Tune in: Women in the Egyptian Music Industry
By: Nouran Hassan
According to Rolling Stone magazine, the University of Southern California’s Annenberg Inclusion Initiative, with funding from Spotify, examined the gender and race of artists, songwriters, producers, and other creators across 900 top songs in the last nine years; from 2012 to 2020, women comprised a total of 21.6% of all artists, 12.6% of all songwriters, and 2.6% of all producers. Upon learning all this, we wonder:
Does the music industry still have a long way to go for gender equality, too?
Even the music industry is male-dominated. However, more female artists are emerging every day now. Layla comes across many new female artists on social media where she gets dazzled by their incredible talents! She also came across a group of musicians that left her speechless. The group named Let’s Go Big Music consists of many insanely-talented male and female musicians. Layla, being the soft girl she is, wondered about the status of these girls concerning her question. She then found her mind drifting to their experience in the Egyptian music industry. As a girl of no words but actions, Layla decided to meet with four of the Let’s Go Big Music girls; to help them use their voices in not only singing but also telling some stories of female artists in the Egyptian music industry. Meet the girls: Nouran Abdel-Nasser, Karen Daniel, Lynn Hesham, and Rola Diab!
Junior Student, Senior Singer:
Nouran Abdel-Nasser, a 21-year-old Mass Communication student. Born and raised in a family fond of music, Nouran started getting into music when she was six. Nouran could both sing and play the piano by the time she was nine. A few years later, she became a part of the Selim Sahab choir for kids.
She recalls the times at the Opera that led her to be in a band with people older than her. She also recounted how respected she was in and outside the band. Later on, she landed into her Let’s Go Big Music chapter, where all s .

The music industry can make it hard for girls with curfews, dealing with a lot of men, and the notion of fame itself. Many families could disapprove of this lifestyle. But in my opinion, it’s all about trust.” Nouran declared how thankful she is for her family’s support and trust, affirming how every family should provide their kids with these two crucial things for personal growth. Nouran was the vocalist for many ads; among them: Wadi Degla ad, Bisco Masr, and Radio 9090- which she was proud of. From her positive experience in the music industry, Nouran encourages girls with big music dreams to keep going and follow the dreams they’re most passionate about. “It’s a gift from God and you have to use it wisely and flaunt it.”
The Constant Winner:
Karen was brought up in an environment that cherished art and music. 22-year-old Karen Daniel who is a mass communication student, as well, is taking many steps toward reaching her musical dreams. As a young girl, Daniel was part of the church choir. Karen got her first keyboard in her second year of Kindergarten when her family helped her join Kythara Institute for Music to learn to play the piano. She then grew more fond of guitar and singing, which drove her to go to Vocal Xtreem and the Opera to work on her vocals. It was when Quarantine happened that Karen’s mother had to step in and create an Instagram account for Karen to sing. The positive feedback is what got Karen to keep going.

Daniel expressed how joining competitions like the AUC talent show and performing gigs made her realise how serious she is about her music career. Karen ended up ranking second and third at Cairo University’s level in the solo singing competition. Let’s Go Big Music helped Karen become closer to her goals by providing their team with live gigs, open mic nights, and workshops.
She revealed how an audience’s interactivity with her performances is what she loves the most about music. Karen declared that she’s never gotten any sexist comments in the industry or at gigs, fortunately. When asked for advice, Karen said, “Own your uniqueness and individuality and never compare yourself to others. Your only competition is your old self. Embrace your creations and believe that practice makes perfect. Not everyone’s going to like you or your music, and that’s okay because others will. So, start anywhere. You’ve got nothing to lose.”
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