Introducing: ANOUNA

Where can we find you right now and what are you up to?

I live in Egypt, North Africa and I work with the United Nations helping migrants. On my weekends, I travel around exploring the culture and I write songs inspired by the surroundings, my emotions and my journey within - which is about finding myself through exploring the world.

How did you start?

In 2012 in Germany, while in University, with little money and feeling trapped, because I wanted to travel. Combined with the emotions of heartbreak, I wrote my first two songs, one about "You & Me" and the other one about "San Francisco", which was me dreaming to be back in multicultural San Francisco, where I had been a high school exchange student before.

"I travel around exploring the culture and I write songs inspired by the surroundings, my emotions and my journey."

How will artists be influenced by the rapid rise of AI technology in the future in your opinion? What will change?

I think it will be easier to connect artists and listeners across the world.

Tell us a bit about your influences.

My favorite artists are Eva Cassidy, Archive, Eddie Vedder, Lana del Rey, Birdy, and Adele. And Koop Island Blues is my all-time favorite song.

What is the best way for an artist to promote their work and find clients?

To go on stages and perform live, and also to get a placement in an ad, perhaps, or in a Spotify playlist.

Tell us about your latest or upcoming project.

I am working on my second album and want to include songs in Arabic and Russian because I speak 5 languages fluently. After having lived in the Middle East and North Africa and Europe for the past years, where I went on a small stage in Lebanon (Beirut), Greece (Athens), performed for Sofar Sounds in Tunisia, had a few live performances in Munich, Germany, I realized I never stayed long enough in one country and missed opportunities to be an opening act for a big band and the like - I even lost the business card of a small record label that had offered me a contracted way back. Thus, I am planning to move to a melting pot city this year (2023) to play live and build an audience, and invest in my music, either in Europe or the U.S., while still traveling the world from that base.