It’s an unusually overcast day on the West Coast. We’re a forty-minute drive away from Jeddah, in the northern coast of Abhur, meeting Mishaal, Saudi’s next Gen Z superstar.
As we walk into the family beach home, decorated with swaying palm trees, we’re greeted by two beautifully spotted Uruguayan Cimarron dogs. The 22-year-old popstar Mishaal Tamer is close behind, his signature smile that has hundreds of thousands of followers on both Instagram and TikTok swooning, greets us from a mile away.
The young crooner is still on a high from his recent Saudi debut concert: an hour-long set in front of a record-breaking turnout on the first day of the Kingdom’s annual music festival, MDL BEAST. Not bad for a first-time appearance in his homeland.
But that isn’t his only remarkable achievement this past year: Tamer became one of the first Saudi talents to sign to a major record label—signing with both RCA Records in the US, the same label that has DJ Khalid, Miley Cyrus, and A$AP Rocky, and Columbia Records in the UK—which boasts megastars Adele, Beyoncé, and Harry Styles.
The middle child of a trio of boys, Mishaal Tamer grew up in Jeddah and is extremely close to his family, admitting his Saudi father and Ecuadorian mother are two of his biggest fans. Unlike his ambitious intention to become the first Saudi to enroll as an undergrad at NYU’s Tisch School of
The Arts at the Clive Davis Recorded Music Institute—no easy feat with a mere four percent acceptance rate; his early musical inclination began more out of necessity rather than out of pure passion.
“When I was nine, I broke up my left arm,” Mishaal explains. “The nerves got super damaged, and so to get back sensation and heal it, I took up the guitar.
“Being half Saudi and half Ecuadorian, I was also bullied a little in school and always felt like a bit of an outcast; I felt like I didn’t fit in anywhere and that’s what made me start writing songs.” Due to the nerve damage in his hand, it was difficult to learn covers. “Out of that frustration of not being able to play those songs, I would make up my own versions, which ultimately lead me to writing my own songs. It turned into a blessing because it helped me heal and deal with all the feelings had of being an outcast.”
Mishaal’s musical influences reflect his mixed background: From Harry Styles, Pink Floyd, and Michael Jackson, to Sherine, Abel Halim Al Hafez, and the legendary Oum Kalthoum, the bi-lingual artist has a legion of diehard Gen Z fans that collectively refer to themselves as the ‘Chicken Gang’.
“I am super grateful for the Chicken Gang, it’s become a community of people who are always there for each other,” he says citing an instance when the Chicken Gang came together on social media to raise enough funds to help a young female member from Germany whose home got destroyed in a fire.
“They are all fans of the music and pretty much are the backbone of my work,” admits Tamer. “They are who I make music for.”
“It’s also cool that most of the Chicken Gang are KPop fans because that’s all I was listening to while creating this music,” adds the young songwriter, whose dream collaboration is with Korean Pop mega group, BTS.
KPop isn’t the only thing this Gen Z singer has in common with his fan base. He’s an avid TikTok user and uses the platform to release teasers to his Chicken Gang.
“TikTok has essentially become the new radio,” citing how most of today’s popular mainstream hits have begun with viral fame. “If you want a song to become a hit, it’s gotta be on TikTok!” During the lockdown, Mishaal teased snippets of his songs, with most going viral on TikTok. “During my performance at MDL Beast, I was shocked to hear the fans sing along and know the words to songs that aren’t even out yet!”
Mishaal’s soon-to-be released EP Home is Changing is inspired by the changes happening within the Kingdom, as well as his personal growth into young adulthood. “It’s a mix of Arabic instruments, like the oud, with KPOP beats and song structure, but done in my own style,” he reveals. “My personal favourite is probably Wallahi. I wrote it during a dark time in my life and that song got me out of bed in the morning.”
How lockdown changed Mishaal Tamer
Tamer confesses he was more motivated after coming back home during lockdown. In terms of the bourgeoning local music industry, he sees the youth at its forefront. “Saudi is going through a renaissance in terms of the arts and entertainment industries. We’re young and on the come-up so we all lift each other and I think that’s cool. Kids are making everything from indie music to rap and R&B; I think it’s beautiful.” He admits that he’s focused on his own career for now, but his hope is to one day start his own label to sign and bring Saudi talent to a global audience.
But despite his young age, there is a bigger ambition within Tamer that is driving him to aspire for something that goes beyond the tag of ‘pop star’, his plan is to become an ambassador for the entertainment industry in the Kingdom, and to bring Saudi talent to a global audience.
“We hardly have any media representation to the world coming from Saudi and I just want the world to see that we have something special,” he says.
“We have art, and music, and that we as people, are not so different after all.”
Photography by Jalel Felemban
Art Direction by Dana Alsebai
Styling by Arwa Hammad