Mayssa Karaa

With her captivating multi-octave voice and persuasive cross-cultural message, Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter Mayssa Karaa defines a new era of musical inclusion. Her songs tell of a journey connecting her origins in the ancient land of Lebanon to her adopted home of Los Angeles, California. Cinema audiences might identify the classically-trained singer’s voice from the hit film American Hustle, where her Arabic version of the Sixties classic “White Rabbit” was a standout track on the Grammy-nominated soundtrack album;

MAYSSA recently launched her full-length English solo debut album “SIMPLE ALBUM” with a celebration at the historic “Capitol studios” in Hollywood. The songs range from piano based simplicity to epic electronic orchestration with a unique blend of American pop and middle eastern influences.

She’s also recently had a song (featured in one of the biggest movies in India) produced by Oscar winner Indian megastar AR Rahman which has rapidly climbed up the charts in various countries and hit No. 1 on Apple Music India. Television audiences might recognize her from the popular PBS Special, “Enrico Caruso: His Life, His Music, His Cities” featuring Placido Domingo in Naples, Italy.

International families might identify her as the ambassador of Sesame Street (Middle East edition) through “The Arabic Alphabet Song” that generated over 28 million YouTube views so far.

Melding Arabic influences into Western music is MAYSSA’s forte: notable recordings in her catalog include a version of Pink Floyd’s “Comfortably Numb” accompanied by the band’s Scott Page, to which both Roger Waters and David Gilmour granted their blessings.

With music as her passport, she says that it was never an intention to come to the U.S. and live inside of a bubble. “I came here to expand, to tell others about my culture and learn about theirs.”