To be frank my first instinct was that it might be dangerous territory to discuss an EP called ‘JIHAD’ the way things are, especially here in the UK at the moment, which is a powder keg, a couple of Jews at a synagogue in Manchester having been dispatched by a knife-wielding terrorist actually called Jihad and I guess similar tensions apply in most countries where this is likely to be read.
But I’ll give the benefit of any doubt to 100 (Mia Ghabarou, who was previously known as the somewhat less intriguing Pamela Angellica and who traditionally works across music, performance and visual art) that the subject matter of this four track mini album concerns the wider meaning of Jihad, namely one of struggle, both internally and externally, and the need to “to live according to God’s guidance”.
This is the Tunisian-Danish artist’s debut EP; the first on her own. I don’t think we’ve ever had someone with a Tunisian background before. But she is no newcomer.
She’s been part of the Copenhagen underground scene for a while, a veteran of at least four bands and collaborator with many others and won Björk’s backing at Milan Fashion Week as she opened her DJ set with a newly released track by Mia Ghabarou.
At the same time she’s a graduate of Denmark’s Royal Academy of Music, specialising in electronic composition.
‘JIHAD’ is proposed as “being close to experimental pop” while still being “it’s own thing”, ranging over heartbreak, the disillusionment of love, and the cycles of toxic relationships, while never losing sight of a sense of humour.
I selected ‘NEW DAY’ as the sample track of four mainly because it was the one most suited to drawing comparisons, which is a lazy way of writing but which does the job.
She interweaves instruments, including classical ones, and arrangements, with experimental production techniques.
‘NEW DAY’ starts off like a requiem to forever lost love with its ponderous and intimidating church organ; powerful stuff that might have been provided by Anna von Hausswolff, and continues in that vein until the outro, in which it sounds like NASA trying desperately to make contact with 3I/Atlas with an electronic communication that says “Stop and be friendly.”
Ok, I’m being a tad facetious there but I did say she has a sense of humour!
Seriously, it is a track you’ll need to listen to a couple of times before it hooks you in, but it will, before you move on to the EP proper.
The go-to comparison is with Lana Del Ray but I’d venture there’s more than a little early FKA Twigs in there as well, in some of the subject matter and her desire to experiment out of the box.
Björk, Lana Del Ray and FKA Twigs all in one article. You can’t do much better than that for your first EP.
Find her on:
Website: https://miaghabarou.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/100.miia/
Bandcamp: https://100miia.bandcamp.com/
