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We, at The Modern East, love introducing regional talent to you all! For today’s feature, we have none other than Lebanese-French artist Roxane who has just released her debut single. The Rnb Songstress exudes shameless and unapologetic energy in her debut single “Unf*withable”, sparking conversation around Arab women’s identities and their emancipation from gender roles and expectations of femininity. An anthem for the self-proclaimed main characters, Roxane takes ownership of the antagonist status assigned to women that dare to be outspoken, independent, and authentic. Keep reading to get exclusive insight with Roxane herself, her journey through music, and more about her debut single.
Believe it or not, being a singer wasn’t always something Roxane knew she wanted. In fact, she grew up wanting to be a dancer. Growing up, going on drives in the car only harmonizing to the radio, the singer-songwriter found herself drawn to music and at 16-years-old, she had asked her brother to teach her how to play basic piano so that she could explore her capacities. “Back then, it was a huge secret,” she tells us, “I used to wait for everybody to leave the house to practice. Then one day, I didn’t hear my mom coming in and she caught me.” She resisted singing in front of anybody for a while, but later that year, she performed for the first time at her high school talent show. “I’ve been singing professionally for 9 years now!” she proclaims.
Although, singing wasn’t always that easy for the, now, confident, and assertive songstress. “Only the people that knew me back then know that I had CRIPPLING stage fright,” she confesses, “I would hyperventilate and get into fetal position every time I had to go on stage. But the more I did it, the easier it got.”
Roxane quickly built her confidence up and trained by being on stage weekly and within a year from that talent show, she was in huge productions performing in front of thousands of people. She later started doing events shortly after and attained her experience by working in the entertainment industry. “It was simultaneously fun, challenging, and very brutal,” she admits, “but I acquired skills and insight that I never would have gotten any other way.”
She then ventured on to write her first song during a time in which, like many of us, experienced a surge of creativity – lockdown, 2020. “I had tried to start writing several times before that but was never satisfied with the result,” she told us, “I kept practicing and some stuff had potential, other things were the worst pairing of words to ever exist. And a year later, I booked a session at Rayan Bailouni’s studio, the producer of Unf*kwithable, and the rest is herstory.”
Upon first going into the recording studio, Roxane didn’t actually have anything prepared. “I told the producer “I don’t know how the song is gonna go yet, but I know it’s going to be an empowerment anthem.” And so it is,” and we can definitely second that! The inspiration behind “Unf*withable” comes from the empowerment in being a woman and, to put it frankly, not taking it from anyone. “I spent most of my life being praised and shamed for the same qualities, being told “we love your confidence, but you need to tone down the attitude”, or say“you’re such a strong woman!” then turn around and say that I need to learn my place,” Roxane says, “Rarely did I comply, but even when I did, it was never enough.”
An anthem for the self-proclaimed main characters, Roxane takes ownership of the antagonist status assigned to women that dare to be outspoken, independent, and authentic. “Unf*withable is meant to honor the fact that I will never again compromise who I am to be deemed acceptable by others,” she explains, “It is a reminder that I am owed the basic right to exist in my own space, in my own truth, and if that provokes you, that’s a you problem.”
A powerhouse vocalist and an entertainer in her own right, Roxane delves into themes of self-actualization and praise of one’s own identity in all its facets. “Unf*withable is the song that 13-year-old Roxane would have wanted to scream at the top of her lungs into her hairbrush every time she was being put down, gaslighted, or body-shamed,” Roxane tells us in a heartfelt statement, “It’s power in musical form. And it’s a promise to never relinquish my narrative for other people to dictate or validate.”
Constantly reminding herself of her privilege to be able to release a song like Unf*withable without her life being in danger, Roxane is grateful that she is in a position where she won’t be shunned, disowned, or even worse case scenarios for daring to speak her mind. “This is exactly why I believe I owe other Arab women and marginalized communities to use that privilege,” she explains, “The fact that oppression is a reality for so many is not something I can fix with one song, but it is still a very necessary conversation that needs to be approached boldly and openly and I hope Unf*withable can contribute to that conversation. I hope that whether you can blast it in the car with your friends or listen to it quietly in your earphones when your family goes to sleep, that you’ll know that I am out there rooting for you, loving and accepting you for exactly who you are, and hoping you’ll give yourself the same courtesy.”
As for the future, we can definitely anticipate more “main character” music. “Whether it’s a love song, or a breakup song or a song about how pineapples will never belong on pizza, I want to empower others to be the truest, most iconic versions of themselves,” Roxanne tells us. Hoping to further explore her vocals, Roxane does not want to put herself in a box just yet and believes that it is too early to limit herself to one genre and sound.
Other than writing more empowering music that we can all sing at the top of our lungs in the car, shower, or our bedrooms with a hairbrush like little 13-year-old Roxane would have, the songstress would also love to collaborate with artists in the region as well as put out an EP not too far in the future. “But I will (probably) put out a single or two before then so you can definitely expect to hear more from me soon!” she says.
Are you going to keep an ear out? We sure are. If you haven’t already, stream Unf*withable on all platforms, and check out the music video on Youtube now! To keep up with Roxane on her musical journey, also be sure to follow her on her TikTok and Instagram platforms.
