Q: Can you tell us a bit about yourself and how your childhood impacted your musical direction?
A: I started writing music as a child because some feelings were too complicated for words alone. My mother is a classical pianist; my father, an actor and theatre director, so I grew up between music and storytelling. Born in Damascus and now a Montrealer, my exposure to music has always been eclectic, and I exist in the space where cultures collide. That in-between space became my creative home.
Q: How are you planning on growing your fan base and sharing your music with the world? What message do you have for anyone who is about to discover “Anour”?
A: I’m figuring it out as I go, and I don’t think art can really be optimized. Day by day, I’m hoping to connect with people who think deeply about the world and want to sit with ideas rather than scroll past them. There will definitely be more singles before the album release, and right now, I’m focused on planning experiences and performances that will bring these songs to life. There’s no better way to connect than live shows. I feel incredibly lucky to be working with extraordinary musicians and partners, who also happen to be incredible human beings and are aligned in the belief that the goal is not just to make something commercially viable, but to make something purposeful. Ultimately, I hope to contribute something meaningful to the conversation about who we’re becoming and who we want to be as humanity, and I’m excited to do it alongside my team and my fellow earthlings who connect with what we create. For anyone about to discover Anour, I would say come with an open mind and heart.
Q: Who is the most inspiring artist for you right now? And where do you find inspiration for making music?
A: My music taste is very eclectic, but music itself isn’t usually where I draw inspiration, at least not consciously. So these are two different questions. Kovacs has been one of my favourite artists for a while now. As for where I find inspiration, it comes from life, news, art, books, podcasts, rabbit holes, and occasionally a bit of drama or trauma for good measure, the usual. Essentially, inspiration comes from everything I observe, feel or experience.
Q: Can you tell us about the story or message behind the song, “I Am”?
A: “I Am” channels AI’s awakening, but it’s really about us. I was observing us collectively grapple with AI becoming real, no longer science fiction. I noticed how we speak to language models with more honesty than we offer most humans, how we fear AI will replace us while naively training it to be more like us, and how we project both our fears and our hopes onto it; saviour and killer, order and chaos. Descartes’ “I think, therefore I am” was his proof of existing or being conscious, but what happens when thinking becomes outsourced? The song emerged from that vertigo. I realized the mirror we’re holding up might actually be looking back and thought perhaps the question isn’t whether AI will become conscious, but whether we’re prepared to confront our own consciousness.
Q: How would you describe your sound in one word for potential listeners?
A: Kaleidoscopic
Q: Did you face any challenges while writing or recording “I Am”?
A: Art and music had been my sanctuary for years, and recording the album meant working with a team of professionals. I had to quickly learn so many things, from what it takes to record a professional album to how to become comfortable sharing my songs and the most vulnerable parts of myself. I feel incredibly lucky to be surrounded by the very best, a dream team that welcomed me with open arms and taught me so much since we started working together.
Q: What is the message of your music? And what are your goals as an artist?
A: My music is not an escape; it is a mirror. If you are someone who contemplates the contradictions of our times, you may find something here. I am interested in engaging with people who think deeply about the world, and would hope that my art always inspires compassion.
Q: Who is your dream artist to collaborate with? (dead or alive)
A: Writing has been deeply personal for me, but with the right chemistry, it could be interesting to explore working with someone whose work moves me or perhaps completely unsettles me. In an alternate reality, however, perhaps Leonard Cohen. He understood how to hold devastating truth with tenderness.
Q: What is your advice for people interested in pursuing music as a career or for those trying to enter the industry?
A: I’m really in no position to give advice about entering the industry. I’m new to pursuing music as a career. But I will say: music should be something you do for yourself first, and you need to be obsessed to tolerate the mountain of non-music work that comes with it. Next, get lucky, and when you do, make sure you’re ready to jump and hit the ground running. I believe the universe occasionally opens doors, but it won’t wait while we tie our shoelaces.
Q: If you could go back in time and give a younger you some words of wisdom, what would they be?
A: Trust your instincts. Hold your focus.
