‘In the house of lovers, the music never stops, the walls are made of songs and the floor dances,’ says Rumi in one of his poems. Walead’s soulful music - often a Rumi poem or his own spiritual renditions - is powerful enough to convert even a heartless lion a lover. But he says, “Music is my way to reach out to God”. This songster hailing from Casablanca, Morocco, is on a self-searching voyage, while spreading his poignant music around the world.
From the multiple beads adorning his hands to that untamed mane swaying with the wind, Walead has a cathartic aura about him. And his mellowing voice just seals it all.
“I find music in everything I see, hear or even eat. When I chew the food, the sounds that come out are rhythmic and hence, musical. So for me music is the only thing I know and I want to pursue,” says Walead.
Strongly influenced by the Moroccan Gnawa (an African Islamic spiritual music) from a very young age, Walead has developed a style of his own over the years he spent learning the myriad genres of music. Interestingly, Walead’s foray into the world of music was not by his choice. His mother forcefully took him to a music school at the age of five for him to learn the basics of Moroccan classical music. Later, when he was seven, he was shifted to a music conservatory where they taught French and Western classical styles. By the time he turned thirteen, Walead had lost his love for classical and quit the conservatory.
“At first it was classical music I learnt. But during my teen years I was very much into hip hop and wrote songs that acted as weapons against politics and the government. My band TG (ThugGang) had won the ‘Boulevard des jeunes musiciens’ in the rap category,” he says. His songs are all written in Arabic dabbled with various genres from rap to hip hop to sheer spirituality.
Walead, who took Economics for his graduation - again following his mother’s advice - formed the ‘Celsius’ band in 2006 and entered into the world of electric guitar. His songs written in support of freedom of speech were well-received in the country.
For a diehard romantic, the name ‘Casablanca’ brings back the memories of the 1942 classic film, which portrays the spellbinding love affair between Ingrid Bergman and Humphrey Bogart, but Walead’s account of his home town is not so dream-like.
“Casablanca is the biggest city in Morocco. There’s no greenery in sight and all we get to see are large blocks of concrete. When I went to South of France for my further studies I was amazed by the beauty of the land. Once I spent my birthday on a sacred mountain ‘Canigou’ and it changed my whole outlook on life. The peacefulness I found there was exceptional. I was always spiritual but from then onwards I have been searching for ways to reach God,” says Walead. Sooner than later, strongly influenced by Rumi’s writings, he shifted his gears to spiritual music.
“When I was young I was against the system. The way it was influencing our daily life. It was difficult to speak up so we fought with our music. But at one point I stopped my fight against it all and started singing about human emotions such as love. One must transcend the problems and be at peace with oneself,” says Walead
Walead who is in the city, will perform at a music eve organised at Gowry Art Gallery, Kallar on December 19 at 5.00 pm. He will also perform in Delhi this month.
