Rotana Tarabzouni possesses a powerful voice in more ways than one. In MOJEH Issue 35 we interviewed the LA-based singer songwriter from Saudi Arabia who can move an audience to tears, features in the BBC’s 100 Women of 2015 and believes in a world with no boundaries.
When did you know you wanted to be a singer?
I’ve always sung, ever since I was very young, but truly, growing up in Saudi Arabia, I’d never looked at it as something that was possible. I never even really allowed myself to dream about it, yet I felt that there was something inside me that wasn’t fulfilled.
What was your first break?
By a strange twist of events, I was in Boston visiting friends and I was in the car – I remember it was 3am – and I heard this open casting call for a talent agency. I went, not knowing why I was doing it. There were about 300 people there, all professional actors and singers with their headshots, and there I was with my college resume and Facebook picture. The owner of the casting agency met with all of us and when I sang, she cried. It was the first time in my life that I had seen the effect of my voice and how I had moved this person to tears even though she knew nothing about me. I went back to my desk job, but I had developed an itch that just wouldn’t go away. I went to India for two months to get away from all the noise and really listen to the voice inside of me, because when I finally had the courage to tell my family and friends I wanted to sing everyone was like, ‘that’s cute’ or ‘you’re crazy’ or ‘that’s not acceptable’. I just knew that I needed to try.
What does the creative process look like for you?
I try to write every single day. A lot of people think that creativity is something that pours out of you and sure, there are days when that happens, but it is also a practice. I write for at least an hour a day. I’ll sit down at my piano, I play it very primitively, but it’s usually about an emotion that I’m feeling. If I don’t channel my emotions into music, I would go crazy. People ask whether the words or the melody comes first – they come together with me. It’s a very hard process to explain. It’s like a painter; he couldn’t possibly tell you how he made that painting. You have to trust the process and not judge it.
Rotana wears top, trousers and shoes, Louis Vuitton. Photographed by Michelle at The Factory ME at Iris Dubai
What’s been a career high so far?
Being featured in the BBC’s 100 Women of 2015. I thought that was such an honour. A big reason why I do this is to inspire women all over the world to take ownership over their lives and not allow society or any man to tell them what they can and cannot do. I also worked with President Jimmy Carter to promote his book, A Call to Action: Women, Religion, Violence and Power, about ending violence against women. He believes that women are the hope for our future and I believe the same. Really a highlight is just having made a name for myself in the industry where I’m sitting and writing songs in the same room as songwriters whose songs are on the radio.
You talk often about issues affecting women in Saudi; do you feel under pressure as a spokesperson on this subject?
I think that whenever anybody is independent and a true individual, who is not playing by anybody else’s rules, that can always be looked at as a rebellion. I believe in everybody’s right to be a full individual. Saudi Arabia is a country with a lot of restrictions, but I think that the restrictions that hold us back are very universal. Mine are amplified, but pluck out anybody in the world and they will tell you that they feel a pressure to be a certain way. I can’t imagine having a platform without using it to talk about something. I feel a great sense of responsibility to be honest, but at the same time I’m just doing me and writing my music.
Do these issues influence you creatively?
One hundred percent. I have a song called Never Going Back, which talks about never going back to a place in your mind that bows to complacency and never going back to a place where you just accept what people tell you about how the world is and how it works.
The owner of the casting agency met with all of us and when I sang, she cried. It was the first time in my life that I had seen the effect of my voice and how I had moved this person to tears even though she knew nothing about me.
Rotana Tarabzouni
How have you dealt with criticism about your career?
I feel no negative feelings towards people who give me criticism. I do and will always go back home to Saudi Arabia. I think that when you make the decision to unapologetically – and as loudly as you can – be yourself and really not mute any of your colours, it shakes people up and forces them to meet parts of themselves that they weren’t necessarily ready to meet. I think that people are in a zombie-like state and they don’t even realise what they are missing and how much fuller life can be. I’m somebody that’s telling them, look! I’m happy that people are angry; at least it’s a feeling.
How do you feel about how things are progressing for women in Saudi?
I will always be critical and think that things are moving at a snail’s pace in Saudi Arabia, but I will also tell you that there’s an artistic renaissance that is bubbling in the region. My generation is learning how to become organised. People like me and Raha Moharrak and a Saudi prince called Farhad Al Saud (who has set up acompany called NA3M Games) and artists like Manal Al Dowayan, all of us have reached out to each other and agreed we are so much stronger when we link forces and when we organise ourselves. I think that as we become more organised and structured we can build a solid foundation.
Who are some of the strong women in your life?
My mother. The fact that she can say ‘I love you and I’m proud of you’, even though she doesn’t understand, is huge. And every Saudi woman who has reached out. There’s such a sense of camaraderie with these women, who are using their time, energy and power to lift me up. I think that is the most inspiring thing.
What’s the plan for the rest of the year?
In March, I’m going to be launching an Indiegogo campaign, which is a crowd-funding platform, to fund my first EP. I’m finally going to put the music out! Also in the works is a film called My Driver and I, by filmmaker and actress Ahd Kamal. It’s about a teenage Saudi girl whose driver becomes her best friend and father figure. I’m going to be playing the lead in that film, which is very exciting.
Rotana wears jacket, Arwa al Banawi, slip dress, Sea NY at S*uce, shoes her own. Photographed by Michelle at The Factory ME at Iris Dubai
