São Paulo – Brazilian singer Rhanna will launch her debut single Anarruanda this Friday (20). The song reflects Arab influences that the artist intends to show during her career. Anarruanda was produced by Arnaldo Saccomani and composed by musician Bozzo Barret, a former Capital Inicial member. One of the instruments used in the song is darbuka, an Arab percussion instrument.
The song was created to be featured in a kids show of the TV station where Arnaldo Saccomani works. However, due to the producer’s health issues, the song ended up not being part of the show’s soundtrack, but the artist decided to released it online.
Anarruanda will be available on digital platforms such as Spotify. According to the singer, the song will have a music video by January or February 2020. Rhanna’s idea is starting with more commercial songs and gradually introduce the Arab melodic scale.
With a degree in administration, Bruna Dominicci took ‘Rhanna’ as her stage name for her career that she’s developed since 2017. “People like Arab music, but their greatest barrier is the language. If we had Arab music in English, which I intend to make eventually, people would sing along. I can sing, but I’ve listened it for ten years. I want the ‘Arab pop’ to be popular, to make people relate to it,” she told ANBA.
Ten years ago, the artist was captivated by the sound of Arab artists such as Egyptian singer Umm Kulthum, known as the Star of the East. Lebanese singer Nancy Ajram is also an influence. Her song Mashy Haddy is currently being covered by Rhanna. The Brazilian singer intends to release a Portuguese version of the song in the first quarter of 2020.
“Nancy is very Arab but manages to be popular too. In my version I’ll keep the rhythm entirely. Only the lyrics will change. I want that Brazilians get to really know [Arab songs]. I believe that it’s in our blood, our culture, and I think Brazilian music really needs a change.”
The Arab instruments that the singer will include in her forthcoming work include mizmar (wind), crotalum (a kind of clapper or castanet) and pandeiros.
Translated by Guilherme Miranda
