DANA HOURANI: THE MUSIC THAT ROCKED HER WORLD

4 min read
Dana Hourani

Following the release of her debut single, Ella Enta, and ahead of her performance at the Adonis Concert during the Jounieh International Festival on July 18th, Dana Hourani talks to MOJEH about the music, lyrics and artists that have shaped her

 

FIRST ALBUM YOU EVER BOUGHT
“Mariah Carey’s Music Box.”

SONG LYRICS THAT CHANGED YOUR LIFE
“The lyrics from Time of Your Life by Greenday. They resonated with me during a crucial turning point in my life where I had lost someone. Listening to that song during that time set a new perspective on how I saw things from there on.”

YOUR MOST IMPORTANT SONG
“There is a song called Like I’m Gonna Lose You by Meghan Trainor and John Legend, and it was the first song I heard after coming back from the hospital after giving birth to my daughter Zoe. The lyrics were so on point for what I was feeling. I would play it to her when she cried and it would calm her down.”

SONG YOU’D MOST LIKE TO COVER
“It’s hard to choose just one song, but the song I enjoyed covering the most was When the Party’s Over by Billie Eilish. The melodies in that song are so emotional and impactful.”

SONG YOU WISH YOU’D WRITTEN
Slow Dancing in a Burning Room by John Mayer. It’s a song about two people that feel at the end of their relationship. The way it’s written, without any hidden messages, and the way he expresses his feelings in such a symbolic but relatable manner, hits you right on the nerve and encompasses so clearly the entire feeling of a break-up. To put into words a poetic way of describing a real situation that flows so naturally is creative and beautiful.”

LAST SONG YOU DOWNLOADED
Falling Like the Stars by James Arthur.”

MUSICAL ERA THAT HAS DEFINED YOU MOST
“I would say modern music has defined me – from the ’90s onwards, all the artists and songs we’d hear on the TV or radio growing up. One period that I love is MoTown. The sound of modern soul is always striking and the artists such as Marvin Gaye, Aretha Franklin and Stevie Wonder contributed to creating a genre of soul that would live on and remain timeless.”

Aretha Franklin (Photo by Chris Walter/WireImage)

MUSICAL ICONS
“The ones I remember listening to the most when growing up are Mariah Carey, because her songs were the first ones I had memorised the lyrics to; and Alanis Morrisette and John Mayer’s music taught me how to identify with song lyrics as a teenager, and the art of song writing, and how putting feelings into the words is core; And the Spice Girls – I was just another fan girl obsessing over them like everyone else.”

WHAT SONG CHANGED THE WAY YOU THINK ABOUT THE WORLD?
Heal the World by Michael Jackson. I was about five years old when I watched the music video and for the first time I became conscious about the imperfections and turmoil in the rest of the world. I questioned why the lyrics spoke about peace and unity and later came to realise that life went beyond the comfort of my own home.”

ARTIST YOU MOST ADMIRE
“Beyonce. She has managed to have a commanding presence that rules the industry. Through her artistry and business mind she empowers her audience to be expressive. She also takes big risks and takes her time, and embraces her culture, never forgetting where she came from.”

Beyonce (Photo by Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for City of Hope)

DESERT ISLAND MUSIC
“If I was stranded on a desert island, I would take a feel-good Bob Marley album with me, I’d play Sun is Shining, and I’d like to be stranded with Beyonce, because I have some questions to ask her.”

ARTIST YOU’D MOST LIKE TO COLLABORATE WITH
“Probably Alanis Morrisette. She has always wrote truthfully and told it like it is, without over-writing or over-thinking. I read that every body of work she puts out comes from the heart, and something that she is really going through at the time. She’s a musical genius but also just the girl next door at the same time.”

Alanis Morissette (Photo by Stephen Lovekin/WireImage)


Check out Dana Hourani’s debut single Ella Enta

  • Words: Emily Baxter-Priest