Music
Press
“Your next international star has arrived.” Boston Globe
“…we're certain that Saba's journey has just begun.” Trace Magazine US
“All music is fusion. That's been true, or at least a truism, even since the fist person banged on a rock and someone else started singing to the rhythm. Similarly, all people are multicultural. There's no such thing as unmixed genes or ideas. But few embody this as deeply as Saba Anglana.”
S. Hochman, Around the World
It's always a thrill when an album begins perfectly. Somalian singer Saba's opening track I Sogni (Dreams), performed with Felix Moungara, is a gutsy, vital slab of brilliance, immediately seducing you into her world of passionate reflection and protest. Born in Mogadishu to an Italian father and Ethiopian mother, Saba left Somalia for Italy aged five. Her songs are all about the divisions between races, warring factions, cultures, the 'line' of the title.
Most of us won't understand her songs – performed in a Somali dialect spoken in the Reer Xamar quarter of Magadishu – but her message is borne alone by a stunning voice that sparkles and shines. On Hanfarkaan (This Wind), she captures the sound of her past on the breeze, while Manta (Today) is a love song shot through with pain and anguish, and driven along by a clean beat and layers of percussion and guitar. On the title track, a funky beat summons up a delicious chorus to turn an existential rift into a celebration. Enjoy K'naan? Well this is the feminist version, delivered with Saba's unique energy and a voice like cold fire. - HMV Choice
HMV Choice, London
The two seemingly distant musical lands of Italy and Somalia are actually closer than one might think. The link between these two countries is Saba’s
debut album, Jidka. Born in Mogadishu, Somalia, Saba’s father is Italian and her mother is Ethiopian. Saba does not forget her ethnic roots, as the songs
reflect her musical tastes from both regions. In fact, Jidka means ‘The Line’, which represents the lighter and darker aspects of life that can merge
together to form a social unity of love across all cultures. The contemporary songs and beats are characteristic of progressive, Italian pop. The songs
are sung in Somali and some parts in English. Saba’s vocals reflect an urban, even hip-hop nature. She is joined by musicians from Gabon, Senegal and
Cameroon to complete her repertoire. Soulful, playful, heartfelt, and moving vocals are Saba’s unmistakable strengths. The horn of African has a new sound
– and Saba is its name!
Inside World Music, P. E. Kirman
“C’è profumo d’Africa nella nuova musica italiana” Andrea Laffranchi, Corriere della Sera
“Saba nome da regina, voce da diva” Ivo Franchi, Il Giorno
“Melodie colorate, schegge di somalo Xamar uen, mescolanze tristi e vitali. (...) Molto bello”
Marco Mangiarotti , Il Giorno
“Saba, la regina nomade dà voce al Corno d’Africa” Ivo Franchi, Il Giorno
“Siamo nei territori della contaminazione, gran serbatoio energetico di talenti e di isprazione, di quella frontiera che la musica che guarda alla commistione di generi e di linguaggi e che sta producendo in tutto il mondo le cose più interessanti e vitali. Un esempio esplicitamente chiaro di ciò è Saba. ” M. Moll, Il Messaggero
“Una voce crossover: così Saba rompe i confini” Massimiliano Leva, La Repubblica
“Regine d’Africa (...) Un incontro curioso tra moderno e antico” Fabio Alcini, Max
“L’album è robusto nella scrittura e raffinato nella costruzione musicale” Paolo Ferrari, Rumore
“Saba Anglana ha fatto centro (...) introspezione e world d’ottima fattura. Una bella sorpresa” Roberto Casalini, Io Donna - selected press
Discography
Biyo (Sud Music)
Jidka (World Music Network)
Photos
Bio
Born in Mogadishu to an Italian father and Ethiopian mother, Saba has come to represent the meeting of African and European cultures: as an actress she starred in a long-running TV drama, playing the role of a policewoman fighting against the prejudice of her colleagues, while dealing with issues such as illegal immigration from Africa. On Jidka (The Line), her musical debut, she explores the divide between Somalia and Italy with a rare sensitivity and gentle humour; mixing acoustic guitars and koras with traditional African beats and contemporary percussion. The result reflects both one woman’s search for her identity and what it means to be alive in the 21st century, when so many people live in more than one culture.
Saba left Somalia when she was 5 years old. As the product of a mixed marriage and because her father was Italian (Italy being the colonial ruler of Somalia), the family was viewed with some suspicion. They were given 48 hours to leave, forcing them to migrate to Italy. From this point on Saba was determined to hold on to her Somali roots, to learn the language and to mend the broken thread with her homeland through music.
Jidka is Saba’s way of telling her story. The word ‘Jidka’, which is the title track, means line – the line that runs on her belly and divides it into two parts – a darker side and a lighter one. This for her represents the union of diversities and the harmony that her parents found when they fell in love. Her story focuses on her identity as multilayered and with many different influences. She sings in her mother tongue – a type of Somali that is spoken in Reer Xamar, a quarter of Mogadishu, and has real expression and rhythm in itself. The result is an album which is a real mix of contemporary and traditional.
Many of the songs on the album describe the struggles of life in Somalia. ‘I Sogni’ is the story of a woman who leaves her village for the big city in search of a better life; ‘Melissa’, sung partly in English, is about the plight of many women who escaped the civil war and crossed the desert in search of freedom. ‘Je Suis Petite’ is dedicated to Africa – a continent full of suffering (‘The world is cruel, and I am so little’). Other songs are more romantic, describing love and the importance of living in the moment (‘Manta’). ‘Hanfarkaan’ describes how the wind is linked to the spirit – when it blows strongly it brings us into contact with the spirit of someone we have lost.
VIDEO
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ChdDmIko48w
Links
