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BREAKING cultural boundaries in Bahrain isn't going to be easy, but up-and-coming Arabian music siren May Alqasim is ready to take on the challenge.
The 18-year-old has been busy recording her latest original material, a selection of rhythm and blues songs recorded in English, which she hopes will win over music lovers and provide a stepping stone to international success.
"I could easily choose to sing in Arabic if I wanted to and I can," she explained. "It would obviously be more socially acceptable. Singing well in Arabic is considered to be a talent in itself, whereas I find I have to try harder to be accepted. But, I want to pose a challenge for myself, I want to break boundaries.
"Even though my roots are here, I feel more comfortable singing in English. I still put some Arabic flavours into my music though, I love diversity. My audiences know I'm Middle Eastern so I'm not going to deny my own heritage; some of the songs I have worked on do have Arabic beats as a subtle background to my lyrics."
May has already performed in concerts in Oman and Dubai and is anxiously awaiting the launch of her first album on the Outlaw Productions label.
She has just returned to her home in Saar after spending four weeks in a studio in Tunisia recording. She hopes to be an ambassador for other Arabic female artists and is confident 2009 will be her year.
The up-and-coming R'n'B soulstress combines a rich cultural heritage taken from her Bahraini father, Isa, a Gulf Air pilot, and an entrepreneurial Tunisian mother, Nosra, owner of Mizyana Beauty Salon. Her favourite saying is: 'don't say it ... sing it!' It is therefore little surprise that May believes in fighting for her dreams in order to turn them into a reality.
May said growing up in Bahrain as a struggling Arabic female artist has not been easy. "I started singing professionally when I was 14 and it has only become serious over the past two years. I have a very diverse taste when it comes to music but the genre which appeals to me the most is R'n'B.
"US Singer Keisha Cole is one of my biggest influences; she's one of my idols and someone who I really look up to."
She came to the realisation that there were few, if any, female Arabic singers she could use as role models. "I'm not saying that I don't respect the values of Bahraini society; of course I do, it's a part of me," she explained, "but I'm already known as being someone who is different because I don't sing in Arabic. Brand new Arabian artists are launched every day, but for a girl with Arab roots to go out there and sing English songs, that automatically pinpoints me as a subject of curiosity.
"Image is one of the most important things in this society, because it's so small everyone knows everything about everyone else. People can get the wrong idea when you thrust yourself into the spotlight, you have to be careful people don't take what you say out of context."
May, a former St Christopher's School pupil, taught herself to play the piano at the age of eight.
"I would sit down at a table or a desk and just pretend there were piano keys in front of me. I was manically running my fingers up and down the kitchen countertop one morning when my parents walked in and surprised me with a piano. I never even asked for one."
She claims that she began by simply imitating the sounds she heard at first which eventually led to her then composing her own music. She said: "I just started playing sounds that I heard and then composed my first song. My parents have always been very supportive of me, they don't mind what I do, as long as I'm happy doing it." May then imitated a thick accent, mimicking her parents, saying: "but the only thing is education always comes first!"
For further details about May visit www.mayalqaism.com
