Harissa Pop and Tunisian Music | Soudeni at XP Air

Description

Tunisian artist Soudeni joins Quartertones recorded live at XP Air and talks about her musical journey and the influences that shaped her sound. She introduces the idea of Harissa Pop – her playful way of describing music rooted in Tunisian culture but open to contemporary sounds. The touches on nostalgia, identity, and the challenges Tunisian artists face when trying to be heard beyond their borders. This episode was recorded on December 4, 2025 Explore XP Air 👉 https://www.instagram.com/xpmusicfutures/ 00:00 Introduction 01:06 The Absence of Tunisia in the Music Scene 01:35 The Fairuz of Tunisia: Lotfi Bouchnak 02:30 Nostalgia as a Creative Tool in Music 03:00 Soudeni’s Musical Journey and Influences 09:30 Introducing Harissa Pop 10:56 The Feeling of Forgetting Tunisia 11:35 Breaking the Algorithm with Tunisian Music 16:00 Two Different Artists 17:30 The Story Behind the Name “Soudeni” Soudeni is a Tunisian musical artist known for her unique musical style often described as "Harissa Pop". She is recognized for blending traditional Tunisian and Arabic music with contemporary genres like disco, funk, electronica, and new wave. Connect with Soudeni 👉 https://instagram.com/soudenimusic Hosted by Mikey Muhanna 👉 https://instagram.com/mikey_mu Theme music: Peninsular, Tarek Yamani 🔊 https://spoti.fi/47I59ns FOLLOW & RATE THE QUARTERTONES: » Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/afikra-quartertones/id1646407556 » Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/26VHvC6yVOxlRFjeOts6uf » Anghami: https://play.anghami.com/podcast/1044639452 THIS SERIES IS PART OF THE AFIKRA PODCAST NETWORK Explore all episodes in this series: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLfYG40bwRKl7FiLcdH_iSgv4RiXEy4GAh ABOUT AFIKRA afikra | عفكرة is a movement to convert passive interest in the Arab world to active intellectual curiosity. We aim to collectively reframe the dominant narrative of the region by exploring the histories and cultures of the region – past, present and future – through conversations driven by