Maryam Saleh

Born in Cairo, Maryam Saleh has established herself on the Egyptian alternative scene through an approach that links Arab song, shaabi, urban folk, psychedelic rock, and dark electronic textures. Initially active within several collective projects, notably around Sheikh Imam’s songs with the group BarakA, Maryam Saleh later develops a personal path where the voice plays a central role, both direct, taut, and deeply anchored in the Arabic language. Her first album Mesh Baghanny appeared in 2012, and then she collaborated with Lebanese musician Zeid Hamdan on Halawella in 2015, a record that emphasizes the dialogue between Egyptian popular forms, synthetic arrangements, and more oblique rhythms. In her subsequent projects, Maryam Saleh continues this dense writing with partners such as Maurice Louca and Kamilya Jubran, notably on Syrr, released in 2024, built over several years of composition. Her repertoire moves between political tension, intimate narratives, and poetic imagination, with an aesthetic that blends minimalism, dissonance, melodies inherited from the Arab repertoire, and contemporary moods. Maryam Saleh also pursues acting work in cinema and television, a dimension that also illuminates her onstage presence on stages in Egypt, the Arab world, and Europe.