Saeed Saeed fellowship work

Saeed Saeed is a 2024-25 mental health journalism fellow and has been on staff at The National since 2011. He is using his fellowship year to report on attitudes towards mental health in the Arabic music scene

Five years after surviving the Beirut port explosion, Lebanese musician Bachir Ramadan is writing a memoir. Photo: Bachir Ramadan

Beirut port explosion survivor Bachir Ramadan turns trauma into testimony

Music & On-stageAugust 03, 2025

Tania Saleh’s new album Fragile reflects the emotional toll of leaving Lebanon and the creative clarity that followed. Photo: Elie Fahed

A voice in exile: Tania Saleh’s search for belonging in Fragile

Music & On-stageJuly 20, 2025

Lina Makoul has mined new lyrical territory with Radiya. Reuters

Palestinian singer Lina Makoul gives Arabic pop new emotional language

Music & On-stageJuly 08, 2025

Lebanese band Adonis, from left: Joey Abou Jaoudey, Anthony Khoury, Gio Fikany and Nicola Hakim. Photo: Quartertone

Lebanese band Adonis find space to rebuild on new album Wedyan

Music & On-stageJune 02, 2025

Lebanese singer Elissa wrote a powerful song addressing her breast cancer diagnosis. Photo: Youness Hamiddine

Why the Arab music industry needs to talk about mental health

Music & On-stageOctober 10, 2024

Laith Al Husseini, aka The Synaptik, tries to use music to break social stigmas surrounding mental health in the Arab world. Photo: Empire Distribution

The Synaptik talks war, mental health and staying in Palestine to produce his album

Music & On-stageSeptember 20, 2024