Once again proving herself as a true artist and visionary, Saudi Arabian artist and activist Rotana returns today with a new visual titled “Her Life.” The video is a stunning ode to womanhood, celebrating the female experience. It’s a celebration of sexuality and a proclamation that men do not own sexuality, women can be provocative and sensual too. Office Magazine premiered the video yesterday, calling it “a sensuous mixture of lyric and body that surges with energy” and describing it “as erotic as it is poetic.”
“Her Life” features Rotana donned in clothes designed by Arwa Alabanawi (from the “Her Life” collection), another powerful Saudi Arabian woman. The music was created by Rotana and Johan, and Zach Bell directed the video. “Her Life” is a poignant, thoughtful, and authentic piece of art.
Rotana is currently in the midst of releasing her Demo Love Series EP, a collection of raw and stripped back love songs. The EP is a way for Rotana to share her process and show herself messy and unfiltered. The series will consist of 5 songs total and each is accompanied by a lo-fi animation that Rotana created in her Los Angeles apartment with her best friends. The visual series is heavily inspired by the Simpsons, specifically Lisa Simpson, and is an ode to weed culture. She wears the same gold locket throughout the series, which holds a scripture from the Quran, the holy book in Saudi Arabia. The locket follows Rotana wherever she goes as a reminder that we can play and discover new grounds while not forgetting where we came from.
The Demo Love Series EP will be out on August 10th, but first four songs are available on Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube & Soundcloud.
Rotana was born and raised in Saudi Arabia, a beautiful yet complicated place and one of the most conservative environments in the world.
A few years ago, Rotana moved to the U.S. on an employee scholarship from Saudi Aramco, the largest oil company in the world. While studying for her masters at USC, Rotana uncovered her love for music. While always fascinated with storytelling, it wasn’t until getting to LA that she discovered that she could put those stories to melodies and create music for the masses. She quite literally and figuratively discovered her voice. With music, came a path to herself and what she wanted. Rotana quit her job to pursue music full time.
Rotana’s music always feels like heat, an eruption. Every song she writes, whether it’s about love, freedom or rebellion is an invitation to experience an eruption of self. Her debut release “Daddy” put her on the map with strong support from Spotify and Apple Music. With each new release Rotana reveals more of herself, taking the listener on a journey with her. Collaborating with brands such as Vogue Arabia,Fendi, MiuMiu, and Nasty Gal, Rotana is quickly becoming one of the most sought out young artists.
Rotana’s music is here to fight for going back to a place of intuition, where you are letting the voice inside of you guide and explode. This is 2017. This is Generation Z. This is the future. It is female. It is powerful. It is animal and it is free.