Watch this video.

We wrote about her in 2016, we did it again in 2017, and we’re more than glad to come back to one of our favourite musicians in this world, tunisian singer and songwriter and wizard, Emel Mathlouthi, and there’s a perfect reason for that called “Kaddesh”.

We’re quite sure you’d find her new single stunning even without understanding what it’s about. Surely you’ll love it for the main theme, with all its delicacy and drama, and power that comes in the middle of the song when a single vocal line becomes a choir. Behind it, there’s a minimal, contemplative, perfect production to accompany her airy aria.

And then comes this spectacular video directed by Marion Petegnief and Sami Battikh with visual effects by Chemical Bouillon. Some of the shoots (the white ones) you’d want to print out and put on your wall. Some of them (red ones) wouldn’t let you sleep if you did so.

Now that you already love the song and the video, let us explain that “Kaddesh” means “How many”. How many – houses destroyed, children massacred, how many broken hearts and ideas lost. How many people who died, and how many who lied.

Each verse is an accusation, and each one is a mourning.

And the video for “Kaddesh”, Emel herself explains, was produced to “illustrate graphically an allegory of the fate of refugees, through the symbols of ashes, keys and the hint”, once again each one repeating the eponymous question.

And we all know the answer – it’s always too many – though it sounds so comfortably numb.

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Emel Mathlouthi on Facebook, Twitter, Soundcloud.