São Paulo – Arab ancestry and contact with her family’s homeland are present at many moments in the career of singer, actress, dancer and businesswoman Jehane Saade (pictured above). Born in Rio de Janeiro, where she currently lives, daughter of a Lebanese mother and a Brazilian father, Saade brought to music a bit of her life story with Lebanon, where she spent a good part of her childhood.
In an interview with ANBA, the artist said that the cover of her latest album, Exótica, from 2016, is a reinterpretation of the logo of her Lebanese grandmother’s clothing store, which her grandfather created. “The circle with an ‘X’ means the perfect union of East and West as well as tolerance, while the ring with a wing means the alliance of people who will be spiritually brought together, a union that elevates and does not incarcerates, and this woman on top, with her hand open to the sky, can see and feel the world,” she explained.
The album is entirely authorial, Saade writes lyrics and music, mainly in Portuguese, but one track is in French, ‘Je ne Veux Plus,’ closing the album. She said that all her songs have some element that refers to Arabic rhythm, some instrument, like derbake (goblet drum) or lute, or some specific sound. Saade does not define herself within any musical genre. “My style is unique, influenced by Brazilian popular music (MPB), bossa nova, indie, and world music,” she said. Her first recorded song was an interpretation of Michael Jackson’s ‘Black or White’ in a compilation with other artists.
Despite the heterogeneity, the artist’s career found Arab culture every so often. She was part of the Trio das Arábias [Arab Trio], where she was a belly dancer and made several presentations and social works. The trio is not currently active, but she plans to resume it. She also created a musical play called “Meu Diário Gipsy” [My Gypsy Diary], telling her life story and bringing Lebanese nomadic culture as a background. Her idea is to transform the play into a musical series, and the artist is seeking support and sponsorship to carry out the project. She wants to shoot it in Lebanon.
Jehane Saade spent part of her childhood in the Lebanese region of Tripoli, speaks French, and has lived in France, Venezuela, the United States, and Switzerland, in addition to Lebanon and Brazil. Her mother worked at the Alliance Française.
The artist started singing in 2008, after her divorce. Saade mentions this moment in her life in the song ‘Pé na Estrada’ [On the Road], on the album Exótica. “With my daughters, I take my car, I bite my lip driving in different directions,” reads the lyrics. Today, she has several projects, such as an app, a TV series, and a reality show.
Projects
In addition to her musical play project, Saade has many others in mind. She created an art streaming platform app with channels about trends in the art world for artists to release and monetize their work, with the possibility of sponsorship within the app itself. This project is also seeking funding.
“The artist’s biggest challenge is to monetize its art,” said Jehane Saade. She intends to be a leader so that other artists can find partnerships for their works. The artist also has a reality show project and said she would start a cultural segment on a TV show.
Contact
Jehane Saade
jehane@mapagency.com.br
+55 (21) 97667-9784
https://www.mapagency.com.br/
Translated by Elúsio Brasileiro
