Endorsed by Lorde, Bella Hadid but abandoned by label over Palestine

Palestinian-Canadian singer-songwriter Nemah Hasan, also known as Nemahsis, already had a wide following for her powerful, lush vocals, particularly on TikTok, where she first garnered fans for her beauty and fashion videos.

Since Israel’s war on Gaza, on October 7, following Hamas’ surprise attack, the Toronto-based pop singer has spoken up for Palestinians, was dropped by her label for said speaking up, and racked up, to date, one million followers and 35.5 million likes on the popular video sharing app.

“My label just dropped me, a Palestinian artist, for being pro-Palestine,” Hasan says through a TikTok post on October 12. Hasan has not disclosed the name of the label which dropped her.

“They thought this would silence me in fear of losing any other business opportunity. But what they don’t know is I WROTE THIS SONG,” she adds, referring to her 2021 debut single what if i took it off for you?, a song she wrote about her frustrations living in a world where she refuses to “be anybody’s token Hijabi girl.”

She ends the post by saying, “I won’t compromise who I am for anyone.” And compromise she does not, both in her music and reality.

“Don’t stream my music or consume my content if you aren’t pro-Palestine,” Hasan said on X. She added, “You don’t deserve to enjoy the art that derives from who I am and where I come from. I am a Palestinian woman that makes art based off my lived experiences and generational trauma. Do not separate the artist from the art.”

Hailing from Milton, Ontario, Hasan’s prominence ballooned after celebrities like Lorde and Bella Hadid shared her cover of the former’s popular track, Team, in a video depicting destruction in Gaza.

She doesn’t sing love songs. Instead, Hasan’s music reflects her identity and experiences growing up in an Arab household in Canada, from i’m not gonna kill you to immigrant's tale, both tracks from her debut EP.

Speaking about the latter song, Hasan told Complex: “It’s just a story that I’m telling from the perspective of me as a child of my mom, who is an immigrant too, so it just felt so right.”

The song i’m not gonna kill you was inspired by an Islamophobic incident she encountered on a flight.

Hasan said: “This flight attendant was so nervous to tell me, even kind of embarrassed to even say it, but was like, ‘He didn’t feel safe, he asked to switch seats.’

“She felt bad for me that this is even my truth.”