As well as being s social media disruptor, Dana Hourani is a blogger, photographer, creative director, singer, songwriter, model and dedicated mother to Zoe. And now the Lebanese with a multi-faceted career has added another impressive feat to her CV, a debut single.
Using the same correlation between East and West that inspires her visual art, the Dubai-based It Girl and trendsetter, who stays consistent in making you want to double tap her styles, has turned to music to story tell her way. The powerful lyrics to the mournful Arabic song titled Ella Enta (Except For You), written by Anthony Khoury of the Lebanese band Adonis, take a turn for the personal. Khoury is also the mastermind behind the music.
“The song is about a public figure who despite her success can only find peace and inspiration in love. It is a rendition of my life as a modern Arab woman who questions the boundaries we draw between what is public and what is private, between life projected on social media and reality,” Hourani, who studied Business Administration at the American University of Beirut, explained to Harper’s BAZAAR Arabia.
A result of collaboration between several talented Beirut-based musicians and producers, the melody is mixed and mastered by Sleiman Damien and Tarek Majdalan. It features an extract from Eric Satie’s classical piano piece, Gymnopedie n°1, and pleasingly shifts from solitary vocals with piano chords to a full-bodied track featuring crescendoing violins and resonating percussion.
There’s also a superb and stylish music video directed by Nadim Hobeika. And style muse Hourani, who also runs lifestyle website D-Tales, looks fabulous in clothes by Lado Bokuchava. Eagle-eyed stylist Amine Jreissaty was the mastermind behind the Sharjah-born raven-haired beauty’s look.
Hourani’s musical journey began with several short covers of international hits she used to post on her Instagram page, where she has 137,000 followers. With encouragement from the people around her and her fans, her talent blossomed, and having her own song with her personal musical vision was the next natural step. We’ll be eagerly waiting for the full album.
