Aar Maanta
Encyclopedia
Aar Maanta is a Somali
singer, composer, songwriter and music producer.
to the United Kingdom
in the late 1980s due to the civil war
there. As a lone child in a new country, he turned to music for comfort, absorbing many genres including pop
, rock
, hip hop
, R&B
and house
. Maanta started studying music at school and then later at university. However, because of family pressure and disapproval due to his Muslim faith
, he was discouraged from following a career path in music. Instead, Maanta completed a degree in Science
. Eventually returning to music, he now produces an eclectic mix of styles blended with traditional Somali music
.
Maanta's first notable performance was in July 2006 at Rise: London United, the UK's largest anti-racist and multi-cultural festival. There, he played alongside Graham Coxon
, The Buzzcocks, and other prominent acts. Over 80,000 young people and families attended this event, bringing together London residents from many different ethnic communities.
Maanta has since worked with various other artists including Algeria
n Raï
singer Abdelkader Saadoun, UK hip hop group the Choong Family
, and Somali musicians Maryam Mursal
and Ahmed 'Hudeydi' Ismail Hussein.
Frustrated by what he terms the "lack of modern original Somali music", Maanta produced his own record with original songs. In 2009, his debut album Hiddo & Dhaqan was released, featuring songs such as "Asalamu Alaykum", "Saafi" and "Dhadhami".
Maanta is described by young Somalis in the UK as "the voice of our generation" because his songs discuss a range of issues of interest to Somali immigrants.
Somali people
Somalis are an ethnic group located in the Horn of Africa, also known as the Somali Peninsula. The overwhelming majority of Somalis speak the Somali language, which is part of the Cushitic branch of the Afro-Asiatic language family...
singer, composer, songwriter and music producer.
Biography
Maanta moved from his native SomaliaSomalia
Somalia , officially the Somali Republic and formerly known as the Somali Democratic Republic under Socialist rule, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. Since the outbreak of the Somali Civil War in 1991 there has been no central government control over most of the country's territory...
to the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
in the late 1980s due to the civil war
Somali Civil War
The Somali Civil War is an ongoing civil war taking place in Somalia. The conflict, which began in 1991, has caused destabilisation throughout the country, with the current phase of the conflict seeing the Somali government losing substantial control of the state to rebel forces...
there. As a lone child in a new country, he turned to music for comfort, absorbing many genres including pop
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
, rock
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
, hip hop
Hip hop
Hip hop is a form of musical expression and artistic culture that originated in African-American and Latino communities during the 1970s in New York City, specifically the Bronx. DJ Afrika Bambaataa outlined the four pillars of hip hop culture: MCing, DJing, breaking and graffiti writing...
, R&B
Rhythm and blues
Rhythm and blues, often abbreviated to R&B, is a genre of popular African American music that originated in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predominantly to urban African Americans, at a time when "urbane, rocking, jazz based music with a...
and house
House music
House music is a genre of electronic dance music that originated in Chicago, Illinois, United States in the early 1980s. It was initially popularized in mid-1980s discothèques catering to the African-American, Latino American, and gay communities; first in Chicago circa 1984, then in other...
. Maanta started studying music at school and then later at university. However, because of family pressure and disapproval due to his Muslim faith
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
, he was discouraged from following a career path in music. Instead, Maanta completed a degree in Science
Science
Science is a systematic enterprise that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the universe...
. Eventually returning to music, he now produces an eclectic mix of styles blended with traditional Somali music
Music of Somalia
The music of Somalia refers to the musical styles, techniques and sounds of Somalia.-Overview:Somalia has a rich musical heritage centered on traditional Somali folklore. Most Somali songs are pentatonic; that is, they only use five pitches per octave in contrast to a heptatonic scale such as the...
.
Maanta's first notable performance was in July 2006 at Rise: London United, the UK's largest anti-racist and multi-cultural festival. There, he played alongside Graham Coxon
Graham Coxon
Graham Leslie Coxon is an English singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and painter. He came to prominence as the lead guitarist, backing vocalist and occasional lead vocalist of rock band Blur, and is also a critically acclaimed solo artist, having recorded seven solo albums...
, The Buzzcocks, and other prominent acts. Over 80,000 young people and families attended this event, bringing together London residents from many different ethnic communities.
Maanta has since worked with various other artists including Algeria
Algeria
Algeria , officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria , also formally referred to as the Democratic and Popular Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of Northwest Africa with Algiers as its capital.In terms of land area, it is the largest country in Africa and the Arab...
n Raï
Raï
Raï is a form of folk music that originated in Oran, Algeria from Bedouin shepherds, mixed with Spanish, French, African and Arabic musical forms, which dates back to the 1930s....
singer Abdelkader Saadoun, UK hip hop group the Choong Family
Choong Family
Choong Family or Choong Fam as they are sometimes known, are a four piece group originating from east London, consisting of Rappers Afix and Nutz P, and Singers Scandal and HT. They are best known for their single "More Murking"...
, and Somali musicians Maryam Mursal
Maryam Mursal
-Biography:Mursal grew up in Somalia in a Muslim family with four daughters. As a teenager, she broke with tradition and began singing professionally in Mogadishu. She performed in nightclubs and her brand of music, featuring a mix of blues, soul, Somali and Arabic influences, and known as Somali...
and Ahmed 'Hudeydi' Ismail Hussein.
Frustrated by what he terms the "lack of modern original Somali music", Maanta produced his own record with original songs. In 2009, his debut album Hiddo & Dhaqan was released, featuring songs such as "Asalamu Alaykum", "Saafi" and "Dhadhami".
Maanta is described by young Somalis in the UK as "the voice of our generation" because his songs discuss a range of issues of interest to Somali immigrants.