- Genre: neo-soul, R‘n’B
- For fans of: Sade, Solange
- Stand-out tracks: Dream Baby, Runnin and Sabah Al Noor
One of the highlights from this year’s Pop-Kultur festival was singer and poet douniah. With her touching trilingual music gently wandering between the sweet sounds of Erykah Badu and the smooth, easy funk of Sade, the singer is already being picked up by international tastemakers like Rhythm Section.
When did you start your musical project?
I started during the pandemic. Creating something meaningful was my anchor and a way to cope and stay sane during that time.
Describe your sound in one sentence.
Like an echo that you sit with.
What topics do you deal with in your music?
I’m often in the position of an observer when I write my poems that deal with loss, grief, generational pain, resilience and love.
What are some of your favourite venues to play in Berlin?
I loved playing at Roter Salon at Volksbühne this year. It’s such an intimate space, and it’s in my favourite colour as well. The garden at Festsaal Kreuzberg was also one of my favourites from the summer.
For a woman of colour, life is unexpected all the time.
How would you describe Berlin’s music scene?
It’s good to keep in mind that there isn’t one scene but many. That being said, from my perspective I’d describe the scene I’m part of as a mix of powerful voices.
Are there any Berlin artists you’d like to collaborate with?
Wayne Snow.
You can pick a support slot for any artist, dead or alive. Who is it and why?
Little Dragon or Raphael Saadiq. Maybe Tank and the Bangas. The list is long…
If Berlin was a song, what would it be?
Constant Surprises by Little Dragon.
What’s something unexpected or strange that inspires your music?
There’s nothing that immediately comes to my mind – for a woman of colour, life is unexpected all the time.
What are you currently working on?
I’m working on many projects at the moment. One with London label Rhythm Section, and there’s a release with a collective and band I’m part of, called Sonic Interventions. We’re releasing our first album in November with Agogo Records.
- Do You Remember? by Sonic Interventions is out now. Keep up with douniah on Instagram.
