Exclusive Interview With Nadine Zureikat

Exclusive Interview With Nadine Zureikat, 24-year-old With Lots Of “Just Do It Attitude.”

Nadine comes from the city of Amman in Jordan and brings a lot of eastern promise to the music industry.

Singer Songwriter with powerful vocals to match, Nadine blends her vocals flawlessly to the EDM scene and works with a variety of music producers internationally.

Sweet Escape (Euro Dance Original Mix) release, by TronTronic Entertainment and mixed by Kern & Meier is the latest to feature Nadine.

Little miss Zureiket, practiced and played the piano from an early age, and most recently in the past two years took up playing the guitar to help with writing her music and song lyrics.

Nadine likes nothing better than to lay back on her bed grab her guitar and write lyrics for her new songs that also include writing and performing vocals in a variety of other genres of music.

In addition to pursuing her music career Nadine is also a practicing architect. However, she freely admits although her architecture is a passion given the choice music would come out the clear winner, but admits that studying a degree in architecture gave her the discipline to find success through dedication and hard work.

Here’s the interview in full…

Tell me about your background in music, when did you get started?

Hello, Steve, I would like to thank you at first for having me on Jabberdi! Well, at the age of 10, I performed my first piano composition to a live audience. That is when I realized I loved performing just as much as I loved playing Red Alert 1 on my PlayStation!

I have vivid memories of recording my vocals on Artists’ cassette tapes like Britney Spears Song “Oops, I did it again,” where I used to write my own lyrics and then sing in harmony with the song. I also have my childhood notebook with all the lyrics I composed.

There is a part in this notebook that really stands out in my eyes called the “Scary song,” and it goes like “I saw a yellow eye, looking at me; I shiver and cry, what else there could be? Then I saw a bear, standing in front of me, and with lots of curly hair I really couldn’t see!” Yes, I admit, stuffed animals were my inspiration!

At what point in your life did you realize that music became a passion? Piano or guitar, what instrument did you learn to play first and which instrument in your opinion can be the most beneficial with your songwriting?

Well, when it comes to my music education, my school had a music class two days a week up through seventh or eighth grade, which mostly consisted of singing songs or practicing the piano. At the age of 14, my music teacher used to force me to sing in front of the whole class and assigned me to the school band as one of the Vocalists.

From that, point onwards, I practiced the piano for years and passed the Trinity practical exams with Merit. That’s when my music turned from a Hobby to a way of Life.

Around 2 years ago, I started playing the guitar, mainly to help me in the songwriting process and for my stage performance. I think it’s cool how I can just lay back on my bed, pick up the guitar and whatever I’m feeling comes out as a melody that turns into a song.

How did the opportunity come about to work with TronTronic Entertainment, Meier and Kern? Do you actively get involved with the mixing of the music track or just provide the vocals and lyrics, how does it all come together?

At first, I met the great music producers Charley Meier and Markus Kern in Germany to work on a couple of original songs in the EDM genre. I was so excited to work with Kern & Meier as they already did some remixes for Artists in New York (like Wolf Colony and Whitney Tai), and artists in Germany ( like Josh Grape and Morris Jones) where they were listed on the front page of the DJ Magazine for their remix with Wolf Colony.

We had a bunch of songwriting sessions where I learned that Charlie’s Music production wasn’t his only skill; he cooked for us that day a traditional German meal “ Semmel Knödel” that tasted so good I can recall its taste to this day!
After recording the track and it was ready for release, Kern & Meier met Reat Kay in Switzerland to talk about some remix productions for Trontronic Entertainment.

Charley and Reat Kay knew each other for a long time as they did some Dj-ing in a famous club in Basel around 15 years ago. Reat Kay then asked if we want to release Sweet Escape on Trontronic as they already released a couple of remixes before on it and that’s how the opportunity of working with Trontronic took place!

When it comes to the music production, I work in two different genres; Acoustic folk rock and EDM. When it comes to the folk-rock genre, I get involved in the process of the production from scratch. Since I didn’t study music theory, I used to struggle to try to write down the chords of different instruments to fit in harmony.

That’s why I used my vocals as my guidance. For example, after writing down the basic chords of the piano, I play it again while humming a harmony above it, then when I settle to something I like, I turn those humming to notes and give them to a professional musician to play them at the studio.

It is a juggling act, and it takes a longer time to put everything together, but it is worth the extra mile to see the song come together just how I want it.

As for the EDM genre, I usually get involved with composing the basic music chords, the vocal melody and the lyrics, then send it to music producers/Dj’s. When they are done with the production of the track, they send it back to me, and I hit the studios to record my vocals.

Architect by day, Songwriter, performer and recording vocalist into the
late hours after the evening, I’m surprised you have the continued energy to cope with such a busy lifestyle. I’m interested to know what feels like
work, your passion for architecture or music.

To be frank, being a Singer/Songwriter and working as an Architect is a definite juggling act, but because of my degree in architecture, I know the price of success: dedication, hard work, and going the extra mile to the things you want to see happen.

Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe once said, “Music is liquid architecture; Architecture is frozen music“.

I believe that they are both connected in many ways, as studying architecture contributed to my skills in composing music; find the harmony, the rhythm, the structure and concept of the song. That is why I truly have the passion for both.

If you ask me what feels more like work, I would say Architecture and that is a good thing for me! I believe it helps me find some discipline, stability, and commitment in life. On the other hand, being a singer/songwriter helps me find freedom, resonance and myself.

This creates the balance I need to believe in myself and know that the challenge I face, and the pressure I’m in is just an opportunity for me to rise.

If fate was to play a wicked prank on you – and you found yourself having to choose between. 1, Designing and overseeing the construction of a state-funded public building or 2, Singing for a world-renowned record label with a guaranteed two album deal, what choice would you make?

Is it possible to sing to the crowd while on the construction site? Haha.. Well if I end up with this kind of choice, I will follow my gut feelings, and that would be pursuing my career as a Singer/Songwriter as I believe when music penetrates, life resonates.

For now, I am finding my way between architecture and music. Just because I’m a musician doesn’t mean I can’t be an Architect. Many people limit themselves to what they think they can do.

But I believe you can go as far as your mind lets you. What you believe, you can achieve. As they say, the world which sees art and engineering as divided is not seeing the world as a whole.

What’s the future hold for Nadine, you are not overly active on sites like YouTube, and so what do you enjoy doing most, recording your vocals, song writing or performing? What do you want to be known for in the music industry?

I truly believe that the future depends on what we do in the present. I learned that from my parents as they didn’t believe in luck.

They believed in hard work and in preparing me to take advantage of every opportunity, and that’s what I’m doing as we can do anything if we put our minds to it. I hope I will grow in the EDM field as Singer/Songwriter as I am learning a lot in this path, meeting inspiring producers and working under esteemed Record Labels.

Above all, I mostly enjoy creating new music, a melody that didn’t exist 5 minutes ago. That’s what I enjoy the most, writing songs that are timeless.

What I truly want to be known for in the Music Industry is one of those Artists who reminded people what music is about, as nowadays the Music Industry is about everything but music.

My main aim is to send out a message in every song I write where I speak through music for those without a voice.

Is there any message you want to give to your fans and future fans out
there? Or to anyone who feels, they cannot achieve, or feel opportunity long passed them by?

We live in a world where we are born to follow a path, we are expected to do this and do that, we are expected to follow the route that has been given to us since Birth.

But I believe you should follow your guts and don’t wait for the perfect time to pursue what you want to become, see the opportunity in every difficulty, as these small opportunities are often the beginning of great enterprises.

Last but not least, Always Smile & Let it Be!