Tarabband | Iraq, Sweden

Get ready for a cross-cultural musical experience where Arabic lyrics meet a vibrant interplay of folk music and songs from the Middle East – music that will get your feet moving.

Tarabband was founded by Iraqi-Egyptian Nadin Al Khalidi and Swede Gabriel Hermansson in Malmö in 2008. The six-piece band creates an experience that has gjenklang in the Arabic word tarab, what occurs when feelings and music merge. Their music takes us on a journey that starts in Malmö and goes via Paris and the Mediterranean to Cairo and Baghdad, creating a unique expression where different cultures merge.

At the center stands Nadin, with her very unique voice, who turns pain into hope and a life journey into music. She fled Iraq in 2001, and came to Sweden as a refugee. In her lyrics, she intertwines political and social themes with questions of identity, survival and love – always with a desire for peace and understanding across cultures. The Arabic lyrics weave together stories about people and life stories that take place in parallel in different parts of the world – in Malmö, in the Jordanian Wadi Rum mountains, in Iraqi Mosul, in Cairo and in Baghdad, where Nadin was born and raised.

Tarabband has won a number of awards, and their music is spread and loved all over the world. They are a unique live band that creates vibrant and moving soundscapes that invite both dancing and reflection.

Nadin Al Khalidi - vocals, Algerian mandolin

Andreas Hourdakis - guitar

Filip Runesson - violin

Fredrik Gille - percussion, choir

Mårten Hillbom - percussion, chorus

Pär Knagg - bass, choir