In a region where sound and storytelling intertwine, few voices arrive as clearly defined as Zeyne’s (Instagram). Out now on Scarab Records via MDLBEAST Records, “AWDA” marks the Palestinian-Jordanian artist’s debut album, and her most personal creative statement yet. Translating to “return” in Arabic, the 13-track album traces a loop of belonging, loss, and self-reclamation. It’s not just an album, but a homecoming, one told through R&B, soul, and the pulse of Palestinian culture.
With over 52 million global streams already to her name, Zeyne’s first full-length project unfolds like a book. Each song is a chapter in the story of finding one’s way back: to identity, to community, and to self.
“I wanted it to feel like one long exhale,” says Zeyne. “It’s a circle. You start in community, you lose yourself, you fall apart — and then you come back home.”
That circular energy defines AWDA’s emotional landscape. From the opening lines of “7arrir 3aqlak (Asli Ana),” a Dabkeh-infused reclamation of identity, to “Yamma,” a lullaby-inspired prayer for her mother, and “Yom wara yom (ocd),” an intimate look at mental health and repetition, Zeyne builds an experience that resists skipping. The album is meant to be played in sequence, on loop, and without end, mirroring the endless act of return itself.
Produced primarily by Nasir Al Bashir with contributions from Khalil Cherradi, Ratchopper, and Sofian Grillo, AWDA balances dreamy pop with early-2000s R&B and Arabic instrumentation. The result is a textured soundscape, part meditative, part explosive, that captures both vulnerability and defiance.
Even with collaborators like Bayou (on “6 il Sobh”) and Saint Levant, who adds saxophone to “Arrib Minni,” Zeyne’s voice remains the gravitational centre. She leads every conversation, blending intimacy with invocation, holding grief, joy, and resistance in equal measure.
Across tracks like “Hilwa,” “Liya,” “Si3r Al 7ob,” and “Jdeed,” Zeyne explores lineage, emotional labour, self-worth and autonomy, culminating in the urgent “7ilm / 7a2ee2a” and the triumphant closer “Kollo Lena.” The journey is cyclical, layered, and defiantly honest, less a playlist, more a manifesto.
What sets AWDA apart is its refusal to conform. In an era of singles and algorithms, Zeyne opts for cohesion, narrative, and truth. The album is a love letter to her becoming, and a call to anyone searching for home within themselves.
AWDA is available now on all major streaming platforms via MDLBEAST Records.
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