Emel Mathlouthi

这位突尼斯歌手在阿拉伯之春运动里以其抗议歌曲 Ya Tounes Ya Meskina (Poor Tunisia) 以及Kelmti Horra (My Word is Free) 而广为人知,被称为“突尼斯革命之声”。 "Freedom is in the street / Freedom is in the countryside / Not inside your house." Mathlouthi first began writing songs as a student. Frustrated by the lack of opportunities and the apathy of her classmates and family, she began writing political songs like "Ya Tounes Ya Meskina" ("Poor Tunisia"). In 2006 she was a finalist in the Prix RMC Moyen-Orient Musique competition. She decided to move to Paris, France in 2008 when the Tunisian government banned her songs from the radio and TV. Although banned from Tunisian airwaves, bootlegs of her live performances in France circulated on the internet in Tunisia. After the death of Mohamed Bouazizi she dedicated an Arabic version of the Joan Baez song "Here's To You" to him. She was recorded on the Avenue Habib Bourguiba singing "Kelmti Horra" to protesters and it became a viral video. She released her first album Kelmti Horra in January 2012. The album was influenced by Joan Baez, Massive Attack and Björk. She has given concerts in Egypt and Iraq, and performed in Canada at the Vancouver Folk Music Festival and the Festival du Monde Arabe de Montréal. Beginning of July 2012, she gave a groundbreaking concert in Baghdad, Iraq. On July 28 she gave a concert at the Sfinks Festival in Belgium, where she received a standing ovation for her cover of the Leonard Cohen song "Hallelujah". In 2013, her first concert in cairo after the revolution had a huge success and the ahram Online described her as "The Fairuz of her generation" She opened for Dead Can Dance in the festival Les nuits de Fourviere in Lyon and performed at the Womad Festival at Charlton's Park UK. she was refused permission by the Israeli authorities to enter Ramallah to perform, so she sang in front of a camera in Jordan and the small show was broadcast to the Palestinian audience in a theatre in Ramallah.