Taha Suliman says Sudanese audiences need joy now more than ever.
The Khartoum-born singer, whose smooth croon earned him the nickname Al Sultan, or “the authority”, hopes to spread some Eid cheer at The Agenda in Dubai on Friday, as Sudanese communities across the region continue to grapple with the consequences of the country’s civil war.
With that in mind, Suliman, who has toured across the Gulf, views his role on stage as more than entertainment and nostalgia.
“To be honest, for those living abroad, these concerts have become more than just a fun night out,” he tells The National. “It is about bringing people together. You can see the sadness they are carrying from home, the concern they have for their families and the memories they hold, but we know the Sudanese people have gone through difficult times and we will overcome it.
“What is needed now, or what I can contribute in that regard, is that dose of positivity. This is why, when I stand on stage and in all my concerts, I am careful to present what brings joy and happiness to the audience more than anything else, and what helps them overcome their hardships. I hope I am successful in that.”
Suliman has the catalogue for that task, with songs that have become modern staples at Sudanese weddings, on television shows and in family gatherings.
Ana Ayez Aeesh (I Want to Live) is a romantic lament that shows his modern take on the Sudanese pop ballad, with older full-band arrangements largely replaced by electronic instrumentation while keeping his fluid croon at the centre.
Saileen Aleik (They Are Asking About You) carries the ache of absence, while Um Douria Habiba is a love letter to Omdurman, viewed in Sudan as a city of music and culture.
The songs also point to how Sudanese pop often lives first in social spaces before hitting the big stage.
“The nature of Sudan and the Sudanese people is different from others. We are connected to one another emotionally and spiritually,” he says.
“That is why the first stage you often appear on as a singer is a wedding house or a family gathering, and then, after that, you move to bigger stages.
“The beginnings of every artist usually comes through these windows, and that is important because it is here where you really learn the craft, as well as build the relationship between the artist and the audience.”
Despite the intimacy and reach of that material, Suliman feels Sudanese song has not been given the same due as other Arab music traditions, from the Gulf to Lebanon, despite a popular history stretching back five decades.
The issue, he suggests, is not the music itself, but how it has been presented beyond Sudan.
“I describe my voice as an Arab voice too. It is not different from the other voices,” he says.
“In fact, I believe it is a missing voice, because we have not appeared in the right way. If we present it in the right way, it will create difference and distinction in the artistic scene.”
Suliman says Sudanese artists have also had to overcome a certain timidity. Greater confidence, stronger presentation and sharper marketing, he says, could help bring the music to bigger audiences.
“I can point to my own experience. When I first began, about two decades ago, the Sudanese music scene was marked by shyness. It was confined within Sudan and Sudanese people,” he recalls.
“There were no real attempts to take Sudanese music outside. That made me feel I needed to take our songs into wider spaces and places, and push it one step forward so it could see the light in the Arab and global music world.”
That ambition is gradually taking shape. Digital platforms and social media have given a new generation of Sudanese artists more room to be heard, while also acting almost as a historical vault for older songs and television performances.
Younger artists such as Soulja and Kordofani are drawing on Sudanese music’s distinctive melodies, rhythms and instrumentation, linking them to hip-hop, Afrobeat and newer club sounds.
In a previous interview with The National, Soulja predicted that zanig, an eastern Sudanese music form built on fast percussion, looping drum lines and close call-and-response vocals, could follow South Africa’s amapiano in becoming the next hot sound to be heard in Ibiza.
Suliman is excited by the developments.
“When I look at the new generation of singers, I find that they have come at a luckier time than we did, because the means of appearing and spreading are much easier than they were before,” he says.
“But what makes me happy is that I also feel that they understand their responsibility towards Sudanese song, because we possess a great artistic heritage. Thank God, they are moving on the right path and contributing very significantly to its spread.”
Taha Suliman performs at The Agenda in Dubai on Friday. Show starts 8pm; tickets from Dh150
