Emel Mathlouthi

Emel Mathlouthi
Emel Mathlouthi in 2017
Background information
Also known as	Emel
Born	11 January 1982 Tunis, Tunisia
Genres	World music, avant-garde, electronic, experimental, film score
Occupation(s)	Singer-songwriter • music producer
Instrument(s)	Guitars
Years active	2010–present
Labels	Partisan Records, Little Human Records
Website	emelmathlouthi.com emel.bandcamp.com

Emel Mathlouthi (Arabic: آمال المثلوثي) (born 11 January 1982), also known professionally as Emel,^[1] is a Tunisian-American singer-songwriter, musician, arranger and producer. She rose to fame with her protest song "Kelmti Horra" ("My Word is Free"), which became an anthem for the Tunisian Revolution and the Arab Spring. Her first studio album, also titled Kelmti Horra, was released worldwide in 2012 to critical acclaim: she combined Arabic roots with western influence. Her second album, Ensen, was released in 2017, blending electronica with classical music. On Everywhere We Looked Was Burning in 2019, she sang all the lyrics in English.

In 2020, the video of her song "Holm" ("A Dream") that she sings in Tunisian Arabic, had been viewed several million times within a few months. "Holm" was included in the double album The Tunis Diaries which she recorded with just a voice, an acoustic guitar as the sole instrument and a laptop. Holm is an Arabic remake of the Iranian song "Soltane Ghalbhaa" with music composed by Anoushiravan Rohani and original lyrics by Emel Mathlouthi.

She has also collaborated with other musicians such as Tricky, Valgeir Sigurðsson, Steve Moore and Vitalic.