NOURI Embarks on Humanitarian Journey-
“I Want To Bring Back Hope To Voiceless Kids”
4th December 2024
By Lorena Cristea
Kurdish musician NOURI is back with her latest worship song, Change In Your Name, where concepts such as spirituality and self-discovery go hand in hand. The track has already gained over 2 million streams and is charting at #4 on Billboard’s Gospel Digital Chart, so we caught up with the songstress to find out how her average day looks like and what led to her fruition as an R&B sensation.
NOURI has found short-term shelter in Dubai, where she’s currently recording a new album. The music video of Change In Your Name was also filmed there, in a desert, with the rain pouring, portraying an almost divine energy.
Speaking about her life so far in Dubai, she said the following: “I never know where my life is going to take me, but home for me is whenever my family is. I have come to Dubai a couple of times before settling down, but I just love how foreign it is. I feel like I can create a lot of opportunities here.”
NOURI was born in a Syrian refugee camp, and she had lived there with her family, whom she calls ‘her everything’, until the age of three. They resided in New Zealand, where they had to start a new life and learn the language.
“When I was in the refugee camp, I would play with ants and rocks, anything I could get a hold of, just to entertain myself and my two sisters at the time,” said NOURI, adding that she finds her an inspiration in everything she does.
For NOURI, representing the under-represented including gifted children who are restricted to dream big in this grey world holds greater value than trending and being famous. If she didn’t do music, she said she would’ve liked to do humanitarian and charity work by being involved in projects 24/7. Leaving a positive legacy behind is one of her goals -- to save and heal people from dark landscapes.
“NOURI is, in fact, quite a simple concept. She is a family-orientated, God-fearing person who likes to go to the beach or play sports, live a simple life,” she says.
Family and God are the pavement of NOURI’s mission –- both as an artist and an advocate. A beam of hope is present over the conversation as she’s confessing how her family is the asset she possesses. “I want to help as many people as possible physically and through my music. I feel like we’re all on Earth to help each other. If music is my way to help people, I cherish that a lot, and that is my true purpose. Obviously, my family too; I think I would just die without them,” NOURI said.
She often turns to God for guidance, whether it is about her music or personal life. As we share ideas about God’s importance in creativity, NOURI briefly mentions how her last song has Him written all over it. Navigating through her journey as an up-and-coming musician, she hasn’t hesitated to divulge into her experience with burnout and uncertainty.
“I believe in God so much that if I'm rushing, then that means I don't trust God's timing. I started reflecting on all of that, and I eventually have come at peace with where I am and how the timing eventually comes together,” she ended.