We’re celebrating the first anniversary of your debut single “E7mini”. What was it like to receive all of this love from all over the world?
It feels amazing! Even though I had a good feeling about the song the moment I wrote it, it’s a whole different thing when you hear people praising how joyful the music is, how catchy the lyrics and melody are. Let alone the huge amount of messages I received from people who don’t even understand Arabic.

Was it planned to make a song that everyone would enjoy no matter what language they speak?
In an indirect way I guess. I want my music to meet these world-class standards, to feel fresh and current, to have new elements that people didn’t expect. So I think that makes it appealing to people everywhere regardless of the language.

What was the process of making the song like?
In fact I wrote “E7mini” years ago, I’ve been writing and composing a lot, getting ready to kick off my music career, and I always knew I wanted this one to be the debut single. It’s a fun crush song that we can all relate to, everyone at some point have tried to attract their crush and ended up doing it all wrong, and that’s what the song is about.
Producing and recording the final track was a great experience, working on it with producer Simon Jacobsson was so much fun. He knew exactly what I wanted and the minute I’d suggest an idea he’d translate it musically in the most brilliant way.

Do you have a favorite part in the song?
I’d say the outro! The last 30-something seconds of the song… At first it was a bit different, then I was like let’s take the main chorus and destruct it in some crazy way with the music, and it ended up being one of the most catchy parts of the song!

You’ve been praised for the marketing plan you’ve done for the single, and many new independent artists were inspired by some of the ideas you’ve executed there. How did you come up with this publicity strategy?
Some of these ideas were already written in my release plan, I’d come up with ideas while working on the song and just write them down to develop later, and some other ideas came up as I was observing what people liked weeks into the release. I’m lucky to have so many friends that helped me execute these ideas, and I’m glad that some independent artists found it inspiring. I know how difficult it is to be an independent artist, to wanna be heard on a bigger scale, so I’m always ready to help if I can.

When can we expect it?
I can’t give an exact date yet, but definitely this summer!

So a new music video is in the making as well?
For sure, we started preparing for that too! Still exploring the concepts and possibilities, but I definitely want it to be perfectly done. I believe that the music video is equally important as the audio, it gives the song a whole new dimension, and coming from visual communication background I find it so much fun to go creative in that area.

Are you planning to release an album anytime soon?
After releasing 3 or 4 singles I think it would be time for the debut album. I've already written and composed all of its songs, but I want to take my time with producing it so that every song comes out the way I imagine it.

Do you think that Arabic Pop is ready for its international break?
Absolutely. There are some huge stars that paved the way, such as Amr Diab who has several hits known on a world scale (Nour El Ein, Tamally Ma’ak etc.), as well as Nancy Ajram who proved in the last few years that Arabic Pop can go international whether with her solo hits (Ya Tabtab, Inta Eyh, Fi Hagat etc.) or her collaboration with Marshmallo last year on “Sah Sah”. I think that makes it easier for new artists to expand to new markets, but it should be done right, and it all should start with a real well-written hit. Huge resources, marketing, collaborations aren’t always the answer.

Running 4 publications worldwide and starting your music career… That’s inspiring! How can you do it all?
Well, to be honest, music was before anything else. I sing since ever I remember existing, and I performed publicly for the first time when I was 8 or 9 on a TV show for kids. But you gotta trust the timing of the universe, this whole media career has taught me a lot, and got me ready to be where I am today. Creativity has so many forms to come out, and I think my ability to translate it in many ways is what made my magazines so special.

Where do you see yourself in five years as a musician?
Probably with five albums under my name!

What keeps you motivated?
I just know deep inside that this is what I’m meant to do, and that life always has bigger things for me. Following your passion can be difficult sometimes, it can be a struggle when you have to keep fighting for what you want, but I never doubt my vision and my skills, and I think that the universe always rewards me for believing in myself.

And since we took some questions from your followers on social media, there’s one last question: Why are you still single?
[laughs] Well, relationships require a lot of dedication, time, effort and attention. I don’t think I’m capable of giving all that while focusing on my career, plus I really enjoy being single!

Glamoholic celebrates its 12th anniversary this month. How does this make you feel?
Surreal. I’m so proud of all the achievements we’ve accomplished with Glamoholic, and I feel like there’s much more to come, we already have very exciting plans for the near future.

Full story will be featured in Glamoholic Magazine's upcoming Issue (#42).