Intibint
Noha Al Maghafi (born 1994 or 1995), known by her artist name Intibint, is a Yemeni-British singer, artist, and translator.[1]
Early life and education
[edit]Al Maghafi was born[2] in West London and grew up between an estate there[3] and Sanaa, the capital of Yemen.[4] Al Maghafi was raised in "a large and noisy household" alongside her three older sisters (including journalist Nawal Al-Maghafi)[5] and her younger brother and sister.[2] She was a quiet child who expressed herself through drawing, painting, and music.[4]
Al Maghafi attended schools in the U.K., Yemen, and Switzerland, moving schools "at least once every three years". For her higher education, she studied media practice at the University of Sussex and earned a master's degree in Migration Mobility and Development at SOAS University of London.[4]
Career
[edit]In 2015, as a university student, Al Maghafi launched the Yemeni People's Project, where she created illustrations of Yemeni people to raise money for Mona Relief, an organization providing aid following the outbreak of the Yemeni civil war.[5] She posted her illustration on Instagram under the name Intibint (English: You're a girl).[5] The name was inspired by being told growing up that she should take up less space because she was a girl; Intibint chose to reclaim the phrase for her artistic career.[6]
Prior to exploring music as a career, Al Maghafi worked as a translator and researcher at BBC Arabic. She later worked at the Scottish Refugee Council and Migrant Voice.[4] In 2016, she volunteered at the Calais Jungle migrant camp in Calais, France, where she was one of the only people able to speak to and translate for the Arabic-speaking migrants.[7]
Al Yamaniah
[edit]In 2019, Al Maghafi launched the digital Yemeni arts and culture magazine Al Yamaniah. The magazine focuses especially on Yemeni woman creatives, with the inaugural issue featuring works by 80 different Yemeni woman artists and writers. In 2024, she announced it would be published in print as well.[8]
Music
[edit]Intibint began songwriting in 2020, as a response to the lockdowns of the COVID-19 pandemic.[2] She has cited influences such as electronic and experimental music, and artists such as Abu Bakr Salem, Fuad Al Kibsi, and Shania Twain.[6]
The National characterized her music as "jazzy and soulful," comparing her to New Zealand singer Lorde.[2]
Releases
[edit]EPs
[edit]- What Are You Willing To Do (2021)[6]
Singles
[edit]Personal life
[edit]Al Maghafi is Muslim.[2] She had planned to move to Yemen after finishing university, but gave up on the plan after the Yemeni civil war broke out in 2014. She has since moved to Govanhill, Glasgow, Scotland.[4]
References
[edit]- ^ Light, David. "Yemeni musician Intibint makes an impact". Khaleej Times. Retrieved 2024-11-02.
- ^ a b c d e Saeed, Saeed (2021-08-05). "Is Yemeni-British singer Intibint the Arab world's answer to Lorde?". The National. Archived from the original on 2021-08-06. Retrieved 2024-10-26.
- ^ Mawlwood, Lana (3 May 2023). "Intibint On Embracing Vulnerability in Her Creative Process". Scene Noise. Retrieved 14 December 2024.
- ^ a b c d e "My Life Before Govanhill: Intibint" – via Issuu.
- ^ a b c Rahman, Anjuman (2018-03-01). "Drawing for the voiceless in Yemen". Artefact. Retrieved 2024-10-26.
- ^ a b c d Mawlood, Lana (2023-05-03). "Intibint On Embracing Vulnerability in Her Creative Process". CairoScene. Retrieved 2024-10-26.
- ^ "How the authorities failed the children of the Jungle and how volunteers were forced to do their work for them". The Independent. 2016-11-02. Retrieved 2024-10-26.
- ^ a b Lodi, Hafsa (2024-02-25). "Singer Intibint launches magazine that celebrates Yemeni culture through female lens". The National. Retrieved 2024-10-26.
- Living people
- 1990s births
- 21st-century British illustrators
- 21st-century British singer-songwriters
- 21st-century British women singers
- 21st-century British women artists
- 21st-century Muslims
- 21st-century Yemeni women singers
- Alumni of SOAS University of London
- Alumni of the University of Sussex
- Arabic–English translators
- British magazine founders
- British Muslims
- British women illustrators
- English people of Yemeni descent
- Musicians from the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham
- Muslim women
- People from Sanaa
- Singers from London
- Yemeni women artists