Noel Kharman On Her Success Story, Biggest Challenges And Connection To Music
An artist’s most emotional work, more often than not, becomes the audience’s favourite. This is particularly the case for Palestinian singer, Noel Kharman and her latest release, Ann Alawan, which has taken her to new heights
Noel’s affinity for music began in her childhood during school theatre classes, after which she took every opportunity to enhance her natural talent, including starting a YouTube channel where she would share covers of her favourite songs. “I made a mashup of Adele’s Hello and Fairouz’s Kifak Inta when I was 16. I remember that I recorded and uploaded the song to YouTube the same day, and when I woke up, I found that the views had exceeded 250K. I did not expect that at all, but it made me so happy,” Noel recalled. Today, the video has over 32 million views, which can be attributed to the emotions Noel was able to release through her voice to listeners. “Several factors contribute to the success of any song, and genuine feelings could be the most important,” she stressed, “this is just the most important thing I learned over the past two years. An artist must be sincere with the audience. Music requires a connection to oneself to reveal feelings and experiences that they themselves may not be ready to uncover.” Ann Alawan was Noel’s first single, and following its success, she released Enta Eli featuring DJ BigSam.
Music has always been an integral part of Noel’s life, especially after the passing of her father when her mother encouraged her to project her feelings into her music. “I was 7 years old when my father passed away; although I was not aware of things around me back then, I could still see and sense my mother’s grief.” From the lyrics to the music video, every beat of Ann Alawan captures the feeling of loss. “This song had a wide reach and echoed positivity. I was really touched by the reactions of people who went through a similar experience,” she commented, adding, “as this song portrayed their sorrow, it felt like we are all in this together. Their reactions are what touched me the most.”
Upon hearing her song for the first time, the only thing on Noel’s mind was her mother’s opinion. “My mother loved it so much, and this song is her favourite among all my other songs,” she added, “she was moved a lot and cried her heart out the first time she heard it.” Despite living away from home for the past two years to chase her dreams, Noel shares a very close bond with her mother. “My mother always encourages me to pursue my dreams despite the difficulty of living apart, especially because we are the closest to one another ever since my father’s passing. Yet, she totally understood the necessity of me moving out to Jordan at this stage,” Noel explained.
While studying sound engineering in Jordan, Noel was able to launch her music career with the help of a professional team and pave her way toward success. “I never thought singing would be that difficult, and it becomes increasingly challenging as a singer gains more fame,” the artist noted. However, she continued, “I believe every singer needs a team who knows all the ins and outs of the industry, and I am very lucky to have a team that supports my endeavour.” She also emphasised that an artist should continue producing work despite setbacks, saying, “it is frustrating to release several works, yet none of them receive the expected reach. That is why it is necessary to keep on going.”
Speaking of luck, Noel acknowledges her own when it comes to her gift, she remarks, “I am truly happy and grateful to have this talent that I can use as an artist to express difficult feelings, especially the ability to write my own lyrics.” To sum up her thoughts on music as an outlet for musicians, Noel concludes that, “although it can be difficult for the artist sometimes, it is really rewarding to see those feelings become a final product that can be shared with and touch an audience.”
Listen to Ann Alawan here…
Photography by Aziz Mousa. Styled by Jad Toghuj. Managed by Saif Saleh