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Lebanese American Voice Graces Oscar-Nominated Film “American Hustle”
It is not uncommon to hear Arabic spoken in Hollywood films – but the character is often a terrorist or a spoiled, rich prince from the Gulf.
As for Arabic songs in a Hollywood soundtrack, they are few and far between.
In the Oscar-nominated film American Hustle, Robert De Niro, playing a menacing Miami mobster, begins to speak Arabic while an Arabic song plays in the background, building the intensity of the scene. The combination made that scene memorable – even more so among Middle Eastern audiences.
So whose voice is that? It belongs to Mayssa Karaa – artist, singer, and Berklee College of Music graduate. This Arabic rendition of the American classic White Rabbit by Jefferson Airplane is co-written by Dawn Elder, a composer and music producer who has a long history of using music and the arts as a tool to build bridges between the East and the West.
TAP: Thank you for addressing our questions. Let me start by asking, who’s Mayssa?
MK: I am a 24-year-old Lebanese American who was born and raised in Beirut for the first part of my childhood and adolescence. I attended a French school whose choir I joined when I was 7 years old. It is during that time that I began studying music and performing. I learned the piano and solfege and performed in various charitable concerts throughout Lebanon. In 2006, I moved to Boston to continue my education in civil engineering, not music. I knew the difficulties of making it in the music industry and that made me a little apprehensive about pursuing music as my main career.
My dad paid me a visit and I happen to reside near Berklee College of Music, and he saw that while I was excelling in my engineering studies and made the dean’s list, I was not happy. He understood how passionate I was about music and immediately applied on my behalf to Berkeley College of Music without my knowledge. And a few days later he informed me that I had an audition with the school in two weeks’ time. I auditioned, was accepted and things took off from there.
Some of my early performances in the United States and Europe included performing at the premiere of a French documentary about the liberation of France in WWII, and touring as the featured female soprano and special guest with Italian tenor Pasquale Esposito. My performances are featured in the upcoming documentary Enrico Caruso: His Life, His Music, His City.
What kind of music were you exposed to growing up?
MK: I was exposed to classical music early on. Over time, I took up different genres, and rock is one that stood out for me. I listened to Arabic music more and more, especially since I came to the states. I cover Oum Kalthoum, among many others. When I perform, however, I present my own personal take on a given song based on how I react to it. I don’t try and imitate the original performer. One of my goals is to present music that crosses genres and cultures. An idea I have is to incorporate Arabic music with pop and rock so when it is presented to the audience, music familiarity is not lost.
You are quite versatile in your singing abilities and you sing in different languages like Arabic, French, and Farsi, and various music genres including opera, Arabic, pop, and R&B – and quite successfully too. How do you adjust to all these variables?
MK: I can handle different music genres and vocal techniques. One of the most important elements of my performances for me is to be authentic. Language does not pose a problem for me. Whatever different language song I perform, I would get with a native speaker of that language and learn all aspects of the lyrics and the semantics from them. This helps me understand the song and what emotions it tries to convey. This helps my performance tremendously in getting it right.
You are featured in the soundtrack of the movie American Hustle with adaptation of the classic song White Rabbit. I understand it is one of the only original songs in the movie, played in the scene with De Niro, who only appears for about five minutes. How did that come about?
MK: Dawn Elder, my manager, who was working on the Arabic song adaptation with the music supervisor for American Hustle Susan Jacobs and music producer Mark Batson, called me to audition for the song. I was at the time in Lebanon working on a song for my upcoming album. When she called me, I sent my voice on a cell phone – iPhone – and out of a number of people I was picked to sing it, and it all happened quite suddenly after that. It has been a whirlwind … of premieres, performances since. The rest is history.
With whom did you work on the adaptation of White Rabbit?
MK: The original White Rabbit is by Jefferson Airplane. The Arabic adaptation was written by Dawn Elder, Hanin Omar, and Mark Batson. I endeavored to add my own personal touches to it in my rendition. I recorded the song at Westlake recording studios where Michael Jackson recorded so many of his hit albums. It was great working with Mark Batson and Dawn Elder on this … a real incredible experience.
White Rabbit has made you an immediate success and exposed you to an international audience – and to Hollywood, more importantly. What does that mean to you?
MK: My goal is to do my part and introduce my culture to Western audiences and incorporate it in a subtle way just like White Rabbit does. The fact that I am able to do that song and it is the first time ever done in this fashion in a Hollywood environment makes me want to work much harder and be more involved. I want to share what I have to offer with all the people and show that we can co-exist harmoniously in both worlds.
How do you prepare for a performance and who are some of the people with whom you have performed?
MK: I do not do any unusual rituals. To physically prepare, I would go through some vocal techniques and exercises, and drink lots of water. Mentally, I make sure I am in a good state of mind and that I bring positive energy and emit positive vibes. That is the zone I get into and I tune everything else out.
I have had the pleasure of performing with the late legendary Lebanese singer-songwriter Wadih el Safi, the Palestinian-American oud and violin virtuoso and composer Simon Shaheen, one of the top Italian conductors Renato Serio, and French singer-songwriter Jean Jacque Laffon among many others.
What are your current and near future projects?
MK: I am working on my first album where rock (English language) will blend various Middle Eastern instruments deftly throughout each song in a modern and unique way. I will also take part in a huge concert in Amsterdam for 100,000 persons for International Peace Day that will broadcast worldwide next September and feature so many great artists from around the world. I am honored to be a part of the events.
I am also performing here and in Lebanon for several concerts with my new contemporary fusion ensemble, and I have a few other special guest appearances I am excited about while I complete the recording of my album.
I will also of course continue promoting the movie American Hustle as needed. I have already been to several premieres from New York to Dubai, and received the National Cultural Award at the Lebanon Premiere most recently.
Jamal Laoudi
The Atlantic Post