CANNES: Saudi singer Mishaal Tamer’s recent compelling performance here at SRMG’s Beach Experience underscores his growing stature on the world stage, but he credits the Kingdom’s investment in the arts for his meteoric rise.
During the 70th Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, Tamer sat down with Arab News to discuss his creative ventures — his upcoming single “Superhero,” utilizing media, touring with OneRepublic this summer — and the cultural renaissance underway in Saudi Arabia.
If there is a significant takeaway from his story, it is that one should never underestimate the manner in which social media platforms have revolutionized the way brands label themselves, new acts are discovered, and how music is experienced.
Tamer told Arab News: “Never before in the world have you been able to be this close to your favorite artist. Arm’s length, however far away you hold your phone from your face — that’s how far you are from your favorite artists, from hearing what they have to say.
“The industry is an ever-changing thing. This is what it is right now, and I think if you’re not part of it, then you’re not in it. It’s the connection between people.”
While his relationship with the world on social media has been rocky, largely due to his reported depression, he began attracting increasing numbers of followers in 2022 after posting teasers of unreleased music. During his performance at MDLBEAST last year, he was surprised to hear fans singing along to those unpublished tracks.
Much like some of the top names in music today, including Justin Bieber, Charlie Puth and Doja Cat, who were discovered on apps such as YouTube and TikTok, Tamer garnered his fame from a few clips that went viral overnight.
“That’s the new radio. It’s everything. It defines the charts,” he said.
Tamer initially started writing music as a form of therapy at age 9 after breaking his arm. His current tracks feature original lyrics, production and instrumentals.
Now signed to Arabian Knights Records, the record label he launched in partnership with EMPIRE, Tamer is performing alongside pop legends OneRepublic on their EU Summer Tour, a historic moment for both the artist and the Kingdom’s music scene.
“It’s my first time playing outside of my country, and I’m from Saudi Arabia,” the artist blurted out during a recent show. He was initially anxious about what the response would be, but this turned quickly into relief as the crowd erupted in cheers.
“I think that just goes to show that what we’re doing back home is being noticed,” he said.
He said he uses his platform and music to bolster the country’s presence internationally, but to also address cultural taboos including mental illness and loneliness. His upcoming single “Superhero,” to be released June 23, reflects on losing a sense of homegrown values when abroad.
“As you sink deeper and deeper into this hole, funny enough, you feel like Superman while you’re falling. That’s exactly what the song is about … It’s the beginning of me telling that story, starting at rock bottom.”
In finding his way back to his values, Tamer is determined to showcase the beauty of the region through his music. In the great cultural revolution underway in Saudi, the singer is “grateful and honored” to perform on the Cannes stage between gigs across Europe. “I owe it to the changes happening back home for me being here,” he said.
In the age of AI and radical innovation, Tamer is a reminder that artists can rarely create sustainable success without an authentic message.
“The more specific and personal I get, the more I see that people understand, and the more I see that I’m not alone in this because we’re all part of the same generation. We’re all in it together.”
