Suddenly, this chance personal acquaintanceship made me think that maybe there should be another way.” But when I met a Palestinian fellow who’s married to an Israeli Jewish woman, something in me changed. “For many years, I boycotted Israel and refused to perform here. While she has been a critic of Israel’s policy against the Palestinian people, in her 2014 interview for Haaretz, an Israeli newspaper, she said: The song is also her way of exploring why her family left the Middle East for Belgium.įor Atlas, the embrace of multicultural music genres now appears to be synonymous with integrating the conflicting sides of her identity. Listen to your heart and you will know the truth, Why are we fighting when we are all together? The song lyrics call for unity and peace between Muslims, Jews, and Christians in the Middle East: Partly reflecting her struggle with the duality of her Jewish and Arab ethnicity, her 1995 song “ Leysh Nat’arak” (“Why Are We Fighting”) was inspired by the religious and ethnic conflicts in Palestine, Israel, former Yugoslavia, and Iraq. While in recent years she has been less politically vocal and more accepting of her unique identity, she used her power as a singer to make political statements by calling for peace between religions and standing together against injustice. In her younger years she struggled with her identity, calling herself a “ human Gaza Strip,” given her ethnic background, which includes Jewish and Arab blood. Political consciousness has also colored Atlas’ straddling between cultures and musical genres. Much like her own mixed ethnic background, Atlas’ sound is a fusion of styles. But she has stayed true to her Middle Eastern roots as just about all her songs use Arabic language and music. Her recent work has integrated hip hop, traditional Arabic songs, and even tunes from the Appalachia. Trying to break out from the box of ethno-electronica music, she became even more multifaceted. While Atlas has been an internationally acclaimed artist for decades, her fame has largely evaded the U.S. Many of her songs have been featured in soundtracks of popular movies such as “Hulk,” “Kingdom of Heaven,” “Beowulf,” and others. Her cover of Françoise Hardy’s famous “ Mon amie la rose” became a big hit in France in 1999. She has worked with a wide range of artists over the years including Estelle Goldfarb, Jah Wobble, and Hi-Finesse. Atlas’ collaboration with Transglobal Underground, a British electronica group, in the late 1990s put her on a path to become a multicultural, multilingual world fusion singer and songwriter with a distinctive voice that deftly and sensuously blends melisma and micro-intervals.Īfter the debut of her solo album “Diaspora” in 1995, her success grew with every new release and collaboration. Belly dance became a feature of her earlier singing career, serving as part of her artistic persona. Moving back to Belgium after finishing school in England, she started working in Arabic nightclubs and began embracing the Middle Eastern side of her identity ignored in her youth.įearless experimentation with various music styles has defined Atlas from the beginning of her career. Atlas and her siblings moved with her mother to England after her parents divorced when she was a little girl. She also has Sephardic Jewish ancestry from her great grandfather. Natacha Atlas was born in Belgium to an English mother and Moroccan-Egyptian-Palestinian father and grew up in a Moroccan neighborhood. And like her life and artistic work, it defies crisp and clear categorization, much to the delight of her fans. The album feels grown up, showing the natural progression of Atlas’ rich and colorful musical career. It is refreshing to hear undulating, round oriental melodies and Arabic vocals entwined with sounds of jazz. Her new album “Strange Days” is a sophisticated experience in blending Middle Eastern tunes with jazz.

Mudic fusion