By ‘Sami’ means to transcend or to rise above in Arabic – and that’s exactly what Arab hip-hop artist Dave Kirreh achieves with his latest track, out now. The producer and lyricist from Palestine bravely draws on his own mental health experiences for this independent release.
A tale of creating light at the end of the tunnel, Sami bursts to life in a riot of burbling basslines, sirens and screams. Then Kirreh breaks into action, passionately telling his story, his tale of hope and redemption. After battling mental health issues for years, this is the sound of Dave Kirreh reclaiming his passion and his music.
“I dedicate this song to that me, and to anyone who is stuck in that dark place. Trust me, I feel you and I know how dark and cold it is there. Talk to me if you are reading this,” said Dave.
Dark Place
The track touches on a wide range of mental health issues, a topic which is thankfully becoming more increasingly mainstream thanks to artists opening up about their own experiences.
“Loss, betrayal, failure, addiction and health issues consumed me for years,” explained Dave. “In a very dark place, I lost hope at some point in my life. I was looking for answers everywhere and never found any. I was surrounded by narcissists, hypocrites and traitors throughout the years. But now I look down and embrace that me, I embrace every second of those times for they made me who I am today. One thing I know; I always kept fighting.”
You can listen to Sami below.
Keeping on the mental health issue, Pioneer DJs’ 2017 documentary Slaves to the Rhythm – Why We DJ looks at how international DJs are prone to suffering mental health issues due to the pressure of their careers and is well worth watching.
