Tarab

Explore the creative worlds of the Middle East’s most compelling musicians through candid, behind-the-scenes conversations that reveal the voices shaping the region’s evolving music scene.

Listen on:

  • Apple Podcasts
  • Podbean App
  • Spotify
  • Amazon Music
  • iHeartRadio
  • PlayerFM
  • Listen Notes
  • BoomPlay

Episodes

Tuesday Aug 26, 2025

Lebanese singer Yasmine Hamdan remains one of the most distinctive voices in contemporary Arabic music. She forged a trailblazing career with the seminal band SoapKills before going solo, following a path defined by restless energy and a search for new forms of expression.
Her latest album, I Remember I Forget, continues that journey, drawing on themes of memory, exile and distance.
Written and recorded in Paris, Sicily and Beirut, the work is both personal and political, shaped by regional dislocation and the freedoms and costs of life abroad.
In this debut episode of the Tarab podcast, host Saeed Saeed speaks to Hamdan about the making of the album, the legacy of SoapKills and how living outside Lebanon influences her voice and artistic vision.
Tarab is a new weekly podcast that takes listeners inside the Middle East’s music scene through candid conversations with the region's artists.A new episode drops every Tuesday across all podcast platforms.

Tarab Trailer

Thursday Aug 14, 2025

Thursday Aug 14, 2025

Tarab is a new weekly music podcast hosted by The National’s Saeed Saeed that takes you inside the Middle East’s music scene. 
The first season brings you conversations with some of the region’s most captivating voices, from genre-defying performers to industry visionaries.
You’ll hear from artists reshaping Gulf hip-hop, reinventing Arab music, using the piano as a call for peace and bringing jazz, folk and R&B to audiences in the region, all while elevating Arab music on the global stage.
A new episode drops every Tuesday across all podcast platforms.

The National

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