A Palestinian you should know: Dalia Marina
A Palestinian you should know:
Dalia Marina
The following was originally published in Palestine in America’s 2020 Music Edition. Order a print copy or download a digital copy today!
- What’s your name?
Dalia Marina
- Who are you?
I'm the kid behind the counter at your friendly neighborhood Palestinian-owned corner store, deli, or liquor store.
- Where do you live?
Cambridge, MA
- How has your experience been in the music scene there?
I’d imagine my experience is similar to any other young non-white woman artist in any metropolitan center in the states. Our experiences are heavily dictated and influenced by forces outside of our control, for better or for worse. All sociology aside though, I’ve met some of the most highly skilled, realest musicians during my time in the Boston area, a handful of whom I consider my dearest friends.
- What type of music do you make and how did you get into it?
As a kid, I was singing and playing almost exclusively classical music -- piano, flute, chorus. I was, however, always drawn to jazz standards. My parents owned a deli in the Tenderloin of San Francisco where we had a boombox that sat on top of a soda cooler, playing local radio stations all day. I remember loving to listen to Frank Sinatra and Linda Ronstadt during lunch rush, singing along to shelves of chips and display cases of baked goods.
After studying classical music through my early 20's I shifted towards performing more contemporary styles, and started singing in Arabic. The project I was working on when Covid hit is a duo with a cellist. Spotify would probably tag us as jazz, with sub-tags of soul, folk, bluegrass...
- What kind of themes do you explore in your music / lyrics?
I've always been drawn to melancholic themes -- nostalgia, pure love, despair. Mix in a little dark humor, and you've got my favorite lyrical flavor.
- What's your favorite lyric you've ever written?
They are pending release!
- Tell us about your band, Dalia and the Big Violin.
I met The Big Violin (cellist, Parker Ousley) at Berklee College of Music around 2017. The duo is founded first and foremost upon a shared love of similar song sentiments, which is also why the songs we play seem not to be organized much by genre, but rather, themes. We just love a lot of the same lyrics, and lines, so we started playing them together. Directly after our first studio session for our first album, shelter in place began.
- Any dream collaborations that you're trying to manifest?
I’m dreaming of collaborating with myself lately. I started performing as a comic last year, which has allowed me to explore what’s going on inside and to begin to hone a new craft. I’ve also taken up meditation as a daily practice.
- How do your Palestinian family / friends / community support you?
Before moving to the east coast, I was surprised at the support I received from the Arab Cultural Community Center in San Francisco (shoutout to Loubna Qutami), not because I didn’t perceive it as a supportive place, but because I didn’t necessarily think of myself as worth supporting, artistically. Looking back on that now, it’s clear that it made a difference in the choices I’ve made since -- choosing to continue to perform solo, going to music school (instead of law school, after being accepted on scholarship at Hastings Law), and now, aiming to record my first record.
More recently, with Dalia & The Big Violin, the Arab and Palestinian community has shown its support in varied ways -- whether through support of the band’s 2020 crowdfund, or playing our tracks on repeat in Gaza (thank you SoundCloud analytics), it's all been a joy to see.
- How does Arab or Palestinian music / culture find its way into the music you make? (if at all)
I love to sing in Arabic. As a vocalist with a classical background, I used to sing in all kinds of Romance languages — Italian, French, Spanish. When I started singing in Arabic, I decided to stop singing in anything but the languages that I speak. It feels much better.
- What kind of future would you like to see for diaspora Palestinians in music?
I want Palestinian music to be represented for what it is. A music is Palestinian if a Palestinian makes it. Each of us should be allowed to be, and celebrated in being ourselves without tokenization, essentialization or exoticization.
- What's the best career advice you've ever received?
Heed the advice that aids you, and put the rest aside.
- In the near future, Palestine is free, we're throwing a big party there to celebrate, and everybody gets to play some music, what records (not your own) are you bringing to play at the party?
There are so many. A few off the top:
Buika
Erykah Badu
Noname
- What are your social media handles and website(s)?
Support Dalia & The Big Violin’s first album here!
