Nai Al Barghouthi is a 25-year-old Palestinian singer, composer and flute player.
In 2020, Nai won the “”Young Talent Award”” presented by the Royal Concertgebouw Theater in Amsterdam, one of the oldest European theaters. When announcing her selection for the award, Simon Renk, theater director commented:
“”Nai Al-Barghouthi is very talented and has an amazing artistic presence and control. Her musical sense is limitless. Whether she’s singing a well-known jazz tune, a classical Arabic song, or improvisation on Bach’s music, she does it smoothly. She is a model for a new generation of musicians who represent and spread different styles and cultures.””
Nai began her professional singing career in 2011 at the age of fourteen with the artwork “”My Wish- Muniti””, which included some Arab classics.
One of Nai’s most important musical achievements was the performance she gave at the United Nations Headquarters in New York in November 2013, in memory of the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People. Commenting on the show, famous British musician Roger Waters (founder of Pink Floyd) described her as “”very charming, beautiful, confident and musical.””
In March 2019, Nai was shortlisted for the Aga Khan Music Award and in May 2019, Nai graduated from the Amsterdam Conservatory with distinction.
In 2019, Nai threw an important concert at the Concertgebouw Theater in Amsterdam, in which she sang some of the most beautiful songs of Fayrouz and Al-Rahbanah, in appreciation of Fayrouz and her solo impact on contemporary Arabic singing. In the same year, Nai performed at the Prince Claus Awards Ceremony at the Royal Palace in Amsterdam. In February 2020, Nai participated in a huge ceremony honoring the late Palestinian poet Mahmoud Darwish at the prestigious Paris Philharmonic.
In 2021, Nai completed her master’s study in music at the same institute, where she researched the relationship between Arabic music, in particular tarab and jazz music, and developed her own singing style.
At the beginning of 2022, Nai released and produced her first album, which includes songs that she composed and arranged, in addition to songs composed by great musicians in the Arab world.