THIS IS ABSOLUTELY NOT YOUR EXPECTED NOR TYPICAL POP-MIDDLE EASTERN VIBES
You hear Middle Eastern music and you’ll immediately have this Sahara image on your mind and probably some Bedouins on camels too; and the music, I don’t really need to mention it cause you’re probably already hearing this harmonic minor playing at the back of your mind. Whether this image is correct or not or whether it is simply some sort of reflection of a common stereotypical perception about Middle Eastern music or not is not really our issue. What we care about in Qatila by JA Lena (feat.Golub), is this unexpected Middle Eastern blend. The mixture of Balkans and Middle Eastern elements together which brought us such a surprising release.
In less than 2 weeks, the release has reached 1M views on YouTube, making this Arabic debut release for the Serbian singer, JA Lena, a remarkable milestone in her musical career. It plays with Middle Eastern and Balkans sounds to, actually, recount the story of La China, from Mexico, who is said to be the head of a 300-strong gang and is believed to be behind 150 murders in the past ten years! So in just one song, the artists have managed to bring three different cultures all together!
This release is quite interesting in terms of cultural interactions. The artist is a Serbian who released a debut Arabic song titled Qatila, meaning female murderer in Arabic. Perfectly reflecting the essence of La China’s story. The title is definitely intriguing for anyone from the Arab world, and what is even surprising for any such listener is the mentioning of the name of Mohammed Ramadan, a prominent Egyptian actor and singer, as part of the lyrics. His name is not necessarily part of La China’s story, but its usage reflects the intrinsic cross of cultural and artistic boundaries reflected in this song.
It is also refreshing to witness such a “Middle Eastern” inspired release that has a sound that is not necessarily related to Bedouins and the Sahara culture. Just different than what might be perceived as some sort of an orientalist view to the Middle Eastern world.
Qatila by JA Lena (feat. Golub) is definitely a not to miss release with its cultural intersections reflected in its global upbeat sound. This is a release that makes you curious about other cultures and leaves you wondering about the hiddens of each of their stories; and it also urges you to think about stories other than your own, and maybe recount them to the world as well as a way of connecting and communicating through art. Simply because this is how we, humans, unite and connect together.