Reem Kelani

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REEM BIOGRAPHY

Reem Kelani - Palestinian singer, musicologist and broadcaster - was born in England, raised in Kuwait and now lives in London. Working in the Diaspora, Reem has introduced countless non-Arab musicians to Arabic and Palestinian music.

Reem's reputation as an artist for whom her independence is an article of faith, musically, spiritually and politically, extends across the Arab and the non Arab worlds...

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New Album

Reem Kelani - Live at the Tabernacle saw its release on 11 March 2016.

Press reviews

"A powerful reminder of Kelani's twin strengths as storyteller and arresting singer of Palestinian poetry and song." Financial Times

"Confirms Reem Kelani to be an important and compelling voice." Elsewhere, New Zealand

"Kelani has been described by the British media as an 'unofficial ambassador' for Palestine. However, as this album demonstrates, she is far more than that". Middle East Eye

"Live at The Tabernacle? is an amazing achievement. Reem Kelani, in my opinion, is the finest representative of Palestinian song and culture." TimnaTal Music, USA

"A combination of emotion, control and unerring direction characterizes the songs of the ?Palestinian? Diaspora that Reem Kelani delivers so effectively. A must-hear double CD: excellent sleeve notes provide no end of help for those wanting greater depth." New Internationalist magazine

"Kelani's indomitable spirit and her emotionally charged introductions to the songs, reflecting her roles as an educator and activist, are an integral part of the experience." Songlines

"Hers is a scholarly performance that penetrates the soul of her audience and encourages it to partake with spirit, mind, body, emotion, voice and memory." Khayr al-Din Abdul-Rahman, Palestinian writer and critic

Radio Reviews

"Reem is an astonishing vocalist, but on this track [1932] she shows her power as a composer." Max Reinhardt, Late Junction, BBC Radio 3

"A beautifully packaged double live album. When you listen to it in its entirety, you get a full sense of who this person is." Your Music with Graham Reid, RadioLIVE, New Zealand

Plaudits

'Featured Album of the Week', Irish Radio RTÉ lyric fm, Ireland - April 2016

Arabic reviews (translated)

"When I hear Kelani's novel renditions of traditional Palestinian music and songs from other Arab regions, I compare her engaging performance which merges the spiritual and the physical with the lyrics and music, like a worker bee giving endlessly, with the performance of preceding generations who used to sing like wax statues. But I also draw a comparison between her scholarly performance that penetrates the soul of her audience and encourages it to partake with spirit, mind, body, emotion, voice and memory, to the clone-like performances to which many are naïvely addicted." Khayr al-Din Abdul-Rahman, Palestinian writer and critic

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