Iconic pop artist Bashar Murad blazed onto the music scene in 2018 with his genre-bending music and playfully visual branding that defied the patriarchal structures of his environment. A singer, lyricist, director and composer, Bashar uses pop music and art as a vehicle to challenge stereotypes, normativity and to highlight social issues facing young generations of urban Palestinians.

Growing up in Jerusalem surrounded by the works and compositions of one of Palestine’s most innovative bands, Sabreen, their studio provided the perfect playground for Bashar to absorb their masterful works. The release of his debut EP “Maskhara” (Arabic for “Mockery”) in 2021 was ‘a masterpiece of escapist sonic finesse’, enmeshed with satire and an innovative pop aesthetic.

Bashar’s Arabic pop gumbo has since become sought after at regional, European and North American festivals and events, and in 2020 he was signed to Indie Label, Pop Arabia. He has been featured in articles from CBC, The Guardian, the Globe, The Mail and the BBC, with the press describing him as “The Palestinian singer blurring gender lines” and a “slightly built, mild-mannered Arabic provocateur.”