Born to Bosnian parents, raised in Libya, and based in the UK, Dalinda’s multicultural heritage is the beating heart of her musical identity. Her breakout debut album, Turquoise (ARC Music), was produced by the legendary late Hossam Ramzy and immediately captured a dedicated global audience, featuring on major radio stations and world music charts. She followed this with massive crossover success in the Middle East alongside Hamid AlShairi; their collaboration, “Leish”, dominated the Arabic Top Ten Charts for 17 consecutive weeks, won the Best Song and became the region’s most downloaded ringtone. Crossing genres, Dalinda has secured several sync placements—including MTV’s The Sarah Silverman Show—and delivered electronic/tribal collaborations with Phil Thornton and Simon Williams (Mandragora/Earthdance). Her collaborative spirit continued with the simultaneous release of her independent crossover album, Waternixie, and the traditional Songs from Libya (ARC/Hossam Ramzy). Produced by Pete Murray, Waternixie showcased her songs performed in English, Arabic, and Serbian. Now, she returns with her haunting new single, “The Nile.” Marking a stunning stylistic departure, this track sees Dalinda crossing into ethereal, dreamy indie/alternative territory while seamlessly retaining the rich global influences that define her sound.
With “The Nile” out now, we took some time to hear from Dalinda. Read below to learn more about Dalinda, the story behind “The Nile”, and what’s to come.
Hi Dalinda! Let’s start with how did you choose your artist name?
I actually had nothing to do with that. It was chosen for me, at birth, by a Tunisian doctor. It is my real name, but the one that I did not grow up being called. The late Hossam Ramzy, who produced my first album, thought it was “different” enough…and so – here we are.
What city are you from, and where are you based now?
I was born in Tripoli and lived there all my life until I came to London for studies. I am still based in the UK, on the Southern coast – I just replaced my childhood’s very blue southern Mediterranean, for a little more grey, but lovely English Channel.
At what point in your life did you decide to pursue a career in music? How did you get started?
I always loved music and sang from a young age. My first memory of singing was at three, with a then very famous Libyan artist (who was my family’s friend) – it was an Italian song called “Che sarà” by the Richi e Poveri. I joined a local rock band when I was a teenager, we performed everywhere, and I got to experience my own version of the Spinal Tap…some of my best memories are connected to those days…and finally, when I came to London, I was introduced to Hossam Ramzy, with whom Turquoise happened, my first World music alb.
How would you describe your sound?
Musically, I come from a very mixed background, there were so many music genres I listened to or was exposed to growing up. I suppose that is why I find it difficult to put my music in a particular genre. The same way I am at a loss for words when asked, “Where are you from?” I am a bit from everywhere. It is similar with my music: when I write there is the Slavic/Balkan melancholy there, the Libyan spirit and beat…and then some other aspects that have become my “expression,” not limited by geography, language or heritage. I think my sound is possibly an acquired taste, perhaps for the more curious listeners with eclectic musical palates. For those that enjoy stories, as well, as I do like to tell stories with my music.
Do you have any hobbies outside of music? What do you do to stay creative?
I read a book a week, I love art and cinema, I probably watch one movie a day, I do a lot of photography, and I love animals, all kinds. I am quite active in the rescue ‘missions’, mostly unorganized, but if there is some animal to rescue, you’ll know who to call. Me! ☺ And, I have recently taken up gardening, mostly with the help of Gemini.
Who are some of your main musical influences?
I get asked this, as many artists do, I’m sure, and I always find it difficult to answer. Possibly because I think that all the artists that I listened to, both the ones that I adore and those that I do not love, and the music that was either “up my street” or completely not, they all leave a bit of their musical DNA, a split of a chromosome somewhere in one’s own creative mind. But I’ll name those that I grew up listening to and sang along: Cindy Lauper, Annie Lennox, Bruce Springsteen, Prince, Fairuz, Goran Bregovic, Cheb Khaled, I loved Olivia Newton John, Blondie, ah Blondie, and of course, the ultimate, most amazing, magical Stevie Nicks.
As an older me, I listen to a lot to cinematic stuff, adore Billie Eilish, Lana del Rey and Cold Play, love the Chemical Brothers and many EDM bands…and opera.
What would be your dream music collaboration?
My dream music collaboration would be Chris Martin and Cold Play. I love their music, it just goes straight to my heart, I suppose. There is a song in Bosnian, that says, “There is golden thread from a heart to heart,” and that is how I feel about their music. A golden thread straight to my heart. ☺
What’s one of the proudest moments of your music career so far?
Is success always quantifiable, that is the question… Probably being the Song of the Year in the Middle East, and suddenly realizing that many, many people knew all the lyrics to my song…and sang it along, would fit into a more straightforward answer. But, I think my personal proudest moments are making music and songs that are fully me.
What would you say are the greatest lessons that you’ve learned so far?
I think that I must thank Tom Cruise for that, and how he explained his reaction when he was told by the “safety guy” that his stunt on Burj Khalifa in Mission Impossible, which he always wanted to do, was too dangerous and could not be done. Tom Cruise’s answer was, “So, I got another safety guy.” I think that is what I learnt – if you believe in something, you just go ahead. Believe and do not give up. “It is better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all,” as Lord Tennyson said.
Now onto your release, “The Nile.” ‘What is “The Nile” about?
“The Nile” is a love song. A love that was brighter than the stars, a love that was older the Nile’s flow, and a love that was lost. A love that left, and its leaving could never be accepted.
It is about the love that fills the soul and enters the pores and without which everything loses its point. Maybe it is about the love we all wish to have once in our life, and maybe it is about the love that we all fear to have.
What inspired the song?
“The Nile” was the first song that I ever wrote. I went to the studio, armed with a guitar and enthusiasm, and when I came back with a recorded cd demo, I played it for my number one fan, my mother. She did not speak English, but – she could not hide the tears on her half-turned face. And in that single moment, I suddenly realised that she, my mother, and her grief – that was my Muse. My father passed a few years earlier, and at times, most of the times, I felt his loss more while seeing my mom. The Nile was my young heart’s attempt to understand this impossible abyss of the eternal sadness of losing one’s world.
What was the inspiration behind the cover artwork for “The Nile?”
The inspiration behind the artwork follows the trail…it shows my young mom, happy and full of love, in the circle of that love, looking out. She knows nothing of the loss at that moment, but years later, the parts that remain foggy and unclear on the cover artwork are the ones that disappear.
What was the creative process like when making “The Nile?”
“The Nile” now, decades later, has grown up. The pain and grief are more relatable, in so many ways. I was lucky and grateful to work with the brilliant Pete Murray, my multi-instrumentalist producer, who just “gets” my, at times, hard to explain ideas, and whose own ideas, blend and enhance my own. There were no samples used, and it was all done with live instrumentation. We wanted “The Nile” to be as raw and “real” as possible. We shunned away any autotune as we felt it did not have a place in this project, or the idea we put forward. Grief is not polished, love is never perfect, yet it is precisely that, those imperfections, those vibrating human waves that render the emotions imperfectly perfect.
How long did it take to complete “The Nile?”
It was a rather long process, mostly because it was waiting for its right time. Creatively. And then, life and other projects came in between. Once we laid down the first track, that was then a little faster.
What do you hope fans take away from “The Nile” and your music in general?
I hope with all my heart that they will like it. That they will find something that will ring true, touch a point in their minds and hearts. And I would like that, perhaps, the limitations of genre, cohesion of expression, do not play a part. It is just music, a universal language, which we all speak, and most importantly, understand, if we try.
What’s next for you? Are you working on any upcoming projects, or do you have any upcoming shows that we should be on the lookout for?
I have quite a few new projects that I am currently working on. There is a new collaboration with Pete Murray, and a few new tracks, completely different, EDM tracks, in pipeline, in collaboration with Phil Thornton and Simon Williams (Mandragora).
Where can we follow you on social media?
I don’t use a lot of social media, but…followers would always be welcome. ☺
https://www.instagram.com/dalindaworldmusic
Thank you for the great interview; wish you much continued success!
