Wikipedia

Zeyne (singer)

Zein Sajdi (Arabic: زين سجدي; born 1997 or 1998), known as Zeyne, is a Palestinian-Jordanian singer, songwriter, musician and producer.

Zeyne
زين
Birth nameZein Sajdi
Born1997 or 1998 (age 26–27)[1]
Amman, Jordan
Genres
Occupations
  • Singer
  • songwriter
  • musician
  • producer
Instruments
  • Vocals
  • piano
Years active2021–present
Labels
  • Keife Records

Early life and education

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Sajdi was born and raised in a Amman, Jordan, the youngest child in a Palestinian-Jordanian family (her grandparents hailing from Nablus) with a passion for music and dance – her father is a collector of music records, her mother is an amateur singer who managed a dabke troupe for over twenty years, and her oldest sister Lina is a pianist.[1][2][3] She joined a dabke group at the age of five, started taking piano lessons from a Russian teacher at six, and was introduced to classical singing a few years later by a Japanese teacher.[1][2][3][4]

She pursued a degree in Media Communications and Sociology at the University of Sussex in Brighton and Hove.[1]

Career

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After graduating in 2020, Sajdi briefly returned to Amman in order to prepare to move to London, where she had accepted a job offer at a public relations firm. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, however, she was unable to travel outside the country and started an Instagram account where she posted song covers.[1] The page garnered significant following in a short time and, after joining the Jordanian Female Artist Collective, Sajdi was invited to perform at the Amman Jazz Festival. She came acquainted with fellow musician Hana Malhas and producer Nasir Al Bashir, and the founders of Keife Records offered her a record deal shortly after.[1]

Encouraged by Al Bashir, she bagan composing her own songs. Her debut single "Minni Ana", featuring mixed English and Arabic lyrics, was released in March 2021, shortly followed by "Nostalgia".[1] After releasing her single "Atoul", Sajdi collaborated with Palestinian artist Saint Levant on the July 2022 single "Balak".[5] Sajdi has gone on to write music for other artists, including "Min Gheirik Inti" for Issam Alnajjar's 2023 debut EP Waray, and other songs for Elyanna and Massari.[3] In the same period, she released the single "Ana Wein", co-written with Al Bashir and Lina Makoul.[3]

In October 2023, in response to the Gaza genocide amid the Israel–Hamas war, 25 Middle Eastern and North African artists, including Sajdi, collaborated on the charity single "Rajieen".[6] Sajdi then released the love song "Ma Bansak" in February 2024 before writing "Bali", released in June 2024 and recounting her mental state during the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.[2]

In November 2024, Sajdi released the double single "7arrir 3aqlak / Asli Ana", with the latter track being an R&B song set to the rhythm of traditional Levantine folk dance dabke; the accompanying music video features Sajdi herself dancing alongside professional dabke dancers.[2][7]

Artistry

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Sajdi's musical style has been described as "eclectic", incorporating elements of Arabic music, jazz (including South African jazz), R&B, soul, hip hop and Albanian folk music as well as drawing inspiration from the work of artists like Ziad Rahbani, Elias Rahbani, Fairuz, Lauryn Hill, H.E.R., Destiny's Child, Billie Eilish, Rosalía, Manal, Angèle and Dua Lipa, in addition to Palestinian poet Mahmoud Darwish.[1][2][3][4][8]

Discography

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Singles

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  • "Minni Ana" – 2021
  • "Yamma Mweil il Hawa" – 2021
  • "Nostalgia" – 2021
  • "Bala Wa Shi" – 2021
  • "Atoul" – 2022
  • "Atoul (Gruzzman Remix)" – 2022
  • "Atoul (AudiobySamuel Remix)" – 2022
  • "Balak" (ft. Saint Levant) – 2022
  • "Ana Wein" – 2023
  • "Mish Asfeh" – 2023
  • "Wala Forsa" – 2023
  • "Rajieen" (as part of a collective) – 2023
  • "Ma Bansak" – 2024
  • "Ma Bansak – A Colors Show" – 2024
  • "Bali" – 2024
  • "Gooodbye" – 2024
  • "Lonely Nights" – 2024
  • "Mesh Haseebek" (Bayou ft. Zeyne) – 2024
  • "7arrir 3aqlak / Asli Ana " – 2024

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g h Shanab, Menna (14 March 2023). "This is Zeyne". Yung. Retrieved 24 November 2024.
  2. ^ a b c d e Hajjar, Danny (31 July 2024). "For Zeyne, Music is Rooted in Authentic Representation of Identity". Sa'alouni El Nas. Retrieved 24 November 2024.
  3. ^ a b c d e Faryal, Aasiyah (28 March 2023). "Artist Spotlight: Zeyne The Jordanian-Palestinian Pop Powerhouse". Scene Noise. Retrieved 24 November 2024.
  4. ^ a b Minthe, Caterina (26 March 2021). "'Music is a space for healing,' Listen to Zeyne's Hypnotic Debut Track Minni Ana". Vogue Arabia. Retrieved 24 November 2024.
  5. ^ Khalaf, Ahmed (21 June 2022). "Palestine's Zeyne Breaks Hearts in New Single 'Balak' ft. Saint Levant". Scene Noise. Retrieved 24 November 2024.
  6. ^ Mekkaoui, Meeran (31 October 2023). "'Rajieen' Unites 25 MENA Artists in a Resounding Ode to Palestine". GQ Middle East. Retrieved 10 June 2024.
  7. ^ "Exclusive: Palestinian-Jordanian Singer Zeyne's New Track is an Unapologetic Celebration of Her Identity". Vogue Arabia. 21 November 2024. Retrieved 24 November 2024.
  8. ^ "Who is Zeyne? Only her music will tell you". Roya News. 20 April 2021. Retrieved 24 November 2024.
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