Roufaida - Basement Sessions

Roufaida

Roufaida plays indie pop with guitar, guembri, vintage Riffian cassette samples and beats in English and Arabic. A unique musical language with influences from Björk, Fairuz and Nilüfer Yanya. On stage, she lets the listener get very close. HUMO says that her music is a 'unique sound'. As a child, Roufaida, like many children of Moroccan migrants, travelled with her family by car to Morocco in the summer. During those rides, Riffian and Arabic music were played against the backdrop of an increasingly red landscape. 'When I started listening to that music again, something happened; I recognized a rhythm in my body. It felt very natural to do something with that'. The theme of her lyrics is about hope and opportunities. 'As different as we seem, we are so alike in our sadness, our love and loneliness'.

Debut

In 2021, she will produce her debut album in her home studio in Crooswijk Rotterdam. 3voor12 reviewed the album as a 'beautiful debut work'. In the run-up to her album release, Roufaida has played in support acts for Eefje de Visser and Balthazar and at festivals such as Into The Great Wide Open, Motel Mozaique and Welcome to the Village. The year 2023 started with a performance at Noorderslag.