Syrian singer Ghalia Chaker is tuning her guitar in a Dubai recording studio, preparing to belt out original songs that are turning heads for more than just their melodies. The 26-year-old, who was raised in the United Arab Emirates, has become a social media sensation with 437,000 followers on Instagram and millions of views on YouTube. Chaker’s unique sound and distinctive look—wearing a hijab, the head covering characteristic of Muslim women—set her apart in a region where artists with such attire are rare.
“I hope that I have paved the way for other hijabi singers,” Chaker told AFP at the studio. “It is a very beautiful thing to know that you have […] given a push to a girl who has many dreams and is unable to achieve them because she has never seen another girl do the same thing.”
Chaker, also a keen motorbike rider part of an all-hijabi biker squad in Dubai, began composing and writing lyrics at 16. She drew inspiration from Nedaa Shrara, a veiled Jordanian singer who won “The Voice,” the Arabic version of the popular TV talent show, in 2015. Despite controversy among some Arab fans unaccustomed to seeing a singer wearing the head covering, Shrara symbolized “self-confidence” for Chaker. “After seeing her, I said to myself that I can do it too,” Chaker said.
Her first song, composed in English, was picked up by Dubai radio stations in 2018, marking the start of her musical career. She now sings mostly in Arabic, as the regional music scene witnesses the rise of young talents with innovative sounds. The green-eyed singer said the headscarf has never been an obstacle in her life. “There is nothing that I have wanted to do and not done because I wear the veil,” Chaker said.
However, the issue of women singing has always been controversial in conservative Islamic societies. While her immediate family has always supported her, relatives in Syria were initially “very surprised,” mainly fearing public reaction. She frequently receives negative comments on social media, including from family and friends. “It bothers me of course, but I try to remember the positive comments and how much people love my music,” she said.
Chaker’s artistic influences trace back to her upbringing in Al Ain, a former desert oasis now a city in Abu Dhabi. Her father played Arab icons like Fairouz and Umm Kalthoum, while her mother preferred Western music, including Elvis Presley. “The music mixture in the house was always rich,” she said, influencing her sound, which she describes as a mix of R&B, hip hop, electro pop, indie, and jazz. A multi-instrumentalist, Chaker credits her father with her love of drums, guitar, and piano, all of which she plays. Instead of toys, her father gifted her new instruments. The Middle Eastern darbuka drum is “the closest to my heart because I often played it with my father who loves it very much and it is the basis of oriental rhythm,” she said.
In addition to Arabic and English, Chaker sometimes sings in Turkish, Armenian, and Persian. She recently performed in Beirut and aims to take her music beyond the Middle East. “It is very important to me that my music is heard in Europe, in America, in Australia, in the whole world, maybe even in Latin America,” she said, adding that she aspires to “collaborate with many artists from different countries.”
“It is time for the Western world to know how beautiful our music is.” Through her unique blend of cultural sounds and her defiance of conventional norms, Ghalia Chaker is not only making waves in the music industry but also inspiring a new generation of artists to follow their dreams, no matter the obstacles.
