The Fondation Cartier pour l’art contemporain is hosting a (digital) concert by Emel! A unique evening on Friday 18 December, with the woman who was the voice of the Tunisian Revolution and who will be performing her covers of David Bowie, Nirvana and The Cranberries, to name a few. We’re already tingling with anticipation.
In spring 2020, while confined in her home town of Tunis with her laptop, tape recorder and a borrowed classical guitar singer obtained thanks to the help of a fan on Facebook, Emel Mathlouthi filmed herself on a rooftop, singing “Holm”. A YouTube phenomenon. Three million views later, she released a double album, The Tunis Diaries (*), featuring a re-reading of her repertoire (Day) and an eclectic selection of haunting - confirmed by SoBARNES! - covers (Night).
Want to hear David Bowie reinterpreted by this activist artist with a remarkable voice? Look no further:
“I was separated from my husband, my band, my collaborators and all my work materials”, says Emel. “I was submerged by a wave of nostalgia and memories, surrounded by wild flowers, chirping birds and the blue sky of my hometown”.
Presented by the Fondation Cartier pour l’art contemporain as part of the exhibition Sarah Sze, Night into Day, this unique concert will be broadcasted live on Facebook and Instagram at 9pm (France) / 3pm (US, East Coast) on Friday 18 December.
A 1 hour session that will later be posted on the Fondation Cartier’s YouTube channel. We’ll be sure not to miss it!
(*) The album The Tunis Diaries was released on 23 October by Partisan Records.
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