Maryam Saleh - Syrr LP

A mythic and introspective work, "Syrr" (Arabic for “secret”) transforms memory, loss, and lived experience into a shifting world of sound, voice, and embodied emotion. Written and composed by Maryam Saleh, a luminary of Egypt’s alternative music scene, the album traces a journey in which the self is fractured, questioned, reassembled and ultimately expanded. Blending raw lyrical expression with subtle dramatics, Saleh crafts an immersive sonic autobiography rooted in intuition, embodiment and human becoming.

“Writing, for me, was not merely inscription, but a way toward understanding. A search for a private pulse that could hold feeling before it dissolves into noise. Loss began as the first crack, then became a current of energy, and finally an echo that runs between the words— balancing what is spontaneous with what is deliberately remade. Three years of listening, returning, revising, breaking open the text and re-forming it until it revealed itself more clearly.” - Maryam Saleh

Co-produced by Maryam Saleh, Maurice Louca and Kamilya Jubran—who also perform keys, oud and backing vocals respectively throughout—the album’s songs are influenced by existing Egyptian and Arabic song forms (including the mawwal, lullaby, madih, muwashshah, taqtuqa and more). The project underwent a rigorous three-year journey of songwriting and composition by Saleh with Kamilya Jubran as mentor before recording.

“Syrr” is mixed by Mokhtar El Sayeh and mastered by Heba Kadry, with artwork by Pauline Gouablin (photography), Omar Mostafa (image editing, treatment and inserts design), and Maged El Sokkary (typography and illustration).

The album’s visual world is directed by Saleh herself (Studio Al Forga), featuring hand-drawn illustrations by Maged El Sokkary, animated by Yousef Adam and video footage shot by Mahmoud Lotfi. Lyrics translation from Arabic to English by Nariman Youssef. It was produced by Simsara Music with support from the Arab Fund for Arts and Culture (AFAC).

Tracklist:

1. Mawdou' Tani
2. El Faqd
3. El Fetra
4. Nafas
5. Ma'na
6. Wanas
7. Alb
8. Khayal
9. Nedaa

About this product: this release is pressed on black vinyl. Includes a lyric insert with translations.