Born and raised in Toronto, Ontario, Nemah Hasan — performing under the name Nemahsis — is a Palestinian-Canadian indie-pop Muslim singer whose journey into the music industry is unconventional. Initially recognized for her fashion and beauty content on TikTok, Hassan’s content began to become more musical with some glimpses of her captivating vocals, particularly in covers of songs. She sings snippets of songs with just a lyric or two, such as “Promiscuous” by Nelly Furtado or “Brooklyn Baby” by Lana Del Rey.
Though her discography is still relatively small, Nemahsis has no shortage of incredible music. Her first single and most popular track, “what if i took it off for you?” was released on June 23, 2021.
The song addresses the attitudes of society toward Hijabis — Muslim women who wear the hijab. It was created from Hasan’s personal experience of being exploited as a hijabi during an advertising campaign of a large makeup corporation.
In the lyrics, “What a fool, I’m such a fool…” refers to her feeling foolish for letting a makeup brand take advantage of her, and using her images, despite denying permission.
Her newest single, “i wanna be your right hand,” released on Feb. 23, 2023, combines the emotional intensity of her voice with the cheeky and casual vibe of the melody. She mixes grunge-guitar elements with the playful and up beat pop synths of the Smashing Pumpkins.
“i wanna be your right hand” alludes to the concept taught in Islam that to do all beautiful acts with the right side of the body, such as handing water to someone with your right hand. Hasan must refer to being someone’s right hand; being reliable, or the “good” hand.
While navigating through the musical landscape her journey took a turn once she expressed her solidarity with Palestine, leading to her label, 11 acres, parting ways with her.
Undeterred by this industry setback, not only did she garner nominations and awards (such as the SOCAN Songwriting Prize in 2022 and the High-Fidelity Award in 2023) for her music videos and songwriting, while remaining fixed in her support for the Palestinian cause.
One pivotal moment on social media surrounding Hassan was when she covered Lorde’s song,“Team,” with images of Gaza before, during and after bombardment by the Israeli Occupation Forces. This cover was reposted by Lorde herself as well as Palestinian-Dutch model, Bella Hadid, which gave Nemahsis more exposure.
Despite having an abrupt change in Hassan’s career, she continues to create angelic melodies, without the need of a label.
Being dropped by her label for showing her unwavering support for the Palestinian people, her own people, through raising awareness to the ongoing genocide in Gaza hasn’t hindered her career. In truth, it is their colossal loss to sever ties with a talented and fearless Palestinian woman.
