Jerusalem24 – Riham Abu Aita – Collaborations by Palestinian artists Maysa Daw, Yusr Hamed, Lina Makhoul, Nancy Hawa and Noel Kharman in the song “An Asli Berri” (I am wild), which was produced and released as part of the campaign by Women Against Violence on International Women’s Day 2021.
Jerusalem24 spoke with Maysa Daw to explore the significance of the song, its message, and the audience’s interaction with it.
The song’s message, “I Am Wild”, speaks of the wilderness, freedom, and original place in which we know our truth as women of softness, motherhood and tenderness to strength and ferocity, without any external influences.
According to Daw, “the song is directed from a woman to a woman without addressing any negativity. Rather, it emphasizes knowing my value and praying as a woman, and on accepting differences, whatever they are.”
The idea of the song
The idea started with the Women Against Violence Association, which contacted me and expressed its desire to make a song on the occasion of International Women’s Day. Then I contacted Yusr Hamed, and we started to formulate the idea and write the words, and then we chose Nancy Hawa, Lina Makhoul, and Noel Kharman. We deliberately selected artists with differences in their singing style, personality and geographic region.
The interaction between us was very wonderful despite our differences. We worked on choosing the lyrics and melodies that present the song as one harmonious syllable, while preserving the space and personality of each singer.