Hamza Namira

Hamza Namira (Arabic: حمزة نمرة‎) is an Egyptian singer-songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist. He has released three albums from the production of Awakening Records: Dream With Me, Insan, Esmaani; and a single album from Namira production, his own foundation: Hateer Min Tany. Besides singing, for which he is mostly known, he has also composed and arranged musical tracks. Some were his own work, like his albums heads Esmaani and Insan. Others, however, were collaborations with other artists, like composing Maher Zain's song Ya Nabi Salam Alayka, and contributing to arranging the cartoony re-make Egyptian Jingle Bells or the Oh la la song.[2]

Hamza Namira
حمزة نمرة
Namira performing at a concert in 2010
Background information
Birth nameHamza Namira
Born (1980-11-15) November 15, 1980[1]
Abha, Saudi Arabia[1]
OriginEgypt
Genres
Occupation(s)
Instruments
  • Vocals
  • guitar
  • Oud
Years active1999–present
Labels
  • Awakening
  • Namira Productions
Websitehamzanamira.net

Career

Beginnings

Namira started to develop an interest in music when he was 17 years old, and he set about learning the guitar, keyboard, and ‘oud. He also developed interests in several musical styles: Middle Eastern, Egyptian traditional and folk music, light rock, jazz, and Latin music. From 1999 until 2004, Namira played in a band headed by the Alexandrian artist Nabil Bakly and went on to form his own group. He composed his first songs and succeeded in getting a few like-minded friends together and established the band "Nomaira".[3]

Namira said his main musical influence is Nabil Bakly; a relatively unknown musician, whose group He joined from 2000 to 2001. One commentator described him as the "new Sayed Darwish".[4]

Breakthrough success

Namira's second album, Insan [Human] was released in July 2011.[5] This coincided with the Egyptian revolution, which he declared was a main factor in his popularity. According to him, he wants to express the real issues of his generation, which he thinks mainstream works don't cover due to concerns of musical market needs and pressure from production companies.[6]

When British Prime Minister David Cameron visited Egypt on 21 February 2011 (only ten days after President Hosni Mubarak left office), Namira was one of a select group of people invited to meet with him and to participate in a one-hour discussion about the future of Egypt.[7]

Namira's fixation on sociopolitical issues continued along the timeline of the Egyptian part of the Arab Spring, with the last obviously relevant work being his 2013 single Wa Ollak Eh, in which he emphasized on rejecting violence, hatred, and the general polarized environment at that time, as exemplified by the Mokattam clashes, in which more than 100 people were injured.[8][9]

Remix series

In 2016, Namira launched his own TV series Remix (in Arabic ريمكس) on the pan-Arab TV channel Al Araby. Each 30-minute episode would end with a special collaborative performance of the songs by Namira and an accompanying musical band or vocalists in a contemporary fashion.[10]

Discography

Albums[11][12]
YearTitleTrack list
2008Ehlam Maaya (Dream With Me)
  1. Morgiha – Swing
  2. Ehlam Ma'aya – Dream With Me
  3. Konna Wehna Soghar – When We Were Young
  4. Fattah Shababik 'Eineek – Open Your Eyes
  5. Shedd El Hizam – Tighten Up Your Belt
  6. Ya Tair – O' Bird
  7. Wana Fi Tareeqy – While I Was Running
  8. Al Taghreeb – Alienation 1
  9. Ya Rabb – O' Lord
  10. Ehlam Ma'aya (Acoustic Version) – Dream With Me
2011Insan (A Human)
  1. Insan – A Human
  2. El-Midan – The Square
  3. Hansa – I'll Forget
  4. Taghreeba II – Alienation 2
  5. Ya Muhawwin – O' Clement
  6. Ewidooni – Promise Me
  7. Ibn El-Watan – O' Son Of This Country!
  8. Balady Ya Balady – Homeland .. O' Homeland
  9. Ya Hanah! – Oh, How Lucky!
  10. Doori – Revolve Around
  11. Haser Hesarak – Besiege Your Siege
  12. Ala Bab Allah – Standing By Allah's Door
  13. Wushoosh – Faces
  14. Sout – Voice
  15. Hila Hila Ya Matr – Come Down O' Rain!
  16. Esmy Masr – My Name's Egypt
2014Esmaani (Listen to Me)
  1. Esmaani – Listen To Me!
  2. Sabah El-Kheer – Good Morning
  3. Ya Lala
  4. Ay Kalam – Empty Words
  5. Dalmet kda leeh – Why It Darkened?
  6. El-Atr – The Train
  7. Tesmahy- Can You Please
  8. Ya Sidi – My Master
  9. La Tabki – Don't Cry
  10. Kolo Beya'addi – It All Pass
  11. Ya Mazloom – O' Oppressed One
  12. Ma3a EL-Salama – Farewell
2015El Mesaharaty
  1. Zeina
  2. Zahma
  3. Ghorba
  4. Kora
  5. Helal
  6. Manish Darwish
  7. Wasfa
  8. Iblees
  9. Nabina
  10. Taraweeh
  11. El Omm
  12. Napoleon
  13. Khatma
  14. Intizar
  15. Istighfar
  16. Akher 10 Ayam
  17. Daqqet Tabla
  18. Leilet AlQadr
  19. Akher Leila (Last Night)
2018Hateer Min Tany
  1. Dari Ya Alby
  2. Sheekayyo
  3. Wala Sohba Ahla
  4. Bos Bos
  5. Zahra
  6. El Wad El Abeet
  7. Dari Ya Alby (acoustic)
  8. Madadd
  9. Shuwayyet Habayeb

Remix albums

YearTitleTrack list
2016Remix Hamza Namira
  1. Enas Enas (with Reminisce band) (4:56) (Morocco in Tamazigt)
  2. Ya Zareef Al Tool (with 47Soul) (5:05) (Palestine)
  3. Wain Ayamak (feat. Hamid Alshaery) (2:44) (Libya)
  4. Salma Ya Salama / Raggle Taggle Gypsy (with Wraggle Taggle Band) (4:23) (Egypt)
  5. Jaljal Aleh Al Roman (4:47) (Iraq)
  6. Mal Almagadir (with Nour Project) (4:29) (Egypt)
  7. W Sari Sara El Leil / Wein a Ramallah (feat. Tarek an Nasser and Rem band) (5:46 / 1:20) (Jordan / Palestine)
  8. Ya Bahr El Toufan (with Valkania) (4:13) (Algeria)
  9. Ya Oud Al Rouman (with Baraka band) (3:41) (Saudi Arabia)
  10. Ya Nes Jaratli Gharaeeb (with Zap Tharwat, Omar Sammur, Ben Eaton) (5:51) (Tunisia)
  11. Manich Mena (with AlQoura) (4:25) (Morocco / Algeria)
  12. Yawman Toatebna (feat. Ramon Ruiz and Manuel de la Niña) (4:05) (Egypt)

Videography
YearTitle
2008
  • Dream with Me (Ehlam Ma'aya)
2009
  • Two Birds (Asforeen)
2010
  • O Israel (Ya Israeel)
  • I'm the Egyptian (Ana El-Masri)
2011
  • Human (Insan)
  • Hila Hila ya Matar
  • Mawaweel
2013
  • The Square (El-Midan)
2014
  • What to Tell You (Wa Ollak Eih)
2018
  • Dary ya Alby
2019
  • Hekayet Tefl – A kid's story

Political views

In November 2014, Namira's songs were banned from Egyptian state radio for "criticising the authorities"[13]

Philanthropy

Namira joined a two-day UK tour organized by Human Appeal International to fundraise for medical equipment and provide training for more than 10,000 medical practitioners in Egypt.[14][15] He performed in Vienna, Austria in October 2014 in an event organized by Humanic Relief.[16]

References
  1. عايش [Ayesh], محمد [Muhammad] (18 January 2014). "مصري تربَّى في السعودية أصبح أشهر فناني الثورة [An Egyptian raised in KSA became the most popular artist of the Egyptian revolution]". Alarabiya.net. Retrieved 2 April 2020.
  2. أيمن [Ayman], كرمة [Karma]. ""فلكزيون" مع حمزة نمرة: برضه مكملين [Follkzion with Hamza Namira: we are still going on]". Masr al-Arabiya. Retrieved 2 April 2020.
  3. Foley, Sean. "The Artist of the Revolution: Hamza Namira, the Arab Spring, and the Dream of a Free Egypt". Middle East Institute. Retrieved 21 August 2014.
  4. "Hamza Namira's "Dream With Me" restores Sayed Darwish". almustaqbal. 4 July 2009. Retrieved 21 August 2014.
  5. "Hamza Namira: Insan". Cairo360. Retrieved 21 August 2014.
  6. "Exclusive interview with Hamza Namira: 'I'm not a politician or activist'". The New Arab. 9 February 2018. Retrieved 2 April 2020.
  7. Watt, Nicholas (21 February 2011). "David Cameron arrives in Egypt to meet military rulers". The Guardian. Retrieved 21 August 2014.
  8. "Brotherhood HQ clashes leave residents of Cairo's Moqattam polarised". Ahram Online. Retrieved 2 April 2020.
  9. "200 مصاب في اشتباكات بين أنصار جماعة الإخوان ومعارضيها في مصر". Reuters (in Arabic). 22 March 2013. Retrieved 2 April 2020.
  10. EgyptianStreets.com: Hamza Namira is back
  11. "Hamza Namira". Apple Music. Retrieved 2 April 2020.
  12. "Hamza Namira". Deezer. Retrieved 2 April 2020.
  13. "Egypt radio bans popular singer Hamza Namira for 'critical' songs". BBC News. 19 November 2014. Retrieved 20 November 2014.
  14. Elkamel, Sara (27 January 2013). "Hamza Namira performs in UK fundraiser for medical equipment for Egypt". Ahram Online. Retrieved 21 August 2014.
  15. "Art Alert: Egyptian musician Hamza Namira to perform in two UK concerts". Ahram Online. 10 January 2013. Retrieved 21 August 2014.
  16. "Opferfest-Veranstaltung". Retrieved 8 October 2014.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.