DEIRA

Deira is the debut studio album by Palestinian rapper Saint Levant, released through SALXCO and Universal Arabic Music on June 7, 2024. The album features guest appearances from other Palestinian and international artists, namely MC Abdul, Kehlani, Cheb Bilal, TIF and Sol Band, with additional backing vocals by Zeyne and Naïka. The album pays homage to Saint Levant's diverse cultural background, blending contemporary music with traditional styles as well as mixing English-, French- and Arabic-language lyrics. Thematically, it revolves around the Palestinian right of return and the longing for the country's liberation, having been described as a "tribute" or "ode to Palestine". The title track and lead single, "Deira", performed in the chaabi musical style of Algiers, is dedicated to Saint Levant's family-owned hotel in Gaza, which went destroyed in an Israeli bombing in January 2024 during Israel's war on Gaza. The opening track, "On This Land", performed with the Gazan group Sol Band, incorporates parts of the Palestinian patriotic song and unofficial anthem "Mawtini", and explores the theme of martyrdom; its title references a poem by Mahmoud Darwish. From Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deira_(...) under Creative Commons Attribution CC-BY-SA 3.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/...)