Debut Album update (2026)

Dear all

I'm glad to share with you that having received a grant from AFAC (The Arabic Fund for Arts and Culture), my debut album release will be in 2026.

The album-making process has been non-conventional to say the least! With me recording the oud, alone, onto my laptop in a colleague's small booth just around the corner in South London, to strings recorded during my super-compacted Spring2025 Canada tour, to the percussion soon to be recorded in Belgium!

I'm now in the process of meeting my deadline of completion with AFAC, then will have a few good months to make a release plan and hopefully organise a tour.

If you're interested in helping me with this critical stage, please do get in touch. You could be a festival organiser, music publisher, tour manager, promoter, journalist, concert venue, radio station, music news outlet, etc..

This album is a big milestone for me on a personal level, as well as the artistic one. When I decided to apply for the grant, I was going through a difficult time in my career, like many musicians in the UK after Brexit and the pandemic, and I was seriously considering to move away from music.

That funding application I sent, was my way of hanging on for one more attempt, and being awarded the grant has given me a big boost in morale and deepened my relationship with my creative practice.

I'm so grateful to AFAC and all the people who responded generously and reached out to provide listening ears, wise advice, time and expertise and more to help me realise this ambition and find solutions.

I can't wait to see you on the other side, with the album in 2026 and hopefully play it on many, many stages in the UK and around the world.

Love and gratitude

Rihab