Nuriya August 12, 2011

Shawarma con salsa and tacos con tahini may sound like some confusing cuisine, but that’s what dance music sensation Nuriya grew up with, born in Mexico City to parents of Jewish Iraqi and Syrian heritage. The music surrounding her was no less diverse: hearing Arabic music and Hebrew prayer music from her elders, along with a mix of Latin American, Caribbean, Flamenco and other styles. She decided on a life in music and studied opera and jazz, but gravitated to the music she grew up with. She studied music and dance in Cuba, and Hebrew and Arabic music in Israel with her acclaimed cousin, the violin and oud player Yair Dalal, arriving at the Middle Eastern Latin American music she performs today.

In Nuriya’s songs, you’ll hear echoes of Eastern European horn bands, gypsy music, Jamaican dub and other influences along with the dominating strains of salsa and Middle Eastern music, all of it highly danceable.

Official Website: http://www.ocgp.org/2011/06/nuriya/