+Aziz: New Orleanian tones with a Flavor of Khaleeji Beats via @Arab_America @Plusaziz

Here's something you do not see every day!

Recent years saw a change in the Arabic music scene. While classic music, or what is known as Tarab, was trending during the sixties through the seventies, the rest of last century saw  Arab music taking a different theme, especially with the introduction of video clips. In order for singers to become more popular, they based their music on fast rhythms and simple lyrics, and presented the song with a video clip of high quality.

But recent years saw the rise of a totally different music genre, a genre that is more independent, uses social media to spread, and mixes different music genres from around the world to produce new styles.

+Aziz is a Kuwaiti singer- songwriter, as he loves to describe himself. On his about.me page, he writes: “Drawing on the ethos of alternative rock and folk, I am an Arab songwriter crafting songs that bring together Middle Eastern and New Orleanian heritages.”

The first thing that attracts you to the name is the + sign, and for that Aziz has a story.
“The + sign in front of my name is for branding purposes. I started using it in high school as a nickname. Some people thought I use it out of arrogance, others thought it comes out of my love for math. But at the end of the day, I love receiving different interpretations from people.”
+Aziz was born in Kuwait, where his parents originally come from, but has a strong relationship with United States. He was raised between Kuwait and America. He moved to New York in 2008, and then to New Orleans to deepen his understanding of music.

As a teenager, he used to listen to Kuwaiti music, but his real passion was towards western music. He also started having interest in the independent music scene in some Arab countries, such as Jordan and Lebanon. However, +Aziz realized there was no such scene in the Gulf where he lived. So that’s when he wanted to be part of a new landscape that could happen in that part of the world.
“While I was in the US, I started writing Arabic songs, and at that time, it was not about the meaning, but about the feelings it evokes,” says +Aziz.

Full Interview at Arab America