other jobs before that, I used to do music … part-time.'
Al-Sharif sang Arabic songs when she was young.
'When I was 15 years old, when I discovered that I liked to sing, I used to sing Khaleeji (Gulf) and Tarab (classical Arabic music) such as songs from prominent Egyptian singer Mohammed Abdel Wahab.
'But then when I started learning (to sing) in English, the first song I learned, with my blues brother — his name is Moez — it was 'Ain't No Sunshine.''
'So just simple, you know, it's a very simple song with him because he encouraged me, like, you have soul, and you need to do that more,' she said.
The death of her father was a pivotal moment in her life. At the time, she had not been performing and was still quite 'shy' and lacked confidence.
'I believe that was my — I don't know what to call it — escape or something, I don't know. But all my emotions and my feelings were, ya'ni (like), driven into the music.
'Even, to be honest, it helped me a lot because my father was a musician, and so believing that, oh, wow, I'm doing what my father used to do and putting all my emotions into, ya'ni … it was healing.
'Saraha (honestly), so it was healing for me. Pursuing music and just creating and singing.'
Al-Sharif learned her craft at jam sessions, often late at night, supported by members of the Jeddah music community.
'First, I chose rock. I started singing, like, rock covers, you know, like Evanescence and things like that.'
She then focused on jazz and blues tunes, including from the late English singer Amy Winehouse.
'To be honest, I feel like I was, like, a little bird, and now I'm just, like, flying.
'It's helped me a lot. Because I didn't have that confidence back then, and I was, ya'ni, when I performed, I used to perform in front of, like, a few people.'
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Where We Are Going Today: Koojeh restaurant in Riyadh
Where We Are Going Today: Koojeh restaurant in Riyadh

Arab News

time2 hours ago

  • Arab News

Where We Are Going Today: Koojeh restaurant in Riyadh

Koojeh restaurant in Riyadh offers a good Persian dining experience. My recent visit included enjoyable dishes, but also highlighted some areas for improvement. The cozy, well-decorated interior reflects Persian culture and creates a welcoming atmosphere. However, the limited number of tables means reservations are necessary, especially during busy times. The lively environment, with good music, adds charm, but it is not a formal fine dining setting. A limited range of main dishes is available — kassk badini, kabab barq, veal kebab, and chicken jooja — along with a few sides. While this makes choosing easier, it restricts the variety of Persian cuisine available. The dishes I tried were tasty, and the saffron ice cream was a highlight. The rice was well-cooked and aromatic, though portion sizes were small, and suitable for only one person. The cold appetizer was enjoyable, but the salad would benefit from more lemon and salt to add zest. Service was friendly and attentive, though at times a bit uncoordinated. Minor delays were offset by the staff's willingness to help. Given the limited choice of Iranian restaurants in Riyadh, Koojeh fills a needed niche. Prices are reasonable, with main dishes ranging from SR47 to SR74 ($13-$20). I rate Koojeh 8/10 and recommend it for a pleasant meal. I look forward to seeing how it develops in future.

Young Saudi authors reshape Kingdom's literary landscape
Young Saudi authors reshape Kingdom's literary landscape

Arab News

time2 hours ago

  • Arab News

Young Saudi authors reshape Kingdom's literary landscape

RIYADH: As Saudi Arabia undergoes a cultural transformation under Vision 2030, a new generation of writers is reshaping the country's literary scene. One of the most notable developments has been the rise of Saudi authors under the age of 35, many of whom are finding new pathways. These writers are contributing to a literary landscape that increasingly embraces genres such as science, fiction, and fantasy. Speaking to Arab News on the sidelines of the Saudi Young Writers Forum, Linah Alshaalan, a Saudi author, said the Kingdom's literary scene today offers a ripe environment full of opportunities for emerging voices. • One of the most notable developments has been the rise of Saudi authors under the age of 35, many of whom are finding new pathways. • Raad Aleid, founder of the Saudi Young Writers Forum, underscored the need for stronger structural support, particularly when it comes to international recognition, translation efforts, and adapting to emerging technologies such as AI. 'This is a golden age for authors and creatives to come about and to try to find their way and find their path in this field, because it's full of opportunities for newcomers and also older people,' she told Arab News. Alshaalan published her first novel in 2024 through a Ministry of Culture initiative focused on supporting literary genres, such as science fiction. Her book was later nominated for cinematic adaptation. She described this moment as encouraging for new writers seeking to establish themselves in a rapidly evolving scene. Linah Alshaalan, Saudi author Alshaalan said the broader transformation underway in the Kingdom is changing how Saudi literature is perceived and consumed. 'Today, authors have the ability to produce stories that are placing Saudi cultural symbols in the future. So we're saying we don't only exist in the past, next to a camel and a palm tree. No, our camel and our palm tree exist in the future as well. And we are thriving in that future,' she said. Alshaalan also pointed to Gen Z as a key force shaping literary trends in Saudi Arabia, particularly through their rejection of elitism, and embrace of direct, honest storytelling. Today, authors have the ability to produce stories that are placing Saudi cultural symbols in the future. So we're saying we don't only exist in the past, next to a camel and a palm tree. No, our camel and our palm tree exist in the future as well. And we are thriving in that future. Linah Alshaalan, Saudi author 'One thing that I really appreciate about Gen Z is that they are kind of undermining this idea that a literary critic or a literary person is somebody who lives in an ivory tower, very high up,' she said. She noted that younger readers have become powerful tastemakers in the digital age. 'They have a very strong online presence, which means that they have a very loud voice and very strong influence,' she added. 'Gen Zers resonate the most with authentic voices,' Alshaalan said. 'People who are speaking from the heart, people who are not trying to hide behind or whatever it is. They are trying to be authentic, and I think authenticity is the number one tool for authors.' Despite the progress, Alshaalan said there is a need for legal protections and clearer regulations in the publishing industry to support new authors and protect their rights. 'I think maybe regulating the industry a little bit more to make and implement some rules and some regulation to protect the individual … because (for) an individual writer, an individual author, the biggest challenge is not having legal literacy when it comes to the contracts that you sign with a publisher or whoever,' she said. 'We need to outline the responsibility of the publisher that justifies their percentage of the book,' she added. Artificial intelligence is another factor shaping the creative landscape. Alshaalan, whose novel centers on a rogue AI, said the technology can be helpful, but not in replacing the human core of storytelling. 'Now, to write anything, if you just have a concept or an idea, you can just feed it into the AI and see it more fleshed out. It helps people. But a good author that cares about their own integrity would probably not rely on it too much,' she said. 'I don't think it's ready yet to offer something with meaningful substance.' Raad Aleid, founder of the Saudi Young Writers Forum, underscored the need for stronger structural support, particularly when it comes to international recognition, translation efforts, and adapting to emerging technologies such as AI. 'I believe promoting Saudi Arabia's presence through writing still requires significant effort. There is still a need for more empowerment,' Aleid told Arab News. He said translation initiatives are a positive step, but more needs to be done. 'The Literature Commission is currently working through the translation initiative to translate Saudi works into other languages, but I think there are additional options, such as encouraging foreign authors to write about Saudi Arabia and publishing new Saudi books in other languages, not just translating older titles,' he added. Aleid also called for greater representation of young Saudi writers at global forums and highlighted the need for legislation to regulate AI in creative fields.

Tom Lehrer, song satirist and mathematician, dies at 97
Tom Lehrer, song satirist and mathematician, dies at 97

Al Arabiya

time2 hours ago

  • Al Arabiya

Tom Lehrer, song satirist and mathematician, dies at 97

Tom Lehrer, the popular song satirist who lampooned marriage, politics, racism, and the Cold War, then largely abandoned his music career to return to teaching math at Harvard and other universities, has died. He was 97. Longtime friend David Herder said Lehrer died Saturday at his home in Cambridge, Massachusetts. He did not specify a cause of death. Lehrer had remained on the math faculty of the University of California at Santa Cruz well into his late 70s. In 2020, he even turned away from his own copyright, granting the public permission to use his lyrics in any format without any fee in return. A Harvard prodigy (he had earned a math degree from the institution at age 18), Lehrer soon turned his very sharp mind to old traditions and current events. His songs included 'Poisoning Pigeons in the Park,' 'The Old Dope Peddler' (set to a tune reminiscent of 'The Old Lamplighter'), 'Be Prepared' (in which he mocked the Boy Scouts), and 'The Vatican Rag,' in which Lehrer, an atheist, poked at the rites and ceremonies of the Roman Catholic Church. (Sample lyrics: 'Get down on your knees, fiddle with your rosaries. Bow your head with great respect, and genuflect, genuflect, genuflect.') Accompanying himself on piano, he performed the songs in a colorful style reminiscent of such musical heroes as Gilbert and Sullivan and Stephen Sondheim, the latter a lifelong friend. Lehrer was often likened to such contemporaries as Allen Sherman and Stan Freberg for his comic riffs on culture and politics, and he was cited by Randy Newman and Weird Al Jankovic, among others, as an influence. He mocked the forms of music he didn't like (modern folk songs, rock 'n' roll, and modern jazz), laughed at the threat of nuclear annihilation, and denounced discrimination. But he attacked in such an erudite, even polite, manner that almost no one objected. 'Tom Lehrer is the most brilliant song satirist ever,' recorded musicologist Barry Hansen once said. Hansen co-produced the 2000 boxed set of Lehrer's songs, The Remains of Tom Lehrer, and had featured Lehrer's music for decades on his syndicated Dr. Demento radio show. Lehrer's body of work was actually quite small, amounting to about three dozen songs. 'When I got a funny idea for a song, I wrote it. And if I didn't, I didn't,' Lehrer told The Associated Press in 2000 during a rare interview. 'I wasn't like a real writer who would sit down and put a piece of paper in the typewriter. And when I quit writing, I just quit. … It wasn't like I had writer's block.' He'd gotten into performing accidentally when he began to compose songs in the early 1950s to amuse his friends. Soon he was performing them at coffeehouses around Cambridge, Massachusetts, while he remained at Harvard to teach and obtain a master's degree in math. He cut his first record in 1953, Songs by Tom Lehrer, which included 'I Wanna Go Back to Dixie,' lampooning the attitudes of the Old South, and 'Fight Fiercely, Harvard,' suggesting how a prissy Harvard blueblood might sing a football fight song. After a two-year stint in the Army, Lehrer began to perform concerts of his material in venues around the world. In 1959, he released another LP called More of Tom Lehrer and a live recording called An Evening Wasted with Tom Lehrer, nominated for a Grammy for best comedy performance (musical) in 1960. But around the same time, he largely quit touring and returned to teaching math, though he did some writing and performing on the side. Lehrer said he was never comfortable appearing in public. 'I enjoyed it up to a point,' he told The AP in 2000. 'But to me, going out and performing the concert every night when it was all available on record would be like a novelist going out and reading his novel every night.' He did produce a political satire song each week for the 1964 television show That Was the Week That Was, a groundbreaking topical comedy show that anticipated Saturday Night Live a decade later. He released the songs the following year in an album titled That Was the Year That Was. The material included 'Who's Next?' ponders which government will be the next to get the nuclear bomb…perhaps Alabama? (He didn't need to tell his listeners that it was a bastion of segregation at the time.) 'Pollution' takes a look at the then-new concept that perhaps rivers and lakes should be cleaned up. He also wrote songs for the 1970s educational children's show The Electric Company. He told AP in 2000 that hearing from people who had benefited from them gave him far more satisfaction than praise for any of his satirical works. His songs were revived in the 1980 musical revue Tomfoolery, and he made a rare public appearance in London in 1998 at a celebration honoring that musical's producer, Cameron Mackintosh. Lehrer was born in 1928 in New York City, the son of a successful necktie designer. He recalled an idyllic childhood on Manhattan's Upper West Side that included attending Broadway shows with his family and walking through Central Park day or night. After skipping two grades in school, he entered Harvard at 15, and after receiving his master's degree, he spent several years unsuccessfully pursuing a doctorate. 'I spent many, many years satisfying all the requirements, as many years as possible, and I started on the thesis,' he once said. 'But I just wanted to be a grad student; it's a wonderful life. That's what I wanted to be, and unfortunately, you can't be a Ph.D. and a grad student at the same time.' He began to teach part-time at Santa Cruz in the 1970s, mainly to escape the harsh New England winters. From time to time, he acknowledged a student would enroll in one of his classes based on knowledge of his songs. 'But it's a real math class,' he said at the time. 'I don't do any funny theorems. So those people go away pretty quickly.'

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store