Shadi
Zaqtan

About

An evocative musician and a poet without compromise, Shadi Zaqtan, one of Palestine’s first alternative music artist captures the essence of liberation, while talking about occupation, colonization and all the violence and hate that Born in exile and returning back to his homeland Ramallah in Palestine, Shadi’s counter to the Palestinian conflict can be different, but the seeds of rebellion are sown deep into his heart and soul.

There are a multitude of emotions in Shadi's music which is universally understood, but to understand the message in his songs, one has to understand the back-story of Shadi Zaqtan and his motherland’s turbulent past. The words that accompany his music are perfectly in line with the Palestinian reality. Shadi explains: "The words in my songs are not part of an imaginary private conversation, but they are what you can hear in the street, what you hear from the windows of your home or offices, it is the colloquial language we speak every day.

Work

The poetic vocabulary has always been part of Shadi’s life, his grandfather, Khalil Zaqtan , was a renowned classical poet, while his father, Ghassan Zaqtan, was an equally well known modernist poet.

Shadi has consolidated his talent through the years until he became one of the most credible artists from the contemporary Arab music scene. In 2010, Shadi made his first album titled 'An Balad’ (translated ‘About a Country’).

The album consisting of ten songs performed with guitar and vocals, was created in collaboration with the musician Imad Sayrafi , also a refugee from the conflict. Currently in underground and producing from there, Shadi produces and releases many amazing singles featuring famous local and overseas artists.

Releases

Shadi’s music albums and singles paint a different Palestinian story through lyrics, instrumentation and performance.