--- title: Egyptian Musician Dina el-Wedidi on Inspiring Change description: The "Slumber" singer draws on Egypt's history to inspire change for the future. Here are her keys to creativity. canonical: https://time.com/collections/next-generation-leaders/5584905/dina-el-wedidi-next-generation-leaders/ article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2019-05-16T10:00:37.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-03-02T23:31:21.923Z og:title: How This Egyptian Artist Is Drawing From History to Inspire Change for the Future og:description: Dina el Wedidi's latest album invites listeners to experience the sounds of Egypt og:url: https://time.com/collections/next-generation-leaders/5584905/dina-el-wedidi-next-generation-leaders/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltc2ddf864004e7a6b/698949ed7cdbac7ba8d5f85f/next-generation-leader-dina-el-wedidi.jpg?branch=production&width=2400&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: How This Egyptian Artist Is Drawing From History to Inspire Change for the Future og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: How This Egyptian Artist Is Drawing From History to Inspire Change for the Future twitter:description: Dina el Wedidi's latest album invites listeners to experience the sounds of Egypt twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltc2ddf864004e7a6b/698949ed7cdbac7ba8d5f85f/next-generation-leader-dina-el-wedidi.jpg?branch=production&width=2400&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 --- May 16, 2019 # How This Egyptian Artist Is Drawing From History to Inspire Change for the Future > Sponsored content. 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Terms and conditions apply. * Savings buckets are a feature of Ally Bank's Savings Account. * No ATM fees from Ally Bank at Allpoint and Moneypass ATMs plus we reimburse for fees charged by other ATM owners nationwide up to $10 per statement cycle. * Early direct deposit offers eligible direct deposits up to two days sooner. * Spending buckets are a feature of Ally Bank's Spending Account. Dina el Wedidi, Egypt by [Joseph Hincks](https://time.com/author/joseph-hincks/) ## Joseph Hincks  Dina El Wedidi at her home music studio in Egypt, May 4, 2019. Dina El Wedidi at her home music studio in Egypt, May 4, 2019.Christina Rizk for TIME For Egyptian musician Dina el Wedidi, each project is a kind of journey. Her debut album in 2014, _Turning Back,_ was a trip through history, mining Egyptian folk music and Arab poetry. The collaborative musical and environmental Nile Project she worked on crossed borders, connecting African artists along the river’s route and engaging U.S. and European audiences in the fight to preserve the critical water resource. And _Slumber,_ the album she released last year, invites listeners to ride Egypt’s railway, where horns and hawkers form the backdrop to her swooping vocals. “I sampled Egyptian trains at different stations, the sounds the seats and broken windows make, to create harmonies, melodies and rhythm,” says Wedidi, 31. Wedidi’s own musical journey is rooted in the region’s history. It began when she learned to sing Egyptian folk songs as a member of a Cairo theater troupe, including an epic Arabic poem rarely performed by women that chronicles a Bedouin tribe’s journey through North Africa. When she formed her own band in 2011, Wedidi melded these heritage sounds with influences from jazz, underground rock, and electronic music. American audiences first heard her perform in 2013, a year after she toured the U.S. under the mentorship of Brazilian icon Gilberto Gil. Wedidi’s music has inspired change too. A modern operetta she took part in called _Khalina Nehlam_ (Let us Dream) captured the mood of the 2011 Arab Spring protests that toppled Egyptian dictator Hosni Mubarak. It urged young people to “keep entertaining their different aspirations, and to never lose hope,” she says. This fall, she is embarking on a European tour as part of a collective called _Sodassi_, a collaboration led by Palestinian singer Kamilya Jubran that aims to explore the region’s musical history and future. The key to creativity, she says, is to keep moving. “You only keep the memories and beautiful lessons you learned from each journey, which will take you on to the next one.”  Dina El Wedidi at her home music studio in Egypt, May 4, 2019. 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