In 2012, singer-songwriter, accordionist, and bandleader Youssra El Hawary burst onto the scene with a viral video for her song “El Soor (The Wall),” filmed at the wall that had been built to keep protesters out of Cairo’s Tahrir Square. Playful and whimsical, its satirical lyrics packed a political punch and came to become an anthem of the Egyptian Revolution that began in 2011. Since then, she and her five-piece band (melodica and keyboards, bass guitar, mandolin, and harmonica along with her accordion) have become fixtures of Egypt’s indie music scene. El Hawary’s songs offer portraits of everyday life in Cairo, blending sounds of the city’s underground with French chanson, indie rock, jazz, Mediterranean influences, and acoustic charm into “perfect, easy magic” (NPR). The band released its debut album, No’oum Nasyeen, in 2017 and is performing at Lincoln Center as part of its U.S. debut tour.
Presented in collaboration with Center Stage
The presentation of Youssra El Hawary is part of Center Stage, a public diplomacy initiative of the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, administered by the New England Foundation for the Arts in cooperation with the U.S. Regional Arts Organizations, with support from the Doris Duke Foundation for Islamic Art, and the Trust for Mutual Understanding. General management is provided by Lisa Booth Management, Inc.
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