How Al Ain shaped Ghalia Chaker's music and her debut album

Born in Damascus and raised in the oasis city of Al Ain in the UAE, Ghaliaa Chaker grew up between quiet streets and a house full of instruments. She taught herself production, wrote in English first, then pivoted towards Arabic lyricism, as audiences asked to hear their stories in their own language. In this episode of Tarab, Chaker joins host Saeed Saeed where she talks about working on her first album that gathers her singer-songwriter roots with new sounds. Chaker explains how a recent single drew her towards indie rock, how she balances sincerity with experimentation and why she refuses to chase hits that do not feel true. On her early career days, Chaker talks about how Al Ain’s scenery shaped her as an artist, the open mic sessions that built her confidence, the institutional support she found across the UAE and the social media backlash that followed when her image as a hijabi artist became visible. Tarab is a weekly podcast taking listeners inside the Middle East’s music scene through conversations with its artists. New episodes drop every Tuesday on all podcast platforms.