Word: Nourine - 'Tab Eh?'
Egyptian pop nostalgia meets honest songwriting as Nourine Abouseada breaks down the making of 'Tab Eh?'
On the surface, 'Tab Eh?' is a catchy pop tune about running out of patience in a relationship. But for Nourine Abouseada, it runs deeper than that; it's a tribute to a generation of Egyptian pop she grew up loving, and an attempt to recreate the nostalgia it still carries today.
Made in collaboration with producer Ismail Nosrat, the track is a deliberate return to the sonic world of early 2000s Egyptian pop: its textures, its directness, its simplicity. Both artists share an affection for the genre that goes beyond reference or pastiche.
On this episode of Word, Nourine reflects on what drew her to pop as the right container for this song. Unlike rap or hip-hop, she finds a freedom within the genre to say something personal in the simplest possible way, and sometimes simplicity is the most honest form.
The feeling she captures most vividly in 'Tab Eh?' is one a lot of people will recognise: the relationship everyone around you warns you against, that you go ahead with anyway. What's presented isn't the drama of that choice, but the quiet stubbornness of still wanting it.
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