Mishaal Tamer on His Groundbreaking Tour With OneRepublic and Making Music for a ‘New Generation of Saudi Kids’
variety.comNick Vivarelli International Correspondent In 2020, Mishaal Tamer became the first aspiring global pop star from Saudi Arabia to sign a major record deal in the U.S., where he released his debut EP, “Life’s a Ride,” via RCA Records.
This summer, he’s touring Europe as the opening act for OneRepublic — a major milestone for an artist from his country. Tamer, whose father is Saudi and mother is Ecuadorian, started playing guitar when he was 9, at a time when religious police in his country were prone to smashing instruments and Western pop music was basically banned.
But in 2017 and 2018, just as Tamer began posting his songs online, Saudi Arabia lifted its bans on movies and musical events, prompting a cultural sea change.
Now the country has a thriving concert scene, reflected in Riyadh’s Soundstorm, which is among the biggest music festivals in the world.
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