Jawhar

Jawhar has created his own signature style of world-folk music that one could probably describe as midway between arab chabi and Nick Drakes dreamy folk lullabies. After When Rainbows call, My Rainbows fly , hailed by the press as a mindblowing debut album by a song-writing prodigy (Les Inrockuptibles, FR), the Tunisian singer-songwriter re-explores his roots and his mothertongue to let them sing once again ...

"The Kiss & the Prayer Orientation" could be a possible translation for "Qibla Wa Qobla". The apparently provocative album title, is Jawhars way of reclaiming his culture, which is both sensual and religious. Qibla Wa Qobla announces a mystic sensuality.

Jawhar grew up in the southern suburbs of Tunis. At the age of 20 he leaves for France to study English literature and theatre. Subsequently he writes his first songs and plays his first concerts, supporting artists such as Susheela Raman, Keziah Jones or Boubacar Traor. For the last couple of years he has been travelling between Belgium and the Tunisian capital, where he is committed not only as a musician, actor and playwright, but also as a citizen artist. A first rather controversial play about love and sex in the arab world (Hobb Story by Lotfi Achour) found him tackling his mothertongue to reinvent the Tunisian love song. Ever since, hes kept on digging these grooves that lead to his roots.