Dina El Wedidi ( ar, دينا الوديدي), is an
Egyptian
Egyptian describes something of, from, or related to Egypt.
Egyptian or Egyptians may refer to:
Nations and ethnic groups
* Egyptians, a national group in North Africa
** Egyptian culture, a complex and stable culture with thousands of years of ...
singer, composer, guitarist, music producer, and storyteller.
Dina has been known as the lead performer of an ensemble of musicians who have performed extensively in the past 2 years, fusing local and global styles of music.
Early life
Wedidi was born and raised in
Giza,
Egypt
Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Medit ...
. She studied
Oriental Literature at
Cairo University
Cairo University ( ar, جامعة القاهرة, Jāmi‘a al-Qāhira), also known as the Egyptian University from 1908 to 1940, and King Fuad I University and Fu'ād al-Awwal University from 1940 to 1952, is Egypt's premier public university ...
, where she graduated in 2008,
then spent some time working as a
translator
Translation is the communication of the meaning of a source-language text by means of an equivalent target-language text. The English language draws a terminological distinction (which does not exist in every language) between ''transl ...
and sometimes a
tour guide
A tour guide (U.S.) or a tourist guide (European) is a person who provides assistance, information on cultural, historical and contemporary heritage to people on organized sightseeing and individual clients at educational establishments, religio ...
in Egypt.
Wedidi discovered her passion for music after joining El Warsha Theater Troupe in 2008,
where she learned to sing a wide variety of traditional genres with the help of her tutor Maged Soliman. She then decided to leave El Warsha and began to explore the full potential of her voice. She also participated in many workshops with independent musicians both in Egypt and beyond, including
Grammy award-winning Egyptian musician
Fathy Salama
Fathy Salama (Arabic فتحي سلامة; born 27 March 1969, in Cairo) is a Grammy Award-winning Egyptian musician, who usually appears with his ensemble Sharkiat (شرقيات, "Easterners").
Salama grew up listening to the radio, which played ...
and singer-songwriter Kamilya Jubran.
Musical career
![Dina El Wedidi](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/47/Dina_El_Wedidi.jpg)
Beginning 2011, Wedidi had quit El-Wersha and founded her own music group of six members besides her. Coincidentally, the
Egyptian Revolution of 2011 broke out and El Wedidi took part in a modern Operetta, Khalina Nehlam ('Let's Dream'), with
Egyptian band Masar Egbari
Massar Egbari is an Egyptian Rock band that was officially launched in 2005 from Alexandria, Egypt. The band consists of 4 musicians: Ayman Massoud (Keyboards), Hany El Dakkak (Guitar and Lead Vocal), Ahmed Hafez (Bass guitar), and Tamer Attallah ...
, Tamer Shalaby, and
Tunisian singers Mahdi Rabeh, Anis Dridi and Mohamed Bin Jemaa. The song was a great hit, capturing the
Arab Spring
The Arab Spring ( ar, الربيع العربي) was a series of anti-government protests, uprisings and armed rebellions that spread across much of the Arab world in the early 2010s. It began in Tunisia in response to corruption and econo ...
of 2011.
Gilberto Gil mentorship
In 2012 Wedidi was selected by
Gilberto Gil
Gilberto Passos Gil Moreira (; born 26 June 1942), is a Brazilian singer-songwriter and politician, known for both his musical innovation and political activism. From 2003 to 2008, he served as Brazil's Minister of Culture in the administration ...
and the
Rolex Mentor and Protégé Arts Initiative as a protégé, which allowed her to be mentored by the great Brazilian music icon. The two performed together at Back2Black, part of the London 2012 Festival. They later met for musical events and conversations in Switzerland, the United States, Brazil and Egypt. When Gil was asked about Dina, he answered:
Nile Project
In 2013 Wedidi took a part in “the Nile Project” which is a musical and environmental initiative that brings together musicians and thinkers from all over the Nile Valley, Dina participated with her song "Ya Ganouby" (
Egyptian Arabic
Egyptian Arabic, locally known as Colloquial Egyptian ( ar, العامية المصرية, ), or simply Masri (also Masry) (), is the most widely spoken vernacular Arabic dialect in Egypt. It is part of the Afro-Asiatic language family, and ...
: ياجنوبي; translation: "Oh My South") in which Wedidi sings about her regret for being disconnected from her south (a metaphor for the Nile), and her longing for it to become a more integral part of her life. The song is a musical expression of the collective's mission, to come together and heal the broken relationships within their cultural and natural environments.
Turning Back
Turning Back is the 2014 debut album from Egyptian musician Dina El Wedidi. which she labelled as New Arab Folk. Dina was presenting her work not only as a singer but also as a composer. Dina's melodies, especially in this album, are known for their complex rhythms and coherent tones, the most famous of which is the song In Wonderland (Fi Belad El Agayeb) and The Grief Of The South (Hozn El Ganoub). El Wedidi featured guest performances by Mazaher and her Mentor
Gilberto Gil
Gilberto Passos Gil Moreira (; born 26 June 1942), is a Brazilian singer-songwriter and politician, known for both his musical innovation and political activism. From 2003 to 2008, he served as Brazil's Minister of Culture in the administration ...
. The album was produced by the bassist
Miles Jay and the violinist Nancy Mounir. The album track list a number of sociopolitical themes, some of which are personal, and others more about love-struggles. Being a Cairo-based musician, El Wedidi finds inspirations Egypt’ streets, which she later quotes in her songs through lyrics and compositions.
Slumber
Over the past couple of years, Dina has gone down a very different artistic track, figuratively and literally, straying heavily from the tried and true recipe that earned her success. Largely, this involved delving into production to expand her skills beyond singing and Composing. This path also introduced another new, instrument to Dina: (trains)
For this work, she had to dig into uncharted territory and relearn her creative process.
In 2018 Wedidi Released her album Slumber which means in Arabic Manam which is an Important experimental electronic album., produced from layers of processed train sounds, the voices of people, and all that can be used within the train over which she sings. The result is a 30-minute voyage, a short nap crossing seven stations.
Slumber includes topics about breaking free from time machines as a concept also about limitations, imagination, hallucinations, mental prisons and love.
Collaborations
* (Hayamatni) with the Tunisian Singer
Ghaliya Benali 2015
* (El Ors) with The Egyptian Singer
Maryam Saleh
Maryam Saleh ( ar, مريم صالح , d = Maryam Ṣāliḥ; born 1985Ahmad Zaatari:Maryam Saleh: Rocking Sheikh Imam's Revolutionary Songs", ''Al-Akhbar English'' 27 December 2011.), full name Maryam Saleh Saad ( ar , مريم صالح سع ...
2013
* (El Liel) with The Brazilian Singer
Gilberto Gil
Gilberto Passos Gil Moreira (; born 26 June 1942), is a Brazilian singer-songwriter and politician, known for both his musical innovation and political activism. From 2003 to 2008, he served as Brazil's Minister of Culture in the administration ...
2014
* (Sodassi Project) with
Kamilya Jubran
Kamilya Jubran is a Palestinian singer, songwriter, and musician.
Early life
Kamilya Jubran was born in Acre (Akka) in 1962 to Palestinian parents. Her father Elias is a music teacher and maker of traditional Palestinian instruments such as the ou ...
2018
* (Allah Baa’y) With
Alsarah
Alsarah (Arabic: السارة) (born 1982) is a Sudanese-American singer, songwriter, and ethnomusicology, ethnomusicologist. She is the leader of the group Alsarah & the Nubatones, and has performed with other groups such as The Nile Project. Her ...
2015
* (Dil Mahbouby) with
Mohamed abozekry
* (Khalina Nehlem) with
Massar Egbary
* (Complete) with the producer Elbuho
Discography
* ''
Songs from a Stolen Spring'' (compilation) (2014)
* ''
Turning Back'' (تدورو ترجع" (2014"
*''Slumber (منام" (2018"''
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wedidi, Dina El
1987 births
Living people
21st-century Egyptian women singers
Egyptian composers