El Mehdi Premieres “EL FILM,” a Self-directed Musical Short Film, in Support of Debut EP “SALAM”
Moroccan-born, Canadian-raised cultural disruptor El Mehdi ni o ṣe iṣeduro iṣeduro si awọn agbaye pop ibaraẹnisọrọ pẹlu “SALAM,” his landmark debut EP released January 30 via RENAISSANCE/AWAL, accompanied by “EL FILM,” a self-directed musical short film premiering today. The genre-defying project marks a historic debut for an openly queer Arab artist, expanding music into a cultural statement.
Awọn wí pé ko si ọkan jẹ prophet ni orilẹ-ede wọn. pẹlu “SALAM,” El Mehdi breaks the adage — and with it, silence, shame, and the glass ceiling.
Project ti wa ni ṣeto pẹlu art-pop pọju, iṣakoso agbegbe idunnu pẹlu agbaye pop resonance. A igbeyewo igbeyewo ni a agbegbe ti o ṣaaju ki o ba wa lati wa ni free, “SALAM” asserts presence without compromise. Ceremonial and defiant, El Mehdi’s sound fuses modern pop with North African and Middle Eastern influences, pairing rich vocals and cinematic strings with dance-driven energy, sensual urgency, and multilingual song writing in English, French, and Arabic. The result is an incandescent world that feels ancestral yet radically future-facing. El Mehdi doesn’t dilute identity to reach wider audiences — he expands pop itself to hold it.
Eyi jẹ pop ti o mu ibi ti o ba wa ni lati - ṣugbọn ti o ba fẹ lati fẹ fun ibi ti o ba wa.
Awọn awọn ọkọ ayọkẹlẹ, gẹgẹbi awọn ọkọ ayọkẹlẹ titẹ “SALAM” (meaning both “hello” and “peace” in Arabic) — El Mehdi transforms vulnerability into power. Written and creative directed by El Mehdi, and produced by El Mehdi and Sūn Jùn (LayLow, AntsLive, Dior), with mixing by Grammy-winner Wez Clarke (Zara Larsson, MARINA, Sam Smith) and string performances by Grammy-nominated Drew Jurecka (Dua Lipa), “SALAM” ti a ti ṣẹda lori awọn agbegbe - a agbaye pop iroyin ti o ti bẹrẹ lati emancipation, vision, ati reclamation.
"Mo nilo lati ṣẹda a ibi ibi ti a le wa lati wa lati ko ni lati wa ni laisi. ati siwaju sii, a ibi ibi ti a le fun wa" El Mehdi says. “SALAM is that place.”
Premiering today, “EL FILM” pin yi iroyin si awọn sinema. Iṣakoso, choreographed, edited, and costumed by El Mehdi, awọn music short film ni ifihan rẹ multidisciplinary ọna, woven music pẹlu danse, fashion, image, and storytelling. Pẹlu ninu a Moroccan riad, awọn film ṣii bi a gbigbe lati iyanu si ọtun, oriṣiriṣi gẹgẹbi a akọkọ minti tea ceremony. Lori awọn anonymous ọkunrin akọsilẹ, rituals ati El Mehdi – a iconoclastic iroyin pẹlu a androgynous iwaju – gbigbe normative masculinity, eyi ti o le fi aifọwọyi, gbigbe agbara lati fi. Traditionally associated with the sacred,
“They wanted me in Hell. Baby, I went there. I came back. I only warm up my tea.”
El Mehdi, "El Film" (Official Video):
https://ffm.link/elfilm.OPR
Awọn diẹ ninu awọn ọpọlọpọ ati ki o ṣe iṣiro si awọn miiran, "SALAM” lori a ifowosowopo ọpọlọpọ ti o wa ni gbiyanju ati ọpọlọpọ awọn miiran gbiyanju. Diẹ ẹ sii ju a akọkọ, “SALAM” ti wa ni ifihan agbalagba.
Awọn ọrọ titun ti o wa - ati awọn ti o ba wa ni o wa ni ọtun.
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Moroccan-Canadian artist El Mehdi first emerged with his debut single “ELKASS HLOU,” which sparked rapid traction across platforms, amassing hundreds of thousands of streams and views and breaking into Anghami’s Top 50 across the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) — the leading streaming platform of the Arab world.
He crafts a magnetic, genre-defying pop sound shaped by his North African heritage, shimmering across English, French, and Arabic. A former spokesperson for Amnesty International Canada, El Mehdi has established himself as a distinctive voice within the global MENA diaspora.
Awọn akọsilẹ rẹ “ENCORE” ati awọn oniwe-ọna music video ti a ṣe ni ifowosowopo pẹlu awọn Yves Saint Laurent Museum, Marrakech, El Mehdi fi a kristalini ati ki o rọrun fidio. O ti wa ni gbọdọ bi "a gbangba ọmọ iyanu" (CBC) ati "iyanu ti ọdun kan" (L'Orient Today), nigba ti ICON MENA fi awọn iṣẹ rẹ bi "a iyanu iyanu, nigbagbogbo ti awọn clichés." Flaunt lilo El Mehdi fun iṣeduro iṣeduro ile-iṣẹ ati agbalagba, The New Arab lori a ifowosowopo ibi ti o jẹ bi “elegant and subversive,” ati Vogue Arabia pẹlu rẹ agbara lati mu “with grace and intention.”
Awọn akọkọ artist-in-residence ni Cité internationale des arts ni Paris, El Mehdi ti a fi awọn iṣẹ rẹ ni TIFF, awọn BAFTA-kilasi Aesthetica ShortFilm Festival, ati Amsterdam Dance Event, ati awọn ti o ti ṣeto si agbegbe agbara ni gbogbo Canada (Nuit Blanche, Canadian Music Week, Montreal Pride).
Ninu 2025, o ṣe akọkọ akọkọ akọkọ bi awọn akọkọ ni “L’Héritier des secrets” (dir. Mohamed Nadif), eyi ti a fi kun ninu awọn Montreal Museum of Fine Arts bi awọn ẹya ara ti Cinémania. Ti a fi fun tẹlẹ ni 2026, awọn film jẹ awọn akọkọ Moroccan feature lati tẹsiwaju trans identity ati co-star Nisrin Erradi, eyi ti o tun ṣeto ni “Everybody Loves Touda” (dir. Nabil Ayouch), ipilẹ ti Morocco fun Ile-iṣẹ International ti o dara ju ni awọn 97th Academy Awards.
On stage and in the studio, El Mehdi challenges what it means to be an Arab man in the modern world, transforming pop into ritual. With his debut EP “SALAM,” ni o wa ni a titun akoko - free, luminous, and indelible.
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