Month: December 2022

Dancing is in, dissent is out as Saudi Arabia’s crown prince transforms his country

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© (Tasneem Alsultan / For The Times)
Singers perform at a Soundstorm music festival in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. (Tasneem Alsultan / For The Times)

Standing in a maelstrom of swirling smoke and spotlights, Nouf Sufyani, the 29-year-old Saudi DJ better known as Cosmicat, sang along to Fatboy Slim’s “Right Here, Right Now.” She looped a snippet of the melody, letting the tension build before grabbing the mic and shouting to the cheering, dancing crowd: “Right here, right now — we’re Jeddah!”

It was the second night of Balad Beast, a two-day rave held earlier this month in Saudi Arabia’s second-largest city. The event was part of Soundstorm, a series of state-backed music festivals that began in 2019 and has since brought dozens of international artists to the country, including Bruno Mars and top-flight DJ Solomun.

Fawaz Utaibi, a 26-year-old English-language teacher, was excited to cut loose in Jeddah’s Balad, or Old Town, where an animated image of a giant cat’s head was projected onto the coral-stone buildings, nodding to the beat. Five years ago, “there was nothing to do here — the only reason you’d come was to buy traditional goods. Now you can celebrate,” he said.






© (Tasneem Alsultan / For The Times)
Concertgoers at the Soundstorm music festival in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on Dec. 9. (Tasneem Alsultan / For The Times)

“Look around you. It sounds crazy: We’re partying in Saudi.”

Balad Beast is of a piece with Vision 2030, the all-out transformation of Saudi Arabia that the country’s de facto ruler, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, launched soon after he became heir to the throne in 2017. Its aims include diversifying Saudi Arabia’s oil-dependent economy and revamping its long-held image from a puritanically religious kingdom inaccessible to outsiders into a regional entertainment mecca.

The campaign’s main target is the two-thirds of the Saudi populace who are under the age of 35. The crown prince — himself only 37 — wants his peers to live, work and play at home rather than leave for jobs abroad or spend billions of dollars every year seeking out fun in places such as Dubai or Manama, the capital of Bahrain.






© (Kay Nietfeld / DPA)
Mohammed bin Salman, the crown prince of Saudi Arabia, wants to diversify his country’s economy, including by turning it into an entertainment hub. (Kay Nietfeld / DPA)

The swiftness of the changes in Saudi Arabia has residents long used to its sleepy social life blinking in shock, like Dorothy stepping out of her sepia-toned Kansas house into Technicolor Oz. December’s calendar alone featured Balad Beast, the Red Sea International Film Festival, the Dakar Rally, the Riyadh Season — a monster lineup of concerts and sporting events — and the Boulevard Riyadh, a sort of world fair in the Saudi capital with pavilions showcasing foreign countries, including the U.S., which was represented by a chunk of interstate highway asphalt, a Magnolia Bakery and a police cruiser.

Supporters of the crown prince, who was recently named prime minister, praise him as the only leader with the chutzpah and authority to push through such a profound makeover of Saudi society. Here at Jeddah’s Balad Beast, in a scene unthinkable only a few years ago, Utaibi stood sipping a mocktail alongside a female friend who wore no hijab; other revelers sported jeans, shorts, crop tops, even mesh shirts. Electronic music blasted from billboard-sized speakers as a female performer belted out tunes onstage. Men and women danced together.

“Unless you grew up here, you wouldn’t understand the magnitude of what we’re doing,” said Ahmad Ammary, 44, the DJ and music producer who developed Soundstorm.






© (Tasneem Alsultan / For The Times)
Men dance with glow sticks at an outdoor rave in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. (Tasneem Alsultan / For The Times)

But critics say the strides in social liberalization have been accompanied by the cementing of a politically illiberal climate with a single person in charge: the crown prince. They liken his rule to the more centralized Arab dictatorships in Egypt and Syria, in a break with the more consultative system the kingdom used to employ.

They also accuse the crown prince of using extreme measures to neutralize anyone opposed to or even insufficiently enthusiastic about his policies, such as Saudi journalist and U.S. resident Jamal Khashoggi, who was killed by a Saudi hit team at the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul in October 2018. The U.S. has concluded that the crown prince ordered the brutal slaying, which he denies.

Last summer, two Saudi women were sentenced to 34 and 45 years in prison essentially for expressing dissent on social media, according to human rights organizations, which noted that the sentences were the longest ever handed to activists. Saudi officials said the cases go beyond social media activity but did not elaborate.

The political atmosphere is such that, in interviews, people willing to criticize government policies — saying that tourism revenue could never supplant oil proceeds, or that spending on flashy entertainment projects ignores more pressing infrastructure problems — refused to do so on the record. On Twitter, the social network of choice in Saudi Arabia, previously critical accounts have been suspended or deleted or now stick to safe topics.

Also cowed is the once-mighty clerical class whose support undergirded the ruling Saud family’s power. Imams who have spoken out against the liberalization have been put in jail. Even the mutaween, the infamous religious police who ran patrols to ensure people behaved according to a strict moral code — smashing music equipment and castigating women for wearing makeup — now parrot the government line that they had overstepped their mandate and are content with encouraging rather than imposing their version of virtuous living.

That a political crackdown has accompanied a social opening up may seem contradictory, but analysts say the crown prince sees it as a necessary complement.

“The Saudi leadership thinks they have no choice because they can’t develop a post-hydrocarbon economy without these liberalizations and turning Saudis from dependent subjects to wealth-producing citizens,” said Hussein Ibish, a resident scholar at the Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington. “But they also see it as dangerous to the regime” — as potentially setting in motion forces they cannot control.

Although the crown prince’s harsh authoritarian streak is troubling, most of the changes he’s effected are “incredibly important,” Ibish said. “He’s truly transforming the country, mostly for the far better.”

It’s clear that many Saudis see the crown prince’s policies as a long-overdue coming-out party for young people.

“From the outside, this is what people think of Saudi Arabia: Mecca, Medina, hajj, umrah, religion. It’s part of our fabric,” said Ammary, the Soundstorm organizer, referring to Islam’s two holiest sites and the pilgrimages that Muslims undertake. Those associations, he said, brought an expectation of how Saudis behaved in public.






© (Tasneem Alsultan / For The Times)
A light show illuminates the stage during the Soundstorm music festival in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on Dec. 9. (Tasneem Alsultan / For The Times)

“Growing up, we were encouraged to not stand out. Whenever I would come home for a visit, I’d switch to the Saudi version of myself: Be calm, straightforward, proper. Don’t smile too much,” said Ammary, who spent time living in the U.S.

Though he’s been a DJ since 1997, it wasn’t something he was “built to be proud of.” He played at private parties for a small community of friends. The first edition of the Soundstorm festival was “a social experiment,” he said, during which he was surprised to find so many underground groups.

“This community went from paranoid tiny pockets to people that can do this with pride, with joy, with no fear. I’m proud of the Band-Aid we’re ripping off our culture,” he said, adding: “It’s not a change. It was always there, but we were hiding.”

Other signs of that unveiling, both literal and figurative, are inescapable. At Balad Beast, three 21-year-old women without hijabs, law students Leen, Jood and Lujain, remarked how their childhood had been about keeping a segregated existence from males, who nonetheless controlled their lives — how they dressed, where they worked or went out, whether they stayed married. The last few years saw the ban on women driving lifted and the more onerous aspects of the male guardianship system dismantled, such as being forced to seek permission from a male relative to get a passport or travel.

“We’re the transitional generation,” said Lujain, adding that she was more confident about having a relationship (“divorce is easier now”) and was excited about her career options. All three friends, who declined to give their last names for reasons of privacy, were concerned about sexual harassment — “men see an event like this as an excuse to go nuts,” Jood said — but thought police would now help rather than shame them for their dress.

Before the crown prince’s ascension, “this wouldn’t have happened. The men would have got away with it,” Jood said.

Signs at the Balad Beast admonished people to “Look, don’t stare” and to “Be friendly, but don’t overdo it.” Supervising the proceedings were stern-faced male and female guards with the hawk-eyed looks of chaperones at a high school dance. They were helped by the absence of alcohol, which remains banned in the kingdom but is expected to be legalized under certain conditions in the coming year.

For women, the changes have opened up new opportunities. Sufyani, the DJ known as Cosmicat, was a dentist before she saw spinning tunes as a possibility. The percentage of women joining the Saudi workforce exceeds 35%, more than double the rate from five years ago, official statistics say.

The feared backlash from religious conservatives hasn’t materialized in force, though whether their quiescence stems from fear or indifference, or both, is unclear. At the Boulevard Riyadh, the quasi-world fair, women in black niqabs joined more colorfully attired attendees in enjoying music acts that would have been deemed impossibly risque a few years ago.






© (Tasneem Alsultan / For The Times)
A woman dances at the rave in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. (Tasneem Alsultan / For The Times)

“Yes, it’s great the kids have more options now,” Mohammad Bukhari, a 43-year-old employee with the Saudi oil giant Aramco, said as he struggled with a giant inflatable banana while checking out the Japanese pavilion, his three children in tow. “But of course we have to be careful our children don’t get negative influences.”

International condemnation of the crown prince, which reached its apex after the Khashoggi killing, has also abated somewhat, despite the political suppression at home and state actions such as the biggest mass execution — 81 people on a single day in March — in the kingdom’s history. The Red Sea Film Festival this month attracted stars including Sharon Stone, Guy Ritchie, Shah Rukh Khan and Michelle Rodriguez. Saudi sovereign funds have poured investment into Amazon, Walt Disney and Nintendo, among others.

Last year’s Soundstorm had Human Rights Watch calling on performers and promoters to speak out against Saudi rights abuses “or refuse to participate in yet another one of Saudi’s reputation laundering schemes.”

Organizer Ammary dismisses that characterization of his event, which is just one of 3,800 that the Saudi General Entertainment Authority, a vast government department that the crown prince created in 2016 and that occupies multiple floors of the Ritz-Carlton in Riyadh, has spent billions of dollars organizing.

“This makes me roll my eyes. As if our only objective is to impress the world,” Ammary said. “We have 30-million plus people we have to make happy. This is investing in that.”

Mashari Sultan, an unemployed 19-year-old, would certainly agree. Dressed in white pants, a leather jacket, sunglasses and mismatched finger-less gloves, he smiled as he sashayed down the cobblestone path of the Balad in Jeddah.

“This is the first time I’ve ever gone out the way I want to dress. I felt courageous enough to dye streaks in my hair,” he said, giggling as he added that his parents didn’t know he was at Balad Beast.

“It’s everyone in their own way. My parents wouldn’t understand. We’re a different generation.”

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

Street dancer Lip J, violinist Cho Jin-joo to come together for year-end performance

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Dancer Lip J [LOTTE CONCERT HALL]

 
It’s that time again — time to celebrate the year’s end with some great music. The country’s concert halls are each holding their signature year end concerts, along with fireworks at the Seoul Arts Center and light shows at the Lotte Concert Hall, after great classical music performances.  
 
This year, the Lotte Concert Hall said it will go a step further by inviting dancers and a DJ for a “Hip and Hot” concert.  To the music of Pablo de Sarasate’s “Zigeunerweisen,” which will be performed by violinist Cho Jin-joo with Hankyung arte Philharmonic under the baton of maestro Choi Soo-yeoul, popular Korean dancer Lip J will show off her signature waacking dance style. If you’ve seen Lip J waacking, which is a form of street dance created in the LGBT clubs of Los Angeles during the 1970s disco era, it is hard to imagine what the dance that has rotational arm movements will look like alongside a piece of classical music inside a classical music concert hall. 
 
Violinist Cho is already known for her passionate, charismatic flair. She’s not a typical classical violinist with a glittering evening gown. Her stage presence is simply so electrifying that it has always surprised audience members. That is why many of Cho and Lip J’s fans are counting down to New Year’s eve for their collab on stage.  
 
Though her dance style is a popular one in America, it only became familiar to Koreans along with the dancer herself through Mnet’s dance competition show “Street Woman Fighter” (2021).  
 
To hear more about Lip J’s upcoming performance at the Lotte Concert Hall in southern Seoul, the Korea JoongAng Daily recently conducted an email interview with the dancer. The following are edited excerpts.  
 

Q. You’ve performed all over the world but doing waacking inside a classical concert hall with a violinist and a full orchestra will be a unique experience for you. How do you feel about the upcoming year-end concert at the Lotte Concert Hall?

 
A. One of the charms of street dance is that there are no strict boundaries to where or when it can be performed. Thanks to that, I think I’ve danced in a variety of venues for different events. Whether it’s for filming or performance, street dance can be staged anywhere, anytime — on the street, on stage, in an alleyway, in front of a city hall, by a riverside, and so on.  
However, this upcoming performance, where I will be collaborating with a violinist in a classical music hall is something I’ve never experienced as a street dancer. I am also looking forward to how it will turn out. It will be a memorable event to wrap up my year, and an enjoyable one for the audience.    
 

Will you be freestyling in the upcoming performance as well?
There will be an overarching concept and format with fixed choreography in certain areas but I’ll definitely dance freestyle. When I danced to the same music in Russia in 2017 I had prepared the choreography but in the end, most of the performance was done freestyle. Back then, I was focused more on showing the “texture” of the sound of the violin through my dance style known as waacking. But this time, since violinist Cho Jin-joo is going to be on stage with me and I’ll be dancing to a live violin performance, I think it will be a totally different performance to what I’ve done in Russia. I can’t wait to show the audience how we — a dancer and a musician — can sync perfectly on stage.  
 

The video of the waacking you did to “Zigeunerweisen” in 2017 in Russia has more than 2.3 million views on YouTube. What was that performance for?

 
It’s a judge’s demo clip for a Waacking Sharing event that gets held in Russia every year. It was my second solo performance at that event and during that time, Tyrone Proctor, the late waacking master who is one of the dancers that popularized the dance craze, was present. So I remember being so honored to see him and remember that day as a significant day in my waacking dance career because I met him in person. That is why I was quite hesitant to dance to “Zigeunerweisen” in front of him. Until the last minute, I was agonizing whether I should change to a disco song. But I just decided to stick with it because I know I’ve worked so hard on it and I really wanted to use classical music. It’s a personal reason, but my mother loves classical music and is a big fan of Korean violinist Chang Young-joo. And that day was my mother’s birthday. Though she couldn’t make it to Russia, I wanted to show her my performance at least through a video as a birthday gift. I wanted to perform to the music she can sympathize with because I know she wouldn’t been able to relate to my other performances. It was a big challenge for me as well.  
 

Are there any similarities between “Zigeunerweisen” and the dance style waacking?
Just as we use a lot of gestures when we speak, waacking has the charm of showing the dramatic emotional expression and melody of music in a very direct way, which is felt in the fact that we use a lot of arm and hand movements. In that sense, waacking seems to convey its charm as the song’s expressiveness becomes more dramatic. The violin is the main protagonist in “Zigeunerweisen,” leading the entire song. In particular, the mood felt in this song is really captivating. For the whole eight minutes, it just draws you and then pushes you away, and then draws you back in. For example, it’s sad and lyrical at one point then becomes very intense, then suddenly very empty, then passionate and then cold, then romantic again. In this respect, I think “Zigeunerweisen” fits really well with the waacking dance style. Moreover, I think waacking dance moves are very similar to the sound of a string instrument.  
 
You’ll be able to witness the true nature of waacking when it’s done to a long piece of music. If you listen to underground disco music, which is the basis of waacking, there are many breaths similar to the narrative of classical music, only the tempo and composition are slightly different. Even in classical music, there are many songs that tell a dramatic story as the movement develops, and I felt it was similar to waacking.
 

What did you feel when you first listened to “Zigeunerweisen,” which translates to Gypsy Airs in Spanish?  
I can’t say that I’ve listened to a lot of classic music, but when I first heard this piece, the intensity of it was similar to the dramatic aspect of waacking. I think this piece, in which the violin plays the main role, contains everything that can be expressed with the instrument. The violin player must be equipped with the technical skills to captivate the ears of the audience throughout. And I thought it would be really great if I could express and harmonize those captivating sounds with a crazy performance. When I found out later that the piece is a dance song filled with the energy of gypsies, it made me want to dance to the piece more.  
 

Is there any other classical music piece you want to dance to?
Because “Zigeunerweisen” is a very passionate song, I want to try something that is the opposite if I get the chance. Something calm, relaxing and peaceful — like Debussy’s “Moonlight.”
 

Violinist Cho Jin-joo [LOTTE CONCERT HALL]

 
The concert begins at 8 p.m. Tickets range from 60,000 won ($46.80) to 120,000 won.  
 

BY YIM SEUNG-HYE [yim.seunghye@joongang.co.kr]



Christmas Music! Including Mariah Carey!

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The weather outside is frightful!

Okay, for this Sunday’s music diary, I decided to postpone, until next week, 1969, top 100 regular pop music, and post, instead, pop Christmas music.

And, I am posting this on Saturday night, Christmas Eve.

Here is a link to my source: 

digitaldreamdoor.com/… 

I chose only a few from that list.

You may feel free to add, in your comment, more songs from that list, or, any other Christmas songs you want to post.

The first one I am posting, and the last two, are not from that list.

This is a nice one I heard from a music CD, years ago: 

I cannot get enough of that song. I have never heard it, in any other collection of Christmas music, just this Neil Diamond recording. Seems a little more warm and beautiful, than most Christmas songs, so, I do not know why most artists have skipped it.

Number 99:

Okay, this duet includes Frank Sinatra, and Cyndi Lauper. Sinatra died in 1998, so,they did this duet, before then. I included this song, because, Cyndi Lauper just performed, True Colors, at the signing of the bill, to protect same sex marriage, and interracial marriage. (I was just in an interracial marriage, for ten years. My Black wife, Tonia, died, on the 10th of March, 2022. I know I keep repeating this, but, I never know if someone is reading this, who did not know the back story.) The signing of the bill was exciting. She stopped, in her song, at the line, “Don’t be afraid!”

Number 97: 

This is a song that calls for peace, not war. This was recorded during the war in Vietnam, so, I suppose that is what he was singing about. I recall one or two other Christmas songs, with a similar message. We will see how many of them I post here. And, we have a war going on, in Ukraine, at this time, so, these songs fit these times.

Number 82: 

I like his style.

Number 76: 

After the introduction, when we hear the actual song, Silent Night, the solo is precise, the high notes, flawless. Nice.

Number 69: 

Way back when, as I heard that song on the radio, I think it was this version. So nice.

Number 67:

Oh, now, here we go! I came across this one, years ago, on YouTube. I played it, over and over. This was recorded less than a year before Bing Crosby died, if I recall my research, at the time. I enjoy the comedy skit, leading up to the song itself. Savor this one. So well done, in my opinion.

Number 66: 

Yes, this one is such a standard, to my ears. He seems like another crooner, but, better than Sinatra, in my opinion. 

Number 60: 

I truly like the unique vocal style, of Johnny Mathis.

Number 53: 

I do not recall hearing that one before. But, it’s nice. 

Number 49: 

Oh, yes, so precise! And you don’t need anyone to sing that for you. You already know all the words, so you can sing it, if you like, right? 

www.lyricsforchristmas.com/… 

There’s a happy feeling
nothing in the world can buy,
When they pass around the coffee
and the pumpkin pie
It’ll nearly be like a picture print
by Currier and Ives
These wonderful things are the things
we remember all through our lives!

Number 42: 

I like the voice of Burl Ives. I think he wrote this song, back in the sixties. Well done.

Number 29: 

Her voice was truly unique. This was, apparently, recorded in the early fifties, before I was born. She mentions a brand new 1954 car. I was born in 1955.

Number 28: 

Yes. Christmas, in the sixties, had to have this song. Period.

Number 25: 

For those who were hooked on the Beach Boys sound, but wanted Christmas music, they had what they wanted, right here.

Number 24:

I had forgotten how well I know this song. It is painful for me, since it reminds me of my first wife, Pam, who died in 2008. And, it reminds me of Karen Carpenter, who died in 1983, at the age of 32. But the song is so well done, so precise, so pretty, so warm.

Number 21: 

I do not recall hearing this version before, but it’s great sixties rock and roll Christmas music.

Number 15: 

I had forgotten how many great crooners were recording great Christmas songs, in the sixties.

Number 11: 

This was always a standard part of a sixties Christmas.

Number 6: 

Man, oh, man, that is truly one of the best songs, and his voice was so amazing. Wow.

Number 4:

This one is older than me. Fun little Christmas novelty song.

Number 1: 

Of course, this is the number one classic Christmas song.

There was a diary posted about this song, and it is from Ukraine, so, I want to post it here: 

After I posted all these songs here, I remembered the big hit, by Mariah Carey, All I Want For Christmas Is You. I looked it up, and found a newer video, and it made me cry. Remember, in the comment after the second video, near the top, I mentioned that, in 2011, I married a Black woman, Tonia, and she died, on the 10th of March, 2022. So, that is part of why this Mariah Carey video made me cry.

en.wikipedia.org/… 

Mariah Carey was born on March 27, 1969,[a] in Huntington, New York.[15][16] Her name is derived from the song “They Call the Wind Maria”, originally from the 1951 Broadway musical Paint Your Wagon.[17][18] She is the youngest of three children born to Patricia (née Hickey), a former opera singer and vocal coach of Irish descent, and Alfred Roy Carey, an aeronautical engineer of African-American and black Venezuelan-American lineage.[19] The last name Carey was adopted by her Venezuelan grandfather, Francisco Núñez, after he emigrated to New York.[20][16] Patricia’s family disowned her for marrying a black man.[20] Racial tensions prevented the Carey family from integrating into their community. While they lived in Huntington their neighbors poisoned the family dog and set fire to their car.[

Mariah Carey is Irish and Black. Tonia was Irish and Black. And, in the video, Mariah Carey shows us a little girl, who looks mixed, like her, and, in the last scene, you see the little girl’s Black mother, and white father.

She first recorded this song, in 1994, but this video, is newer, from 2019: 

Happy Christmas!

Merry Holidays!

Hugs!

Take care of yourself, and your family and friends.

And, again, hugs.



How an unusual Persian ghazal links the music of Kundal Lal Saigal, Iqbal Bano and Coke Studio

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What connects the lives of the great pre-Independence film star and singer Kundan Lal Saigal, Pakistani ghazal singer Iqbal Bano who stood up to her country military establishment in the 1980s with her performance of the banned anthem Hum Dekhenge and the popular television music show Coke Studio Pakistan?

All three, straddled across generations, have adapted and performed an unusual five-couplet Persian ghazal Ma Ra Ba Ghamza Kusht… (Killed by Coquetry…), attributed to a little-remembered poet Mirza Mohammed Hasan “Qateel” Lahori (1759-c.1825).

Qateel, a man of prodigious Persian literary output, was born Diwani Singh in a family of Punjabi Hindu Khatri munshis. When he was 18, he converted to Shia Islam under the influence of his teacher, the poet Mohammed Baqir “Shahid” Isfahani, whom he followed to Iran.

He spent some time traveling widely in Central Asia and becoming acquainted with the Persian spoken there before eventually settling in Awadh, where he established his reputation as a prominent linguist, poet, philologist, munshi and devout Shia.

Qateel and Persian

Qateel held forth on a diverse range of matters – not just amatory verse but on everything from religion to the linguistic variations in Persian and the proper usage of obscenities. A non-native, near-fluent speaker of Persian, his situation was similar to that of early Indian writers in English.

He was one of the earliest Persian-language writers to point out that there were considerable differences between Indian Persian usage, which he recognised as a distinct category. Coming, as he did from a highly accomplished lineage of munshis, whose work was mostly in Persian, he deferred in most matters to sahib-e-zaban (native speakers).

Yet despite being a linguistic purist, obsessed with pedantry and proper speech, he noted that the usage of Persian in India diverged from the standards in Iran and Turan (Central Asia) through which he had traveled.

Yet, despite being a linguistic purist, obsessed with pedantry and proper speech, he noted that the usage of Persian in India diverged from the standards in Iran and Turan in Central Asia through which he had traveled.

As numerous Persian scholars have noted, Qateel emphasised taqlid (emulation) of the Iranians. But he also wrote, as the Italian scholar, Stephano Pello noted in translation, “When speaking and writing normal correspondence, one must choose the current usage of the people of Iran; when composing poetry…in solid ornate style, one should not tie oneself to a single current usage. As a matter of fact, by doing so, one would contradict the way of the masters, and a forced attempt to look Iranian…keeps poetry far from refinedness: a written Persian which follows the use of the masters of the past is good.”

Qateel, KL Saigal and Coke Studio

Little of Qateel’s work is read today beyond a rarefied scholarly audience, but surprisingly, some of his poems continue to be rediscovered and recited in the subcontinent.

KL Saigal sang a handful of ghazals in his lifetime, only two of which were in Persian. Ma Ra Ba Ghamza Kusht… (Killed by Coquetry) was one. It is often mistakenly attributed to the 12th century poet Nizami Ganjavi (d. 1209) from present-day Azerbaijan, who is best remembered for his version of the romance Layla-wa-Majnun.

Qateel would have been amused, because it omitted the signature verse that would have identified him as the author.

Saigal’s version, released in the early 1940s is a short three-minute performance set in Raag Desh. The accent, pronunciation and stress are entirely Indian in form, not reflecting modern Persian pronunciation with some verses omitted, or reworked.

KL Saigal sings Mara Ba Ghamza Kusht.. with Urdu and English lyrics

A generation later, Iqbal Bano reintroduced this ghazal in the 1980s, attributed again to the poet, Nizami and also omitting the signature verse.

In 2011, it re-entered popular imagination when Farid Ayaz, the Pakistani qawwal, included it as a digression in a song titled Kangana performed for Coke Studio. This version has been viewed almost seven million times on YouTube.

A ghazal, a callous lover

An extraordinary ghazal that covers a number of themes revolving around coquetry, mischief and jealousy, the song features a lover making excuses and going to extraordinary lengths to play hard to get. The lover kills Qateel with coquetry, burns him with jealousy by favoring another, pretends to pray to avoid him and finally even in a rather hyperbolic metaphor, uses his blood to apply henna on their feet.

ma ra ba ghamza kusht-o-qaza ra bahana sakht
khud su-ye-ma nadeed-o-haya ra bahana sakht

Their coquettish eyes killed us, and blamed destiny,
They did not even look at us, claiming modesty as an excuse.

The radif (ending rhyme) that ends each couplet – “ra bahana sakht” – is hard to translate but runs something on the lines of “make an excuse” or “to feign”, or “pretend”. Even harder to translate is the term ghamza, which conveys a range of suggestive meanings involving movements of the eye, from a wink to a flirtatious glance, and denote coquetry and flirtation.

Steingass’ Persian-English dictionary, for instance, defines it as “a wink or a signal with the eye; an amorous glance, coquetry, ogling; the eyelid”.

They put their arm on another’s shoulder lovingly
And on seeing us, blamed a slip of the foot.

While Qateel emphasised the importance of emulating the ancients, and authored several poems using tropes borrowed from the Persian masters, he reworked their themes into newer forms.

Persian scholar from Lahore, Zahida Parveen, who wrote a thesis on the poet in 2009, points out that several lines of this ghazal that appear as a footnote in some of Qateel’s manuscripts have been authored by someone else and that he reworked the theme in imitation and added other lines as homage.

All subsequent works have attributed this to Qateel, adding to the confusion regarding general authorship.

The lover’s callous, uncaring persona is contrasted with the delicateness and majesty of their beauty, which is too hard for the pious to bear. Two stock characters make an appearance in this ghazal – the raqeeb (rival) who is alluded to in the second verse as “ghair” or the other, and as someone the beloved favours by putting their hand on his shoulder. The poet thinks it is because they like the rival, but they blame it on an attempt to steady a slippery foot.

Qateel uses sarcasm to great effect, and sometimes an interspersed verse appears in some sung versions, which mocks the zahid (the dry, boring ascetic). He says that even someone who had renounced everything was unable to handle the temptation of the lover’s fairy-like face, so pretended to resort to solitude and remembering god.

The ghazal itself ends with a signed verse containing a rather graphic image of the lover rubbing Qateel’s blood on their feet, as if it were henna. Perhaps the striking image of an uncaring lover applying henna was too much for performance, so it is almost invariably omitted in song.

Qateel and his ghazal have been long forgotten in India and he is now an obscure figure in literary history. But he continues to enjoy wide popularity in countries such as Afghanistan and Tajikistan, where modern-day native Persian speakers – actual sahib-e-zaban whom he imitated – continue to recite Ma Ra Ba Ghamza Kusht… as if it were one of their own.

Adhiraj Parthasarathy is a writer who grew up on Imam Khomeini Road in Hyderabad and studied some Persian. Mohammad Dawood has a PhD in Persian Literature from Jawaharlal Nehru University.

A modern-day Afghan singer performs Ma Ra Ba Ghamza Kusht.

The Dancing Peacock is a series on the enduring existence of Persian in modern India-in film, music, books, religion and culture. Views expressed are personal. Read the other parts here.

Europe’s 50 greatest albums – The New European

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This list privileges the boundary-pushing and the influential, with an unapologetic hat trick for krautrock – the musical primordial soup of European music in the 1970s – in the Top 3. It also rewards those albums that are the best examples of what the LP “long play” format is all about, and since Europe excels in the myriad stripes of metal, and metal is a genre where the album format is key, there’s a fair amount of it here. Even so, collections of perfect pop are not neglected. The geographical scope stretches from Finland to Greece and the traditional sounds of Europe – the Continent’s musical DNA – also find a place here.

  • Kraftwerk, Trans-Europe Express (1977)

    The quartet from Düsseldorf were midwives to synthpop with this LP, but it was not purely seminal – in capturing a sense of the epic European landscape and the clean modernity of a Continent still on a post-war upward trajectory, it had an intrinsic beauty. Expansive opening track Europe Endless was a sparkling, hopeful journey through the “Real life and postcard views” of the Continent. In 1980s New York The Hall Of Mirrors would be sampled by hip hop pioneers, and the schlocky riff of the title track provided the foundation of Afrika Bambaataa’s pivotal Planet Rock.

  • Neu!, Neu! (1972)

    The Düsseldorf krautrock duo were an offshoot of an early incarnation of Kraftwerk, and probably only slightly less influential. Their debut album, produced by electronic innovator Conny Plank, opened with the epic, 10-minute long Hallogallo which invented the famous motorik beat and, as well as being one of experimental rock’s seminal moments, is still a deeply intriguing, energising listen a full half a century later. Both ambient music and punk would be shaped by these 45 minutes of innovation, and Bowie and Eno would be more than inspired by it in their work later in the decade.

  • Can, Tago Mago (1971)

    It is difficult to believe that Cologne’s foremost experimental rock band didn’t have a crystal ball when they recorded this landmark krautrock double album. Made at the 15th century Schloss Nörvenich, a setting that lent it an inimitable atmosphere, it explored psychedelia, free jazz, funk and prog, but in doing so created myriad new sounds which makes it impossible to categorise (keyboard player Irmin Schmidt called it “witchy surprisings”). But Tago Mago also rocked out compellingly for the whole of the first disc, and taken as a whole this hypnotic journey shows what the album format was made for.

  • Aphrodite’s Child, 666 (1972)

    The Greek psychedelia project included Demis Roussos and Vangelis, and this, their third and final LP, was a concept album based on the Book of Revelation. Roussos’ almost religious vocals and the transcendent musical journey of The Four Horsemen has been rediscovered in recent years, featuring on ads and film.

  • Röyksopp, Melody A.M. (2001)

    The debut from the Norwegian ambient duo was a downbeat masterpiece, with tracks like the atmospheric So Easy and the whimsical Eple capturing the early 2000s zeitgeist and forming the musical backdrop to the last 20 years as they were used extensively on screen.

  • Rammstein, Mutter (2001)

    Four years after their single Du hast announced the birth of the Neue Deutsche Härte (“new German hardness”) to the rest of the world, the kings of German industrial released this classic. It featured single Ich Will which gave them their only UK Top 30 hit.

  • dEUS, Worst Case Scenario (1994)

    The Belgians’ quirky indie rock debut sounded like Tom Waits, U2, the Velvet Underground and the Eagles all at once. Never have a band sounded less like where they are from or proved so convincingly that is no bad thing.

  • Robyn, Body Talk (2010)

    Sweden’s queen of Nordic melancholy dance-pop truly arrived with this LP that was chock full of modern masterpieces. Ballsy, feminist tracks like Don’t F***ing Tell Me What To Do and Fembot nestle next to Dancing On My Own and Call Your Girlfriend, stone cold contemporary classics of pop heartbreak.

  • Daft Punk, Random Access Memories (2013)

    Over a decade after breaking through to international success, the Parisian duo proved they still had plenty of gas in the tank, releasing this career-defining album that was simultaneously deeply retro and fully contemporary, with lead single Get Lucky staking its place as a new pop classic.

  • Jacques Brel, Ces Gens-Là (1966)

    Brel’s ninth album contained such classics as the twisted love song Mathilde and his hymn to male friendship Jef, and was fully evocative of his Gitane smoke-wreathed on-stage drama. The hyperactive La Chanson de Jacky was the LP’s centrepiece. Covered to chart success by Scott Walker, it inspired a generation of artistically-inclined musicians.

  • Django Reinhardt, Parisian Swing (1965)

    Released over 10 years after the Belgian-born Romani guitarist’s death, this album captured him in his 1930s heyday. Many a guitar god of the 1960s would claim him as an influence.

  • Neneh Cherry, Raw Like Sushi (1989)

    Stockholm-born Cherry’s perfect pop album was eclectic, idiosyncratic and generally uncategorisable, but also always effortlessly cool, its socially conscious lyrics tempered by sass and humour.

  • Golden Earring, Moontan (1973)

    Disapproving the idea the Dutch band were a one hit wonder via their Radar Love, Moontan was accomplished hard rock spiked with Hawkwind-esque space rock. It reached No. 12 in the US.

  • Telex, Looking for Saint Tropez (1979)

    The musical equivalent of a Magritte painting, proving you can always look to the Belgians for disruptive creativity, this album contained pivotal proto-techno single Moskow Diskow.

  • Lady Pank, Lady Pank (1983)

    In the midst of martial law, Poland’s premier new wave band released their debut album. Second single, the reggae-rock Mniej niż zero (“Less Than Zero”) became a signature song.

  • Air, Moon Safari (1998)

    45 minutes of Gallic cool, the electronic duo’s debut album ran the gamut from deeply retro electropop to chill-out and dream pop, with the stonking lead single Sexy Boy its centrepiece.

  • Tangerine Dream, Phaedra (1974)

    The German electronic pioneers’ cinematic debut album takes us to some interplanetary realm. Founder Edgar Froese’s experimentation would be seminal for ambient and new age music.

  • Scorpions, Love at First Sting (1984)

    As they head for their 60th anniversary, this is still a landmark LP for Germany’s premier rock band, containing their hits Still Loving You and Rock You Like A Hurricane.

  • Ghost, Impera (2022)

    The latest from the theatrical Swedes was a No. 2 album on both sides of the Atlantic, confirming their unlikely blend of doom metal, psychedelia and pop has taken them to superstar status.

  • Taraf de Haïdouks, Musique Des Tziganes De Roumanie (1991)

    The exuberant sound of the lăutari (Romani musicians) of Romania was captured on this, the debut album by the celebrated troupe from a village just south of Bucharest. The ultimate party music.

  • Jean-Michel Jarre, Oxygène (1976)

    A classic of synthesiser pop which divided critics but was a runaway commercial success. Its fourth movement – the sound of a cosmic odyssey – became globally ubiquitous.

  • Camarón de la Isla and Paco de Lucía, El Camarón de la Isla con la colaboración especial de Paco de Lucía (1969)

    The debut LP of the peerless flamenco singer, this was also the first several collaborative albums with the greatest flamenco guitarist of all time. The two would be pioneers of nuevo flamenco.

  • Einstürzende Neubauten, Halber Mensch (1985),

    One of the greatest industrial albums ever made, this was the masterpiece of the West Berlin band whose name means “Collapsing New Buildings”. Listen out for power tools and scrap metal as percussion.

  • Mayhem, De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas (1994)

    Hardly everyone’s cup of tea, this classic work from the violent Norwegian black metal scene can’t be beaten for sheer atmosphere and sonic brutality.

  • Jacques Dutronc, Jacques Dutronc (1968)

    Commonly referred to as Il Est Cinq Heures after the signature track it contains, this LP confirms Dutronc’s status as a 1960s rock genius on a par with Ray Davies.

  • Behemoth, The Satanist (2014)

    The magnum opus by Poland’s internationally successful blackened death metal band was a full-on aural assault. A Top 40 LP in the US, it proved Europe’s underground sounds are now fully overground.

  • Amália Rodrigues, Amália Rodrigues (1962)

    The Queen of Fado had been on hiatus before this album caught her at the height of her powers, capturing the melancholy spirit of Lisbon’s signature sound in its finest form.

  • Afterhours, Hai Paura Del Buio? (1997)

    Are You Afraid of the Dark?, the post-grunge band from Milan’s fourth album, had a galvanising effect on Italian rock. Single Male di Miele is considered Italy’s Smells Like Teen Spirit.

  • Ewert and The Two Dragons, Good Man Down (2011)

    The Estonian band’s second album had a compelling indie energy and folk underpinning. The first release outside their native land, it would win them the EU’s European Border Breakers Award.

  • Angèle, Brol (2018)

    The debut from the Belgian rising star was a manifesto for Millennials, with whimsical, witty pop songs dealing with social media, sexual harassment, depression and same-sex attraction.

  • The Rustavi Choir, Georgian Voices (1989)

    This album, the first by the ensemble founded in the 1960s to be released outside of the USSR, captures the deeply mysterious and staggeringly beautiful polyphonic singing of Georgia.

  • Mercyful Fate, Don’t Break the Oath (1984)

    The King Diamond-fronted Danish act’s second album was a searing work of early black metal, establishing the occult and an extreme sound as the genre’s foundation.

  • DakhaBrakha, Light (2010)

    The Ukrainian folk ensemble have branded their sound “ethno-chaos”, melding styles and using traditional instruments from across the world. This, their third album, finds them in all their anarchic beauty.

  • Heilung, Ofnir (2015)

    Hailing from Norway, Germany and Denmark, Heilung’s “amplified history” is the atavistic sound of Dark Ages Europe. This, their debut, is one of the most remarkable LPs of recent years.

  • Gipsy Kings, Gipsy Kings (1987)

    The French rumba Catalana band’s breakthrough album opened with the smash single Bamboléo and was rooted in the sheer exuberance of the Romani musical traditions of southern Europe.

  • Bathory, Blood Fire Death (1988)

    The Swedish extreme metal band transition between the black metal sound pioneered on their previous three albums and the Viking metal they would invent on 1990’s Hammerheart on this LP.

  • Molchat Doma, Etazhi (2018)

    The Belarussian trio whose name means “Houses Are Silent” hark back to the post-punk, goth rock and darker synthpop of the 1980s on their brooding, icy cold second album. A recent gem.

  • Hanoi Rocks, Two Steps From the Move (1984)

    Hair metal may have been synonymous with LA, but one of its major influences came from 5,000 miles away, and Helsinki’s outrageous rockers peaked with this bombastic LP.

  • Focus, Moving Waves (1971)

    The Amsterdam outfit staked their place in the history of prog with this, their second album. While it featured the hit single Hocus Pocus, it was an album to sit down and immerse yourself in.

  • Édith Piaf, A l’Olympia 1962 (1962)

    While this live album hardly caught Piaf at her best – she was already a frail figure at 46 and would die the following year – her character is etched on every note.

  • Satyricon, Nemesis Divina (1996)

    Part of Oslo’s notorious black metal scene, Satyricon brought a new sophistication to the genre with this epic, uncompromising album now considered a classic.

  • Vangelis, Albedo 0.39 (1976)

    Between Aphrodite’s Child and his Oscar-winning film soundtrack work, the incredibly prolific Greek composer explored the space music trend on this, his mesmerising commercial breakthrough.

  • Faust, Faust (1971)

    Hamburg’s krautrock originals tested the definition of “experimental” with this three-track debut LP, with everything from weird tape samples to proggy grooves. As bonkers as it is inspired.

  • Serge Gainsbourg, Histoire de Melody Nelson (1971)

    Gainsbourg’s concept album finds him narrating a typically seedy story of a romance with a teenage girl. Its fusion of funk, psychedelic and orchestral elements was something unique and influential.

  • Opeth, Blackwater Park (2001)

    A landmark progressive metal album from the Swedish four piece. Epic and intimate, abrasive and intricate all at the same time.

  • Moebius and Plank, Rastakraut Pasta (1980)

    The nexus at the heart of krautrock, Conny Plank teamed up with Dieter Moebius of space rock duo Cluster on this experimental, reggae-influenced LP.

  • Volbeat, Beyond Hell/Above Heaven (2010)

    The Danes’ metal-rockabilly has made them a major export in recent years. This, their fourth album, broke the Billboard 200 and was the best incarnation of their anthemic, hard rocking sound to date.

  • Françoise Hardy, Françoise Hardy (1971)

    Hardy left her yé-yé reputation behind with this intensely personal album, usually referred to as La question after its second single. Stylish, sexy and very, very French.

  • Gojira, From Mars to Sirius (2005)

    Although hugely musically and thematically ambitious, this environmental concept album by the French technical death metal band was anchored by a consistent and convincing heaviness.

  • Brodka, Granda (2010)

    The Polish Idol winner struck out for a new sound on this LP, with electronica and punk meeting the folk music of her native southern Polish highlands.

    • Andhra Pradesh: On a mission to promote Indian classical music among students

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    Kiran Seth, founder of Society for the Promotion of Indian Classical Music And Culture Amongst Youth, speaking to mediapersons in Anantapur on Saturday.
    | Photo Credit: R.V.S. PRASAD

    Patronage to Indian classical music is drastically reducing and less than 5% of school students in the country pursue any form of art, said founder of Delhi-based Society for the Promotion of Indian Classical Music And Culture Amongst Youth (SPIC MACAY) founder Kiran Seth.

    To keep the Indian culture and classical music alive, 73-year-old Mr. Kiran Seth, a former IIT-Delhi professor, has taken up a cycle journey from Kashmir to Kanyakumari to promote and emphasise the importance of classical music and dance, folk music & dance, meditation and yoga among students in schools. 

    As part of his cycle expedition, Mr. Seth, who is now in Andhra Pradesh, told mediapersons in Anantapur on Saturday that the organisation, with the support of hundreds of volunteers, is organising 5,000 programmes in 800 towns across the country.

    Set out with three sets of clothes from Srinagar on August 15, Mr. Kiran Seth expects to reach Kanyakumari on January 31. He rides a simple cycle with no gears or disc brakes.

    From Anantapur, he intends to reach his destination via Penukonda, Bengaluru, Vellore, Chennai, Puducherry, Tiruchirappalli.

    “At SPIC MACAY, we aim at inspiring students to take active interest in Indian art forms by organising classic cinema screenings, talks by eminent persons, heritage walks and craft workshops on school and college campuses,” he said.

    Rhett Walker: Christian Country singer loves his family, Jesus and music | Sunday Best

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    A love of Jesus, his music and family.

    That’s Rhett Walker, a country-Christian and Grammy nominated artist who has returned to his roots in the CSRA.

    Walker was born in North Carolina, but raised in the North Augusta/Aiken area. He attended Silver Bluff High School before attending South Gate Christian School.

    “I lived a lot of life in my teenage years,” Walker said. “My dad’s a pastor at Heights Church and he was preaching on Sunday mornings all these things about grace and redemption, and I was living very selfishly. Got kicked out of high school for fighting and just being a dummy. I was never mean, I was just dumb, I was a teenager.”

    But everything changed when he was 17 because that’s when his girlfriend – now wife – April got pregnant. He started homeschooling so he could work to pay for expenses needed for a baby. 


    “I graduated with my high school diploma and we got married immediately when we were 17,” Walker said. “We had dated for about two or three months and got married. Now we have been married for 18 years and have four beautiful kids (Rileigh, 17, Jett, 15, Autumn, 10, and Cash, 4).”

    Because his dad was a pastor, Walker was on the praise team and said he would fill in when someone wouldn’t show up. That meant he would sometimes play different instruments, including the bass and drums, the latter of which he ended up loving. But one day they pulled him off drums to sing “Grace Like Rain” by Todd Agnew and he kept singing.

    “I don’t know if that means it was horrible and I was still better than I was at drums or what. I’ve been afraid to ask that question. But I never stopped singing there,” Walker said.

    When he found out his wife was pregnant he thought his music dreams weren’t possible anymore, so Walker got a job working for the city of North Augusta. He did landscaping and anything that would help  pay for diapers, formula and food.

    Then a man from Southeastern Seminary in Wake Forest, North Carolina, asked Walker to help lead worship services at colleges. So the family moved to Raleigh, North Carolina.

    “Jett had just had his two month check-up, so I was 19 and moved about six hours away from all family,” Walker said. “But honestly it was the best thing that could’ve happened to us because we didn’t have my mom and dad or my in-laws, we didn’t have them to rely on so we had to figure this thing out.”

    While in North Carolina Walker focused on his music, and after some praying, felt the calling to move to Nashville. But they were hesitant because they had already moved a lot. 

    “We were praying about it and my mom was like, ‘If you want to be a surfer, you would move to the ocean,'” Walker said. “Alright there’s confirmation, we moved.”

    Two years after moving Walker signed a record deal with Sony Records and released his first single, “When Mercy Found Me.” That song was nominated for a Grammy and everything took off from here.

    “We didn’t slow down down for years,” Walker said. “This year marks 10 years for me being signed and putting out music full time, it’s kind of a cool year.”

    Over his 10 year career Walker has released three albums and 2 EP’s. The music he has released has been both Christian and country, he said.

    “We’ve played, we did a headlined spring tour and brought only Christian artists this year, but then all the festivals we did this year were country festivals,” Walker said. “We did the Opry 15 times now … we just kind of, whatever door God opens honestly. I’ve from the South and from the Carolinas and living in Georgia, so I’m not hiding it. I’m not going to be able to. I talk the way I talk, and that’s the way it is.”

    Walker said he became more serious with his faith after he found out he and April were expecting because he needed it. He’s not going to put Jesus into a song to get it on the radio.  

    “I want to talk about Jesus to where people go, ‘<an I needed that, I needed that hope today, I needed that peace to say and the only place I can find it is in Jesus.’ But I’m also a family man. I love to go mudding and get dirty and play outside, so I’m going to sing songs about my wife, my kids and love of life. However the music comes across, I mean there’s a lot of people that call me a country artist, a lot of people that call me a Christian artist, I just make music.”

    As for what his favorite songs that he’s written is, Walker said it’s “When Mercy Found Me” because it was his first song and he put his testimony into that song.


    “When you put out music you don’t know if the only person who buys it is your mom and dad; it’s subjective, it’s art,” Walker said. “To have it nominated for a Grammy on my first single and be able to make it was just a cool reminder that I’m doing what I’m suppose to be doing.”

    As for how he would describe his 10 year career, Walker had one word: “wild.”

    “Honestly it’s like a roller coaster where we jump on and we hold on and at some points our hands are in the air going ‘woo-hoo’ and other parts we’re going ‘oh, crap,’” Walker said. “The music industry is fixable, it’s weird. People come and go … But it’s cool to look and go all those times it felt scary or felt like the mountain top incredible, looking back you are able to compartmentalize a little bit more and it’s like man that really wasn’t that big of a deal. It felt like it at the time, that was something I need to remember and celebrate.”

    When he looks back on his career, Walker looks with happiness and joy that he is still able to perform. But he’s also curious about what he future holds and what door will open next.

    “In today’s world you’re one tweet away from some celebrity that found your music and all of a sudden this new song that wasn’t a single is on fire,” Walker said. “I hold on for dear life and go as long as my wife’s happy, as long as my kids are eating, I’m good.”

    Walker and his family moved back to the CSRA in October 2019 right before the COVID pandemic hit because they wanted to be closer to family.

    “My grandparents are here, my aunt and uncle are here, my sister and her husband. April’s whole family is here, so the fact that we were here before everything shut down, we would’ve been in Nashville by ourselves like, ‘oh, this sucks,’” Walker said.

    Moving back to the CSRA was the right decision for the family because it’s slower paced and Walker said has helped him stay grounded.

    “(In) Nashville I felt like I was always one call away if management or the label needed something or they wanted to shoot a video, whatever it is,” Walker said. “Now when I go up for a write, it’s very proactive: here’s the times we’re writing, here’s who we’re writing with, I’m able to then collect my stories from the CSRA when I’m out and about and go in with a very purposeful this is what we’re writing about.”

    During the pandemic Walker was able to lead worship at his dad’s church and help out when they held services in the parking lot. 

    “I wouldn’t have gotten to do that if I hadn’t moved back here. A lot of cool little seasons since moving back,” Walker said.

    Walker and his family attend Stevens Creek Church where he helps lead worship and write some music, said Todd Sturgell, the executive pastor of experiences.


    “Rhett is a super down to earth guy, very humble, super funny,” Sturgell said. “One of those people that (is) easy to be around. Sometimes when people have a little bit of success they can turn into a different person, but he’s super down to Earth … has really fit into our team really, really well. I love having him on the team, I love when he serves and helps us out.”

    Walker is always willing to help out and Sturgell said when his brother was diagnosed with ALS eight months ago he wanted to do a benefit concert and asked Walker if he wanted to be involved. He said Walker jumped in and donated his time and was part of the concert. He added that April also helped with the benefit because “that’s the kind of people they are.”

    “(He) loves Jesus, loves his family, loves music. That’s Rhett,” Sturgell said.

    When he’s not working, Walker likes to be outside.

    “If there’s not something to paint or fix or keep me busy I’ll sit out on the back porch,” Walker said. “Every night I light a fire on the back porch and sit out there. I just prefer to be outdoors whether it’s hunting, fishing, sitting riding four-wheelers, playing golf, me and my son, we, my 15-year-old Jett, he went with me to the driving … he’s starting to get into golf too. This time of year it’s easy to get stir crazy. The weather is still nice, and you want to get outside before we get a month of cold.”

    To keep up with what Walker is doing, visit his website, www.rhettwalker.com, or follow him on Facebook, Youtube, Instagram and Twitter.



    Groundbreaking year in film, art, music and fashion

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    A biweekly column from ICT with the latest news from the arts and entertainment world

    Sandra Hale Schulman

    Special to ICT

    It’s been a busy year in the arts and entertainment world for Indigenous artists, filmmakers, actors, musicians and writers.

    The Comanche girl-meets-alien Hulu film, “Prey,” broke streaming records, and hit series including “Reservation Dogs,” “Dark Winds,” “Rutherford Falls” and “The English” drew praise from critics and viewers alike.

    SUPPORT INDIGENOUS JOURNALISM. CONTRIBUTE TODAY.

    Indigenous art and artists were featured in major shows at museums coast to coast, and acclaimed musicians such as Buffy Sainte-Marie and Susan Aglukark took home top awards while new artists drew fresh attention to traditional works.






    © Provided by Indian Country Today
    The “Prey” movie, which started streaming in August 2022 on Hulu, features Amber Midthunder as the heroine. (Photo courtesy of Disney Studios)

    And Indigenous fashion had a big year as well, with designer clothing featured in museum shows at The Metropolitan in New York City, at a buzzy show at the Museum of Contemporary Native Art in Santa Fe, and in the pages of Vogue magazine.

    Here are some of the year’s highlights.

    FILM: A breakthrough year

    After decades of buildup, streaming services exploded with original Indigenous content, making stars of newcomers — Amber Midthunder, Fort Peck; Kiowa Gordon, Hualapai; Jessica Matten, Metis Cree — and giving veteran actors such as Wes Studi, Cherokee; Gary Farmer, Cayuga; and Tantoo Cardinal, Cree Métis — a chance to show them how it’s been done since the 1980s.

    “Prey” was the big hit of the summer online, breaking records by taking a traditionally macho movie series and replacing a weapon-toting Arnold Schwarzenegger with a Comanche girl, played by Midthunder, and her dog.

    Read more about films:

    —Comanche Nation vs. Predator

    —Jhane Myers Q&A

    —‘Reservation Dogs’ fetches a sister act

    —‘The English’ thrills with Pawnee authenticity

    —Tribes open film studios to lure movie, TV productions

    Loaded with fresh Indigenous faces, the film was guided by creative producer Jhane Myers, Comanche, who “just wanted to make a good film with a Native woman hero.” Indigenous actor-turned-politician Jesse Ventura, who starred in the original 1987 “Predator” film with Schwarzenegger, said “Prey” is a “thoughtful, creative and wonderful film.”

    “Reservation Dogs” made several best-of-the-year lists in mainstream media with its smart, cutting-edge depiction of contemporary life on the rez. Director/producer Sterlin Harjo, Seminole, cast new actors – D’Pharaoh Woon-a-Tai, Oji-Cree and Devery Jacobs, Mohawk First Nation – who shined alongside Gary Farmer’s pot-loving veteran Uncle Brownie and rival sculptor Bucky played by Oscar-winner Studi.






    © Provided by Indian Country Today
    Zahn McLarnon, Hunkpapa Lakota, exudes authority as Officer Joe Leaphorn in the series, “Dark Winds,” based on Tony Hillerman’s writings. The part was originally played more than 20 years ago by Oscar-winning actor Wes Studi. (Photo by Sandra Hale Schulman)

    “Dark Winds” took an established series by author Tony Hillerman and blew fresh air through it with sharp storytelling and deep dives into characters. The Natives are not always the good guys or the victims — a plot thread that shows modern characters in the real world on and off of reservations.

    Twenty years ago, Studi played Officer Jim Leaphorn and Adam Beach, Saulteaux, played Officer Jim Chee. Now Kiowa Gordon, Hualapai, is winning accolades for the Jim Chee role and Zahn McLarnon, Hunkpapa Lakota, exudes authority as the senior Leaphorn.

    Tribes also ventured into the film business in a big way in 2022, with the Tesuque Pueblo opening Camel Rock Studio in a former casino in Santa Fe, where “Dark Winds” is filmed.

    The Cherokee Nation opened a new virtual soundstage in Oklahoma and is offering major incentives for filming on its vast, scenic lands. The upcoming 2023 “Killers of the Flower Moon” was filmed there, and with major funding from Apple TV, recreated an entire 1920s village. The cast was filled out with Osage citizens.

    And the Cherokee Nation Film Office won a British Academy of Film and Television Arts award for its groundbreaking directory featuring Native citizens, the only finalist from the United States to be nominated for the international honor.

    MUSIC: Carrying on with Indigenous sounds

    The legendary Buffy Sainte-Marie, Cree, was honored in September with a Tribute Award at the Toronto International Film Festival, which kicked off with the world premiere of a new documentary film, “Buffy Sainte-Marie: Carry it On,” examining her life as an Indigenous musician and activist.

    And in May, Susan Aglukark – the most celebrated Inuit musical artist in Canadian history – received the Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences’ Humanitarian Award for her charitable work with the Arctic Rose Foundation, which she founded in 2012 to support arts-based programming for Inuit, First Nations and Métis youth in Canada’s north. It was her fourth Juno award in 11 nominations.






    © Provided by Indian Country Today
    Legendary performer Buffy Sainte-Marie, Cree, was honored with the Tribute Award at the Toronto International Film Festival, which kicked off on Sept. 8, 2022, with a documentary about her life, “Buffy Sainte-Marie: Carry It On.” (Photo by Matt Barnes, courtesy of Eagle Vision & White Pine Pictures)

    Among the new releases was a lilting collection of music, “Tokyo at Midnight,” released in September by flutist Cody Blackbird, Cherokee, featuring the late poet John Trudell reciting on three tracks. Trudell will be honored in a portrait show next year by his son, Wovoka Trudell, in New Mexico.

    Read more about music:

    —Toronto festival honors Buffy Sainte-Marie

    —‘Arctic Rose’ Susan Aglukark continues her epic journey

    —New radio show taps into Native youth culture

    —World’s Ugliest Dog turns bleary eyes on helping rez dogs

    And Wabanaki artist Mali Obomsawin released a new record, “Sweet Tooth,” that combined field recordings, old hymns, stories and Indigenous jazz.

    The charming, animated Netflix series, “Spirit Rangers,” about three Indigenous siblings who use secret powers to turn into animals and protect the national forest where they live, has a lively musical score by Raye Zaragoza, Akimel O’otham.

    And Navajo sibling band Sihasin had a busy year touring Peru as part of a cultural exchange, recording a radio show Indigenous YOUth Nation. And during her spare time, Sihasin bassist Jeneda Benally adopted an old unwanted pooch in Tuba City and made him globally famous as the World’s Ugliest Dog.

    ART: Widespread recognition

    It was a big year for Indigenous art and artists as well.

    Brad Kahlhamer had a blockbuster year, with four decades of his work showcased at two museum exhibitions in Arizona — a deep and wide retrospective, “11:59 to Tucson,” at the Tucson Museum of Art, and “Swap Meet,” a wildly imaginative installation at the Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art that featured a broken-down trailer retrofitted as a gallery/ performance space.






    © Provided by Indian Country Today
    Artist Brad Kahlhamer is shown here with a painting, “Buffalo Girl.” (Photo courtesy of Brad Kahlhamer)

    He followed those up with a solo show of new, large-scale paintings at Garth Greenan Gallery in New York.

    Read more about artists:

    —New exhibits explore Native identity, myth, ceremony

    —Pulitzer winner Chacon honored and humbled

    —Museum of Graffiti features Taino art exhibit

    His art is a search for self — he calls it “yondering,” since he was adopted at birth and blocked from knowing his tribe and his family. The void allows him free rein to imagine an Indigenous visual world he calls the third place.

    Nanibah Chacon, Diné/Chicana, had her first museum show, “Spectrum,” at Site Santa Fe. The show had 10 newly commissioned large-scale paintings along with a survey of Chacon’s many public murals and her personal archive.

    She draws inspiration from traditional Diné creation mythology stories involving spiders and hummingbirds. Her exquisitely rendered figures and geometric patterns use a lush palette in unexpected colors, giving new life to her hybrid border art.

    Talent runs in the Chacon family. Her brother is Raven Chacon, a Pulitzer Prize-winning composer, performer and installation artist who was featured in the Whitney Museum Biennial.

    He composed a series of 13 scores he called portraits dedicated to various contemporary Indigenous women working in the fields of music, composition and sound art.

    Raven Chacon uses music as color in light and dark shades to create aural soundscapes that examine the ever-changing mood of the present. He performed live in July at the Whitney at a sold-out show.

    Indigenous art even caught the attention of the Museum of Graffiti in Florida, which featured a show in March on the Puerto Rican Taino art.

    FASHION: Taking center stage

    Indigenous fashion was in the spotlight on several fronts, including the featured presentations at The Metropolitan in New York and the Museum of Contemporary Art in Santa Fe and in Vogue.

    Top designer Jamie Okuma, La Jolla, was a crowd favorite at the Santa Fe Indian Market Fashion Show, as her smart, sophisticated designs for men and women graced the runway and the museum mannequins.

    Read more about fashion:

    —The Indigenous goddess we all need(ed)

    —Model moves from runway to the boxing ring

    —Osage artist uses AI technology for latest works

    Lauren Good Day, Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara Nation who is also Blackfeet and Plains Cree, mixed bright patterns in flowing dresses and sporty streetwear, and one of her models, Jayli Fimbres, also Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara Nation, moved from modeling to boxing and back again.

    Sky Eagle Collections artist/designer Dante Biss-Grayson hosted a blowout runway show at the La Fonda Hotel during Art Market Week, and his market booth sold out within hours on opening day. And Biss-Grayson then unveiled a new line of artwork using Artificial Intelligence.

    Celebrity models at the various events included breakthrough model Quannah Chasinghorse, Hän Gwich’in and Oglala Lakota, with her tattooed face and nose rings; Eugene Braverock, Blackfoot, the tall lanky actor seen in “Dark Winds” and “Montana Story”; actor D’Pharaoh Woon-A Tai, Oji-Cree, of “Reservation Dogs” and IMG Models; Stephanie Big Eagle, Sioux, the hand-poke tattooist; and Ashley Callingbull, Enoch Cree, a former Mrs. Universe.






    © Provided by Indian Country Today


    Our stories are worth telling. Our stories are worth sharing. Our stories are worth your support. Contribute $5 or $10 today to help ICT (formerly Indian Country Today) carry out its critical mission. Sign up for ICT’s free newsletter. 

    14 of the best, most influential K-pop performances of 2022

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    © Mashable Composite; HYBE Corporation / STARSHIP Entertainment / CUBE Entertainment / ADOR
    14 of the best, most influential K-pop performances of 2022

    If 2022 K-pop had a theme, it would be “historic.” This year was huge for K-pop debuts, hiatuses, and reunions, with new groups such as NMIXX making their debut, famous groups like KARA reuniting, and current groups including BTS announcing big changes going forward. And throughout all of this, K-pop artists just kept conquering the world, delivering banger after banger.

    From Stray Kids’ “Charmer” to iKON’s “FOR YOU,” these past 12 months have been absolutely filled with great K-pop songs. Still, there were some K-pop performances that had a bigger impact than most in 2022. Whether they went viral, kicked off a TikTok trend, or marked an important moment for the group, this year had no shortage of significant K-pop performances that made an impression far beyond their own fandom.

    In chronological order, here are some of the best, most influential K-pop performances of 2022.

    1. ‘DARARI’ by TREASURE becomes an adorable TikTok trend

    TREASURE underwent significant changes this year, as members Mashiho and Bang Ye-dam departed the group due to health reasons and to pursue music production, respectively. But before TREASURE’s lineup was reduced from 12 to 10, the two-year-old group went viral on TikTok with their B-side track “DARARI,” which lists Bang Ye-dam as one of its composers and lyricists.

    Just days after “DARARI” was released on Feb. 15, TikTok user Aidafi3 posted a simple dance video in which she mimicked listening to a sped-up version of the bright love song through headphones. Viewed 45 million times, her cute choreography quickly became a TikTok dance trend, spreading among creators, other K-pop idols, and eventually to TREASURE themselves. The group even used Aidafi3’s unmistakable moves in the official choreography for “DARARI,” seamlessly incorporating them with added footwork.

    2. ‘Tomboy’ by (G)-IDLE tops South Korea’s music charts

    “Tomboy” was (G)-IDLE’s first song as five members following dancer Soojin’s departure from the group last year. Yet despite this apparent setback, it became the girl group’s most popular song yet, achieving (G)-IDLE’s first perfect all-kill by topping all South Korea’s major music charts simultaneously. “Tomboy” has also accumulated over 190 million views on its music video, exceeding (G)-IDLE’s previous frontrunner “Oh my god” by a few million.

    Written by (G)-IDLE leader Soyeon, “Tomboy” is an attitude-fueled pop-punk song declaring the group’s intention to behave exactly how they want rather than submit to being model, demure girlfriends. While “Oh my god” certainly gained (G)-IDLE well-deserved attention, “Tomboy” was a breakout song that made clear this K-pop group isn’t going anywhere — and still has a lot to say.

    3. BIGBANG’s ‘Still Life’ ends their four-year hiatus

    BIGBANG are commonly called the Kings of K-pop, and have reigned with that title for over a decade. Having debuted 16 years ago in 2006, this celebrated K-pop boy group was instrumental in driving Korean entertainment media’s international popularity, and are highly regarded as innovative and influential trendsetters.

    As such, BIGBANG’s long-awaited April release was significant both for the group and the K-pop scene as a whole. Not only did single “Still Life” mark BIGBANG’s first new song since suspending activities to complete their mandatory military service in 2018, but it was also the iconic group’s first single as four members after dancer Seungri officially left in 2019. A sentimental song that reflects BIGBANG’s maturity, “Still Life” debuted in the Billboard Global 200 chart’s top 10 and has since racked up 77 million views on its music video.

    4. IVE’s ‘LOVE DIVE’ puts the rookie group in the history books

    IVE only debuted in December last year, but the K-pop girl group has been making waves from the moment their debut song “Eleven” dropped. They followed up that success in 2022 with April single “LOVE DIVE,” a dark pop tune which won both the MAMA Award and Melon Music Award for Song of the Year. This was no small feat, especially considering the rookie group was up against K-pop giants such as BTS, BLACKPINK, and BIGBANG.

    Both of these awards are also daesang — the most prestigious prize given at an annual award show. As such, winning these accolades made IVE one of only four K-pop girl groups to take home both a rookie award and a daesang in the same year, following in the footsteps of Miss A, 2NE1, and aespa. As of writing, the music video for “LOVE DIVE” has almost 180 million views on YouTube.

    5. ‘ZOOM’ by Jessi has TikTok creators dancing

    If you spend any time on TikTok, there’s a good chance you’ll recognise Jessi’s “ZOOM” within moments of hitting play. The opening of the rapper’s hip hop single became a viral dance challenge on the video sharing app this year, with thousands of creators copying Jessi’s attitude-filled choreography. Some even paired it with dynamic camerawork or outfit transitions, contributing to 4.4 million TikTok clips that have jumped on the sound.

    “ZOOM” was also significant for Jessi as her last release under PSY’s record label P Nation, having opted not to renew her contract in order to pursue other endeavours. Jessi hasn’t yet revealed what said endeavours will be, but it’s looking as though 2023 will be an important year for her.

    6. 2NE1 reunite to perform hit ‘I Am The Best’ at Coachella

    It’s been six years since 2NE1 disbanded, which is almost as long as the four-member group had been active. Even so, half a dozen years is far from enough time to allow anyone to forget this unquestionably legendary group. 2NE1 were instrumental in the global spread of Korean media and had a massive impact on the K-pop scene, credited with expanding the scope of K-pop girl groups by eschewing cute or sexy concepts to focus on themes of women’s empowerment.

    It was therefore thrilling to see 2NE1 come together for a historic surprise reunion on the second day of Coachella 2022. Closing out record label 88rising’s showcase, Bom, CL, Dara, and Minzy treated a screaming audience with a performance of their assertive hit 2011 single “I Am The Best” — a song that is consistently included in lists of the best K-pop songs of all time.

    7. PSY returns to the stage with ‘That That’ (feat. SUGA of BTS)

    PSY’s hit song “Gangnam Style” took Western markets by storm in 2012, catapulting the solo artist and his galloping horse dance to international attention. PSY then proved he wasn’t a one-hit wonder with successful singles such as “Gentleman” and “Daddy (feat. CL of 2NE1),” before taking a break in 2018 and founding entertainment company P Nation.

    “That That” marked PSY’s first return to the stage in four years, which would be significant enough by itself. However the upbeat song was also a collaboration with BTS’ rapper SUGA. Though SUGA only intended to write and produce “That That,” PSY gradually roped him into featuring on it, learning the choreography, and having the time of his life hamming it up in the music video. The joyful clip has since racked over 380 million views in just seven months.

    8. ‘NANANA’ leads GOT7’s first album after leaving their company 

    When GOT7 left JYP Entertainment in 2021, many fans feared the boy group was disbanding. It was a fair assumption. While it isn’t unheard of for K-pop groups to continue without the entertainment companies that formed them, it’s still a relatively uncommon arrangement, and GOT7 had already been together for seven years. Fortunately the seven-member boy group were quick to assert they were sticking together, reassuring fans with single “Encore” before taking a break to focus on solo projects.

    This year, GOT7 followed up on their promise with “NANANA,” the lead single of their first album without JYP Entertainment. With writing credits including leader JAY B (under the pseudonym Def.), “NANANA” was an important step forward for GOT7, demonstrating the group’s new direction and ambitions for the future while simultaneously returning them to their roots.

    9. ‘POP!’ by NAYEON bubbles over to TikTok

    TWICE’s vocalist NAYEON made her solo debut in June, releasing an album of bright and bubbly pop songs led by the energetic tune “POP!” This love song was addictive enough by itself, racking up almost 160 million views in five months and offering the type of bright optimism we could all do with a lot more of. 

    But what really gave “POP!” an edge over the competition was its simple yet memorable choreography, which has inspired numerous dance covers and a TikTok trend. The sound has been used over 2 million times on the video sharing platform, with countless creators and celebrities copying NAYEON’s cute popping hand gestures.

    10. ‘Hype Boy’ by NewJeans gets South Korea’s military dancing

    NewJeans only debuted this July, but you’d never know it judging by how much attention they’ve earned in just five short months of activity. The rookie girl group’s appropriately-titled debut song “Attention” was already warmly received, but their popularity really took off with their EP’s second single “Hype Boy”. NewJeans’ fun, catchy love song won fans and impressed their seniors, while its lively choreography became a popular dance trend that was picked up by K-pop idols such as GOT7’s JAY B and Stray Kids’ Changbin.

    Yet while numerous artists jumped on the trend, the most notable “Hype Boy” dance cover was by a group of idols completing their mandatory military service. The video of enlisted K-pop idols shaking it to “Hype Boy” in uniform went viral across multiple platforms, with just one copy of one video on Twitter gaining 8.2 million views alone. The widely-shared performance featured SF9’s Inseong, ONF members E-Tion and J-US, Spectrum’s Jongchan, and dancer Kim Namwook, all of whom were serving in more ways than one.

    11. Girls’ Generation marks their 15th anniversary with ‘FOREVER 1’

    For some, the first K-pop song to captivate them was “Boy With Luv” by BTS (feat. Halsey). For others, it was PSY’s aforementioned “Gangnam Style”. But for countless listeners across the world, the tune that taught them to love K-pop was the 2009 bubblegum bop “Gee” by Girls’ Generation.

    Girls’ Generation are record-breaking K-pop icons who have been together for as long as some other idols have been alive, even if they haven’t technically been active for the entire time. While this year marked Girls’ Generation’s 15th anniversary, the group has been on hiatus since 2017 as the members have focused on their respective solo careers.

    “FOREVER 1” was Girls’ Generation’s first new release as a group in five years, offering the celebratory 2010s throwback in a return that some fans feared would never come. As such, the cheers and fanchants during the group’s first live performance of “FOREVER 1” certainly seemed sweeter than usual, finally welcoming the well-respected K-pop veterans back to the stage after their long absence.

    12. ‘Pink Venom’ returns BLACKPINK to the area

    BLACKPINK are undoubtedly skilled singers, rappers, and dancers, but arguably what they excel at most is making their fans crave more. Though the K-pop girl group never officially went on hiatus, BLACKPINK’s last released song together was back in 2020, which is practically an eternity in the fast-moving K-pop scene. The members kept fans fed by diverting focus to their solo careers in the interim, but it wasn’t the same as seeing all four on stage together.

    “Pink Venom” was Jisoo, Jennie, Rosé, and Lisa’s highly awaited return as a group, once again delivering BLACKPINK’s unmistakably fierce sound to their fans. The music video gained over 480 million views in just four months, reflecting the group’s overwhelming global popularity and demonstrating that, no matter how long BLACKPINK aren’t in their area, the fans will always wait for them to come back.

    13. BTS delivers the first ever live performance of ‘Run BTS’

    Global superstars BTS announced in October that the group would be going on hiatus until 2025, finally ending years of speculation by enabling the members to enlist for their mandatory military service as well as pursue solo opportunities. The biggest K-pop group in the world wasn’t about to up and leave without a proper goodbye, though.

    Before revealing their enlistment plans, BTS held one last big concert in Busan to support the local government’s bid to host the World Expo 2030. With free tickets offered via a lottery, eager fans gathered from all over the world to see BTS perform songs ranging from older tunes such as “Butterfly” to English hits like “Butter.” 

    It was overall a fantastic night for fans, but arguably the standout was BTS’ first and to date only live performance of “Run BTS” (not to be confused with “RUN” or their reality series Run BTS). Released this year as part of BTS’ anthology album Proof, “Run BTS” departs from the group’s recent dance-pop sound to deliver a hip hop banger that reflects on the group’s journey, returns to their musical roots, and shows the world exactly why millions of people have become fans.

    14. LE SSERAFIM perseveres with ‘ANTIFRAGILE’

    As the first K-pop girl group to debut under BTS’ company since 2012, all eyes were already on LE SSERAFIM before they ever took the stage. Unfortunately, their May debut ended up being one of the rockiest in recent memory. Just over three weeks after LE SSERAFIM officially debuted, their vocalist Kim Ga-ram was put on hiatus before being removed from the group altogether. It seemed an inauspicious start for the new idols whose careers had only just begun. 

    Nevertheless, the remaining quintet continued on to release “ANTIFRAGILE” just three months later, determined to demonstrate the resilience they sing about. The lead single of LE SSERAFIM’s second EP, “ANTIFRAGILE” boldly brought the group into a new era after their difficult start, proclaiming that, no matter how big the setback, nothing will stop these rookies from pushing forward.



    Kizz Daniel shares “Cough (Odo)” video – Aipate

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    Nigerian artist Kizz Daniel scored another mega-hit with his latest single, “Cough (Odo)”. He has since created a stunning visual to accompany the euphoric afropop song.

    “Cough (Odo)” is smooth and intoxicating. Kizz says, “For this song I wanted to highlight the feeling of new love. The song itself is energetic and celebratory, and it really captures what it’s like to fall for someone new”.

    It’s one of the focus tracks on the compilation album, Where We Come From (Vol. 1) by EMPIRE.

    Find Kizz Daniel on Instagram.