Katrina Rees
Rotana is a Saudi Arabian artist on a mission. In 2013, she moved to the U.S. on an employee scholarship from Saudi Aramco, the largest oil company in the world, fully owned by the Saudi government. She immediately began to pursue music while attaining her Masters degree at the USC Annenberg School of Journalism.
Whilst embarking on her musical journey, Rotana came to understand herself and what she wanted from life. It was at that point in which she quit her job to pursue music full time. With her music, Rotana hopes to empower fellow women to challenge boundaries in order to own your power.
“I know what it’s like to wake up one day and realize, holy s***. I am not really sure who I am and if I believe in the system I know so well. I was wearing so many layers of societal expectations. Then I decided to get naked. To silence the noise on the outside and get loud on the inside. This is 2017. This is Generation Z. It is female. It is powerful. It is animal- and it is free.” – Rotana
Rotana’s debut single is the powerful ‘Daddy’, which calls for listeners to unapologetically be themselves and get loud with it. Her project was debuted at The 2017 Sundance Film Festival “A Celebration of Music and Film Concert”. She shared the stage with Common, Andra Day, Jim James, Hunter Hayes, Peter Dinklage, Ava DuVernay and more.
https://youtu.be/YewEhLc02sM
Talking about the inspiration behind the track, Rotana said: “It’s about the moment you step into your power. It’s the decision to be fully, totally unapologetically who you are. In that moment, you aren’t scared of shit. In that moment, it’s all heat, power and ‘Whachu gon’ do, Daddy?’ Daddy is the oppressor, the bully. Daddy is societal boundaries, the obsession with celebrity and wealth, anything that requires you to dilute yourself. Daddy is the voice in your head that has convinced you, you can’t.”
“Society does a good job of letting you know what you can and cannot do in order to be accepted and honored. Especially if you’re a woman. If you’re not careful, you can lose sight of who you are and what you believe in. That happened to me. This song is taking my power back as an individual, a human being in all that I am.”
The track debuted on Spotify’s New Music Friday and iTunes Pop Hot Tracks. It is also available on the Spotify US Viral 50 chart.
‘Daddy’ is available to download and stream now.
Keep up to date with Rotana on social media: Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Soundcloud | YouTube
Share your thoughts on Rotana’s powerful debut single with us on Twitter @CelebMix
