ABIR is taking the world by storm–a sonic sandstorm, that is. In her latest video for “Inferno”, the Arab-American singer brings us to the sandy depths of where it all started for her: Morocco.
Aptly titled, “Inferno” is a sultry, infectious joint sprinkled with the traditional percussion, flutes and strings of North Africa. As the first release of ABIR’s upcoming EP, HEAT, “Inferno” solidifies ABIR’s place in the music industry: a fearless Arab-American Muslim woman with undeniable strength. The charred textures of ABIR’s commanding vocals add to the temperature, making “Inferno” representative of the change ABIR sets to bring about in transforming the often limited narratives of Muslim Arab-American women. “The last year has been such a transitional time as far as really owning my identity,” ABIR shares over email, “and that allowed me to get to the point of making the music I always wanted to make – something that challenges people’s perceptions of what it means to be an Arab woman in the modern world.”
Shot in a desert in Marrakesh, the video for “Inferno” beautifully encapsulates ABIR’s heritage and showcases the strength of other Arab women. One woman in the video sports a Nike hijab, a significant message that points to the fact that being a Muslim woman does not confine one's ability to express herself and achieve whatever she sets her heart upon.
When ABIR reaches the last verse, a fire ignites, engulfing the landscape behind her. With that fire, ABIR burns down years of false generalizations that many women before her had to bear, as she sets her case to be the first Muslim Arab-American powerhouse pop vocalist who knows no limits.
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Photo credit: Domen & Van De Velde
