Intibint Dives into her Conflicting Cultural Identities on Debut EP

British Yemini Artist Intibint draws on her experience with conflicting cultural identities on her debut EP. The singer-songwriter from London pours her heart into What Are You Willing To Do. Over five tracks, Intibint reveals her love story with a non-Yemeni, their hidden relationship, the fallout and acceptance.

Intibint – real name Noha Al-Maghafi – wants to change the narrative of the Arab woman’s position in society through music. Her own journey as an emerging artist is somewhat untraditional. Intibint grew up on a diet of Yemeni wedding music supplemented by a mixture of R&B, hip-hop, rap and rock music she discovered on her own. Due to her conservative background, she wasn’t able to pursue a career in music. But when London went into lockdown last February, Intibint taught herself how to produce tracks.   

Even her artist name challenges how Arab women are perceived. In Arabic Intibint means ‘you are a girl’ – a dismissive phrase often used to undermine women. By adopting Intibint as her stage name, Noha flips the script towards women empowerment.

The Tracks

The EP kicks off with the sparse but flowing dual-language You & Me with Intibint sounding like the Middle East’s answer to Lorde. Check it out below.

Control is a more playful R&B track with strings and piano chords. Intibint’s lyrics explain “the dilemma of many women of conservative backgrounds as they enter relationships outside of marriage”. As a young woman, Intibint was told she’d go to hell if she embarked on non-marital relationships, which are forbidden in Yemeni culture. Yemenis also tend to marry only within their culture. Listen to Control right here.

Heaven answers the threat of hell by choosing love. The most upbeat track on the EP, it’s all live funk bass and summer sounds inspired by Massive Attack. What Are You Willing To Do drops the tempo again into wistful, jazzier territory as Intibint asks her partner what lengths he’d go to in order to protect their relationship. “Growing up around Islamophobia and racism in the UK, I was afraid his family may not be completely accepting of my Arab culture and Muslim background,” said Noha.

Downtempo electronic track Telling My Mother rounds out the EP. As the name suggests, the lyrics reflect Noha telling her mother about her Western boyfriend after receiving an arranged marriage proposal.

One to Watch

Honest and raw, the What Are You Willing To Do EP is released on Friday 9 July.By merging her Arabic and British roots and Western and Middle Eastern influences Intibint delivers something rather beautiful. She’s one to watch.

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