Young singer Bahjat recently released is debut track, Standing Tall. Johnathan Cilia finds that what makes it different from other new releases by up-and-coming artists is its message, one of unity in diversity.

In today’s individualistic society it is very easy to become so focused on yourself and your goals that you forget about the people supporting you, the people who were there for you when you needed help, whatever help that may have been.

As we slowly evolve towards a more alienated society – ironically enough, in part due to perceived interconnectedness through social media – one can often feel like they themselves are the only person they need to listen to. For singer Bahjat, however, the realisation that the connection he has to the people around him was important enough to inspire his debut song.

“When I first wrote Stand Tall,” Bahjat says, “I had actually written it for my best friend and for those people closest to me, simply because I felt so grateful to have people in my life whom I can count on, people who would never let me down. This was a feeling that I wasn’t really used to outside of my family, so I wrote the song to express how I feel about it and about letting go of the idea of doing it all on my own.”

Bahjat released the music video for Stand Tall in December; it featured 100 people from different countries, each sending their message of unity, celebrating their differences and discussing identity issues. Even though the song’s video deals with issues of inclusivity and discrimination, the budding singer remains adamant that Stand Tall was inspired by positive events, even if some listeners might have given it a different interpretation.

“Stand Tall isn’t about a painful situation or a painful moment. It’s about overcoming these moments and becoming stronger than you’ve ever been. However, as a songwriter, I write my lyrics based on my own feelings... then, it’s up to people to interpret them and apply them to their own lives. That is part of what keeps song-writing interesting.”

Painful or positive, his realisation of the importance certain people hold in his life prompted Bahjat to seriously focus on getting the song and its message out.

Bahjat’s life has given him an insight into the diversity and co-existence of different cultures and lifestyles from a very young age

“I had abandoned the song for a while and came back to it after a year passed. I realised that the message was much bigger than the more personal aspect I initially gave it. It’s a message that applies to so many different aspects of life and it brings a very important message that we need today, more than at any other time.

Unity, love, appreciation… these attitudes are important not just with respect to people who are close to you, but to everyone around the world. In some ways, humanity is so connected nowadays. This song represents that connection, so I dedicated it to a student organisation which I’ve been part of for the past few years, AIESEC. All the people I met through this organisation do exactly what the song describes, caring for each other no matter where they come from,” Bahjat says.

But, of course, Bahjat also had help from other quarters when it came to translating the song to reality.

“When I was looking for a producer to work with, I had a very clear vision of how I wanted this collaboration to work. I first met Trevor Kissaun, who has been active in a number of rock bands, such as Bletchley Park and Friday PM. We met regularly every week for six months, building the production of the songs from scratch, choosing instruments and so forth.

“I knew that I wanted someone to mix the songs, because I believe that it’s healthy for music to have different people working on a particular track. I contacted Peter Borg, of Red Electrick fame. He liked what he heard and agreed to do the mixing for me. I was honestly blown away by the result. These two artists coming together to work on my music was like a dream team for me.”

Of course, Bahjat’s background helped in no small measure in shaping up the ideas and themes brought forward in his music. Having grown up in Tripoli, Libya, the young musician has an interesting take on identity and the way it works in today’s world.

“I feel like I am a global citizen. Malta is my home and I care for it as much as I do for my own country, Libya, and any other country. The way I see it, we are all connected in one way or the other, whether it is through having online friends or visiting different countries. Yes, at first I did find it a bit difficult to fit in Maltese society. Being a foreigner and a non-European artist at that is not easy. But, now, I definitely feel more accepted and I see that people are starting to understand what I’m trying to say, what I stand for and what I’m trying to be.”

Bahjat’s life has given him an insight into the diversity and co-existence of differentcultures and lifestyles from a very young age. And, as he himself admits, translating this insight into music may be one of the best things he could have done.

“My work is definitely more than just about the music,” he says. “When people hear Stand Tall, I hope that they feel empowered, that they appreciate the people they have in their lives. And I hope that it makes them feel like there’s someone who cares.

“I also hope that they think about what people might be going through in other countries, how much they need our support and how we need to be united. We are all so different, yet we expect to understand each other all the time.”

www.youtube.com/watch?v=7nb6FKsAtcg

Sign up to our free newsletters

Get the best updates straight to your inbox:
Please select at least one mailing list.

You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the link in the footer of our emails. We use Mailchimp as our marketing platform. By subscribing, you acknowledge that your information will be transferred to Mailchimp for processing.