MAYSSA KARAA

With her captivating multi-octave voice and persuasive cross-cultural message, vocalist and songwriter MAYSSA KARAA defines a new era of musical inclusion. Her songs tell of a journey connecting her origins in the ancient land of Lebanon to her adopted home of , California.

Cinema audiences might identify the classically trained singer’s voice from the hit film American Hustle, where her Arabic version of the Sixties classic “White Rabbit” was a standout track on the Grammy-nominated soundtrack album; She's also recently had a song (featured in one of the biggest movies in India) produced by Oscar winner Indian megastar AR Rahman which has rapidly climbed up the charts in various countries and hit No. 1 on Apple Music India.

MAYSSA recently launched her full-length English solo debut album “SIMPLE CURE” with a celebration at the historic “Capitol studios” in Hollywood. The songs range from piano based simplicity to epic electronic orchestration with a unique blend of American pop and middle eastern influences. Television audiences might recognize her from the popular PBS Special, “Enrico Caruso: His Life, His Music, His Cities” featuring Placido Domingo in Naples, Italy. International families might identify her as the ambassador of Sesame Street (Middle East edition: “Iftah Ya Simsim”) through “The Arabic Alphabet Song” that generated over 29 million YouTube views so far.

MAYSSA has recently been appointed Artistic Director at Berklee College of Music’s new campus in Abu Dhabi. Berklee is known as the world’s pre-eminent institute of contemporary music, dance and theater. Prominent alumni include legendary music producer , pop performers/songwriters John Mayer, Charlie Puth, virtuoso guitarist Steve Vai, and jazz pianist Diana Krall, composer Ramin Djawadi (Game of Thrones) among many . She said: "Since graduating from Berklee I’ve felt the urge to find a way to give talented artists from the region I grew up in to access the Berklee experience. We’re now making it a reality and I’m delighted as I feel like I’m bringing my musical home of Berklee to my home in the Middle East ".

Melding Arabic influences into Western music is MAYSSA’s forte: notable recordings in her catalog include a version of ’s “” accompanied by the band’s Scott Page, to which both and granted their blessings. With music as her passport, she says that it was never an intention to go to the and live inside of a bubble. “I came here to expand, to tell others about my culture and learn about theirs.”