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To say that the music producer and DJ N.A.H lives and breathes music would be an understatement; the 25-year-old multi-hyphenate is building the house music scene brick by brick in Saudi Arabia – a country that is largely unfamiliar and sceptical of the genre. Less than a decade ago, he never would have been able to perform live, N.A.H says with a smile, speaking from his home on a hot day in Riyadh. But in three short years, the self-taught musician has racked up accolades and added his name to the changing face of the nation’s nascent music scene.
Known for crafting immersive soundscapes that traverse electro house, base house, and progressive house with remarkable dexterity, last year N.A.H was named winner of the prestigious Freaks of Nature E5: Querencia DJ Competition. To add further accolades, he also performed at the country’s biggest music event, MDLBEAST Soundstorm, was signed to the record label Black Sound, and founded his own brand and events platform, Jockey Combat. It’s a lot to achieve for someone who only began learning how to DJ in 2021. “In the past, before the concerts and festivals existed, I had zero possibilities,” N.A.H concedes, adding that restrictions on music were only lifted by the Kingdom’s General Entertainment Authority in 2016.
But a love of music was embedded in the artist’s childhood. N.A.H – who was born Nahar Alhassoon in the Kingdom’s capital – grew up in a household that had a deep appreciation of all genres. “Surprisingly, I wasn’t an EDM die-hard from childhood,” he laughs. “I used to listen to hip-hop, R&B rock, and I’m referring to the classics, so bands like Metallica and Guns N’ Roses. They were a really huge part of my childhood, as was the video game series Guitar Hero, which taught me a lot about different types of music and artists. Being exposed to music at a very young age had a great impact on me in the long run.”
While the DJ’s musical upbringing was expansive, that wasn’t the case for all his peers, especially when music wasn’t considered a viable career path. The environment surrounding remained “very conservative”, N.A.H admits. “It’s complex. Some of my friends didn’t mind listening to music and others would never listen to it for religious reasons. One wasn’t even allowed to own an instrument and that was a real nightmare for them. My parents didn’t mind at all, but I really believed in being open. That’s the key, you have to be transparent about your interests, and understand that doing things behind people’s back is not the way. Still, none of my friends and family understood why I wanted to be part of the music industry. It just didn’t register to them that it’s something that someone could choose to do.”
One seminal moment in N.A.H’s musical journey came in 2019; when he attended the first MDLBEAST Soundstorm Festival, featuring the likes of Pitbull and Akon. It was electrifying, he remembers: “It was my first and the best event that I’ve ever been to.” From there, it has been full speed ahead. Just before the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, the DJ was given a digital keyboard, and he spent the subsequent lockdown honing
his craft without the pressure of outside influence. One year later, he released his first single, Break of Dawn, a blistering club banger featuring the vocals of his older brother, Waddah.
“At that time, my brother would come into my room and be like, ‘Let’s make music, let’s make music’. I was still in the learning phase, so he was a huge part of my journey. He loved to experiment with me, and I would use his vocals all the time. My brother has a great voice.”
N.A.H speaks eloquently and movingly – he’s quick to laughter and once he gets started on a facet of music production, he won’t want to stop. Yet, what is truly touching is the breadth of N.A.H’s investment; he isn’t just making beats to satisfy his creative interests or ambition, he is genuinely passionate about educating his contemporaries on the joy, freedom and safety that music can bring.
“When music events became legal in Saudi, some people started to cope with it,” he explains, putting emphasis on the ‘some’. “Others vowed to never accept it and believed it would only cause harm. It’s understandable if it’s for religious reasons, but some can’t get past the stereotype. There’s one way for people to find out about our scene and that’s experiencing it themselves, but the problem is that people believe the assumptions and rumours and then they try their best to avoid us at all costs. I believe we can find a way to create a safe, sustainable environment for everyone.”
And so, what N.A.H wants his musical legacy to centre around is fostering community. “It’s not just about being a DJ and delivering the best performance I can to the crowd, I want to leave a good impression and impact other people,” he asserts.
“House music isn’t just about making people dance, it also delivers a message of joy and freedom and encourages people to express themselves. You don’t need vocals in house, you can be as creative as you want.”
Looking to the future, N.A.H adds that one of his dreams is to blend house beats with Arabic vocals. “It would do something,” he smiles. “People would be able to understand that house doesn’t just belong to Chicago, Berlin or Europe – they will see that it can be for them too, in Riyadh or Jeddah, or their small village.
But before that happens, DJs like N.A.H must expand the sonic tastes of the country. “One of the obstacles I’ve faced is that I’m a bass, electro, and progressive house DJ,” he explains. “There aren’t many people who listen to these genres. What’s really popular in Saudi is melodic techno, and if you’re not making that, your opportunities are limited. I’ve witnessed personally that promoters are only seeking out melodic techno DJs because it’s really popping here, and it’s only becoming bigger and bigger. People need to do research and educate themselves about the current scene and more genres; they should be open to house music, drum and bass, or even dubstep. That would create real change.”
Certainly, while more genres are filtering into the country, it remains a slow process. In February 2018, Saudi Arabia hosted its first-ever jazz festival, Groovz. This was shortly followed by the Jeddah Jazz Fest at King Abdullah’s Economic City, which at the time, was the biggest festival of its kind in the Kingdom. And this year, the first Riyadh International Jazz Festival took place at the Mayadeen Theatre over three nights in February presented by the Music Commission, under the Ministry of Culture.
However, the event that has had the most impact since its advent in 2019, is the MDLBEAST Soundstorm Festival, which spotlights native artists as well as western talent. Last year, headliners included Swedish House Mafia, David Guetta, Metallica, Travis Scott, Black Eyed Peas and 50 Cent, alongside local artists like N.A.H.
The DJ himself is helping to spearhead this change, having founded Jockey Combat in 2022 – a brand and platform geared towards facilitating expansion for music enthusiasts in the Kingdom. Having hosted its first event, Jockey Combat: Wave 1: Blue Swell, N.A.H has high hopes. “I thought it was going to be a once-in-a-lifetime event, but once I saw the branding and the demand from other people, I realised how far I could take it. It’s not just about putting on music events, I’m also looking to do more. I’m working on creating a podcast in Arabic and maybe English for everyone to learn more about the music industry in general. I don’t want to just talk about the international music scene, but the local one here, because that’s what we’re really lacking right now. After combining both things, I think Jockey Combat will become a huge part of the local music industry.”
Still, it’s worth noting that it has only been five years since music has been mandated in the country. Although great strides have been made, the industry is still fledgling. This poses challenges for young DJs like N.A.H who are ready to take the next step in their career, including hiring dedicated recording spaces, managers, and publicists. The first step? “Booking agencies for sure,” he asserts. “There needs to be more so other DJs can kick-start their journey. It’s a win-win for all sides.” As well as that, there needs to be more events and festivals on an annual basis he says. “If we had more opportunities to perform, more DJs like me could play live and inspire others to get involved and even consider it as a career.”
N.A.H’s position is an incredibly exciting one. He is at once pioneering the musical revolution in his home country and, in turn, creating more opportunities for his peers to participate. He returns time and time again to the idea of creating a local music community, free from cliques and pretension, and based on a shared love of experiencing live music. The latter is a new passion for the DJ, who recently conquered his fear of public performance.
“I love playing live… now,” he laughs. “I used to have a fear of looking out at the crowd, and just knowing that so many people were watching me, like when I opened for the Freaks of Nature festival. But I practised as much as I could, and everyone loved my performance and started to throw compliments at me. People do come together, and those that were once strangers have become my biggest supporters.” Now, N.A.H has ambitions to play internationally at some of the biggest house music events in the world, like Belgium’s Tomorrowland and Ultra Europe music festival in Croatia, saying “It’s only a matter of time!”
What else does the future hold, I ask N.A.H? He reels off the expansion of Jockey Combat, a podcast, hosting more music events, and playing more festivals. But he’s also appreciative of the current moment and wants to share his nation’s wins with the rest of the world. “I want the world to know that the music scene here is getting more and more established every day. It’s a long process, but it’s growing exponentially. We’re going to witness a lot of local acts who will be headlining internationally and there will be more and more music events and festivals,” he says, hopeful of the industry’s continued rise. “We’re getting there, but the west can’t see it because it hasn’t been going on very long.” The wider world then has a part to play, I suggest, and N.A.H nods fervently: “It’s not just about listening to Saudi artists, it’s about allowing them to perform abroad and doing the research on them. People have to be curious.” One thing is certain, the future is bright for N.A.H, and thus the industry he’s helping to build – single by single, show after show…
Photography: Ahmed Chrediy
Styling: Qwan Anthony
Senior Producer: Steff Hawker
Production Coordinator: Chloe Christodoulou
Production: Jawaher Aldokheel
Photography Assistant: Mitab Al-Maliki
Styling Assistant: Najat Elhussein
Words: Nessa Humayun
Special thanks to Beast House
Talent: N.A.H
