Islamic Music & A New voice | Enlighten Records
What initially inspired this venture?
I have always enjoyed A Cappella Islamic music and nasheeds, and knew that there simply wasn’t enough of it out there. It becomes tedious to listen to the same things over and over again, and I found that I am joined in my dissatisfaction by many others.
Who is your audience?
Our global customers are primarily individuals who identify as being Muslim.
That is a given, since the music will be tailored to Islam and faith. However, we recognise that faith based A Cappella music is not confined to the preferences of Muslims. There are so many people who are not Muslim, but enjoy A Cappella music that promotes good messages, and overall just makes them feel good. So they form part of our audience too. It is of paramount importance to us to welcome everyone regardless of religious preference, to enjoy our music and engage with us. Integration and unity is critical especially now, and we find that good music brings people together, so we want to do exactly that. Considering the much debated question of whether businesses are obliged to have a pro social impact on the wider community, we think yes. We think we need to do something because we have a platform and with that comes a louder voice.
What makes Enlighten Records different?
Firstly, the market is changing and what we offer to our audience needs to meet those changing needs and preferences. Staying nimble in the face of change distinguishes the extent to which businesses succeed. Muslims, especially the younger generation are looking for alternatives to the current Islamic music offering and ultimately what the mainstream music industry has to offer. We don’t want to confine our music to the typical sounds and genre of Islamic music and nasheeds, because that’s been done. Sure, we will retain the traditional sounds in some of our music, but we will be exploring different sounds and genres to bring more fresh, relevant and exciting music to our listeners. We reject the idea that music can be boxed into tight categories, and it shouldn’t be. There is so much creative potential that will change so much, and we really look forward to leading this change. Being the first female leader in the Islamic music industry, I will be bringing something much needed and different to the table.
What do we expect to see from Enlighten Records next?
Right now we are focusing on the launch of the company and the global talent competition, to begin our search for incredibly gifted individuals to join Team Enlighten. We have a vision and we know what kind of things we are looking to accomplish, so we will leave it at the typical ‘watch this space…’. We would simply suggest that you stay engaged and keep tuned in to see and be involved with what we are going to do next.