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The name ‘Dana’ derives from the verb ‘to get closer to something’ in Arabic. It is then befitting that Jordanian-Palestinian singer Dana Salah draws traditional and contemporary sounds closer together, infusing her driven sound with Palestinian folklore, Middle Eastern influences and global rhythms.
Born and raised within Amman’s rich cultural heritage, Dana later moved to North Carolina studying at Duke University, achieving a B.S. in Economics and a B.A. in Theatre studies in 2012.
However, music was always Dana’s telos, recalling a childhood story her mum tells her: “Before I could walk or talk, my mum and auntie would have ‘The Sound Of Music’ on and right before the ‘The Lonely Goatherd’ I would freak out in my baby chair because I knew my favourite song was coming… it (love of music) was innate.”
Dana first made her mark on the New York indie-pop scene under the moniker King Deco, achieving commercial success- two viral hits and a billboard dance charter and performing for 15,000 people at a festival alongside; Diplo, Skrillex and Zhu
The artist unveils that the journey wasn’t always easy, “duality has always been a part of me- the girl from Amman who went to Duke, and the artist who needed to break free in New York. I created King Deco to explore that side, but once I fully embraced it, I no longer needed the name.”
Eventually returning to Jordan in 2018, Dana believed her singing journey had pulled into its final terminal, yet quickly found her next stop was an invitational radio tour by a DJ who’d heard ‘Castaway’. It took this critical juncture in Dana’s career to realise, “I don’t feel like hiding behind King Deco anymore.”
Two years later she went by her real name and started singing in Arabic, producing hit songs like ‘Weino’, ‘Ghazaleh’, ‘Ya Ta3leen’, ‘Shu Ma Sar’ and more, vindicating her decision.
Ahead of the Shubbak Festival, the Jordanian singer mentioned that she is excited to perform alongside Rola Azar. It was Rola’s (and Rim Banna’s) version of ‘Ya Ta3leen’ which inspired Dana to create her version of the song.
The composition of ‘Ya Ta3leen’ is made up of Tarweedeh, a tradition used by Palestinian women to send hidden messages through code to Palestinian men in prisons under British occupation in the early 20th century.
“It was an instant soul connection, either it’s a generational thing, passed down or a past life”, Dana says when speaking about Ya Ta3leen’s impact on her and her deep-rooted ties to Palestinian folklore.
The source of this inspiration can be traced to Dana’s grandfather as she explains, “he was involved in the Palestinian cause… he helped people as an attorney in Nablus.”
Despite her grandparents being forced to flee Haifa in 1948, Dana still holds onto the dream of return. The idea for the English verse of Ya Ta3leen came to her in her sleep; “I hadn’t written in English for 2 years and I kept asking myself, even in my sleep. What do I want to say? Nothing came to me. Okay, so what do I envision? And I was envisioning a free Palestine, those were the lyrics, they just flowed out of me and (when I woke) I typed them up.”
Shubbak festival not only offers music but is an entire celebration of Arab and SWANA culture; with fashion, theatre, poetry, art etc. Dana expresses how “honoured” she is to be a part of the event.
The Arab sensation performed alongside Rola, DAM, Sama Abdulhadi and DJ YA Z AN at the Barbican on the 6th of June.
The singer tells George V Magazine exclusively that she released a new song titled ‘Bent Bladek’ meaning hometown girl on the 18th of June and it has an important message, “It’s a love song inspired by Palestinian women… women have such an important and strong role, they’re very much the backbone within their communities, societies and families.”