Dana Al Fardan, Qatar’s first female composer and singer-songwriter, released ‘Solstice’, a drama-packed song that becomes ever-more epic as it swells to its beats-cloaked climax.
The song was arranged by the Syrian violinist and composer MAias Al Yamani, principal violist Giovanni Passini and Sally Herbert (Florence & The Machine, Ellie Goulding), produced by SINK (Nico Dalla Vecchia) and featuring the Qatari Philharmonic Orchestra. ‘Solstice’ is the second single from the internationally acclaimed symphonic artist’s forthcoming album Indigo, due for release in May.
Inspired by JW Goethe’s The Theory Of Colour (1810) - a study on the physiological effects of colour – Indigo is an exploration of sound and colours with each piece composed in a colour scheme to capture a mood and a state of being, something that is carried into the multi-sensory experience of the live shows. All the songs, including the already released single Indigo, will be accompanied by corresponding conceptual, abstract videos, allowing the listener the space for their own interpretation.
Speaking about the single, Dana said, “Solstice represents the space we find within that allows our light to shine through. It’s the light that liberates the infinite glow we all hold, 'the light that freed the sun'.”
Sonically Dana has created a world that blends contemporary, western and neo-classical influences with the rich musical heritage and soundscape of the Middle East, utilising traditional instruments like the rababa (Arabic bowed string instrument) and the ney (wind instrument).
“I tend to stay away from the word ‘fusion’ as it sometimes implies a ‘watering down’ of one style or another. So the idea is to preserve the authenticity of one style of sound and build it into another in a way that fits without one having to accommodate the other by deconstructing itself.”
Dana is the Cultural Ambassador of the Qatari Philharmonic Orchestra and since 2018, her songs have been the onboarding music for Qatar Airways.
