Meet the English-singing Saudi star who captured the hearts of the region on Arabs Got Talent

By Rowaida Abdelaziz

When Aishah Al Banawi was four years old, her mother took her to an audition for the role of “Trouble” in Puccini’s Madama Butterfly at the Dorothoy Chandler Pavilion in Los Angeles, California.

Playing Al Banawi’s mother on stage, Russian opera singer Galina Gorchakova held the little girl in her arms while giving the audience a stirring performance. Her powerful voice and stunning vibrato still gives Al Banawi the chills.

“For some reason, ever since then, it was like a language that I picked up,” said Al Banawi.

Today, the Saudi singer is a rising musical star that has caught the attention of many after she left quite an impression on the popular show “Arabs Got Talent.” This English-singing artist is tapping into her multicultural talents and using her voice to bridge the East and the West through her passion for music.

She talks to us about her unforgettable experience on the popular show.

Elan: Let’s tap into your musical mindset! Why did you choose to pursue music?

Aishah Al Banawi: I was very young when I got started. I remember performing at a very young age and felt so instinctively connected to the experience of live performance. It’s always been a thrill for me, and even at 4 years old, I knew it was something that I would continue forever.

My relationship with music and performing is beyond the cerebral, because it exposes my creativity in a way that connects to other people through their hearts. That’s what I want to do in life, and through music, connect to others.

I love Plato’s quote, “Music gives a soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination and life to everything.” I agree with him, because when I play music, I am re-awakened and every cell becomes alive, hopeful, and electric. Other people can feel it too. That’s why music is so beautifully influential and powerful.

Elan: How was it making to the semi-finals on Arabs Got Talent?

AAB: I am a huge fan of the show because I love discovering talented Arab artists and performers. It makes me really excited to see people from the Middle East sharing their incredible talents. So when I was invited to audition, I knew this was my opportunity to meet other people who are in the creative platform of music and art on the global scale, in the Arab world.

I was so thrilled when Ali Jaber took me under his wing and invited me to come back for the semi-finals on Good Morning Arabia. I gave it my all and it was a great experience.

Elan: How does your family feel about your musical career?

AAB: The responses about my participation were mixed. Some family and friends in the States, supported it, and others had worries. The same goes for my family and friends in Saudi. There were people who wanted to support my decision to be on the show from the very beginning because they knew this was something that I really wanted. Then there were people who supported it once they saw the first performance air, because they were convinced once the success of the show started to kick in.

But it feels good that I fought for something I wanted. It felt like a battle for my artist self, and I had to defend my creative self, and nurture it. So I feel like a stronger artist because of this experience.

Elan: We noticed you sing in English, despite your Saudi background? Do you feel this gives you an advantage?

AAB: I sing primarily in English, but hopefully my Saudi spirit will permeate through the songs even if they are not sung in Arabic. However, there was a huge response from my fans to release at least one Arabic song. So I am working on that now to get the accents right. However, my comfort zone is in Western music because that is what I have been singing for years.

What I would really like to do is translate Arabic poems and sing them in English. Arabic poetry is so vast and profound. I think it would sound great next to a melody line. I would like my music to be a bridge combining sounds of the Middle East with Western music.

Elan: Speaking of Saudi Arabia, you lived in Jeddah for a while, how was that experience?

AAB: I lived in Jeddah for over a year, and that is when I went through an ‘artist crisis’. I was enormously inspired but I was also absorbing so much emotion all at once. I waited my whole life to visit Saudi, and when I did, it was like a dream come true. I also realize now how vulnerable that time was for me. It took me a year to transfer what I have in my journals into song lyrics.

Saudi is one of the best places to write music. Essentially, what makes a brilliant artist is the ability and courage to face their darkest times and reawaken out of that as a form of creative rebirth. We are so vibrant inside, but we have to wake that vibrancy up, and for me, art is a catalyst that allows the process of creativity to flow. Art propels positive change and worldly re-examination, so as an artist, my job is very exciting, and I am really grateful.

Elan: What do you hope people in US and Saudi Arabia take away from your multicultural background and music?

AAB: Through my music, I want people of multi-cultural backgrounds and those of all nationalities to find a common ground with each other. I hope to unite people through my music. One that elevates people, connects us and dissolves identities.

Elan: What inspires you to write and sing?

AAB: Rooftops, nature, art, friends, people, love, fear, knowledge, and the list goes on. The human experience is limitless and there is much to be written and sang about. I am so excited for what the future holds.

Elan: What are you doing when you’re not singing or making music?

AAB: I love my dog, Otis. He’s an Italian greyhound. Spending time with Otis and doing yoga makes me very happy.

Follow her on Facebook and Twitter to catch more of her amazing tunes.