Nina Oud — Professional Arabic Singer & Oud Player

Nina Oud is a professional Arabic singer and oud player, born in Lebanon and raised in Sweden. She does not come from a musical family. Music arrived later in life, only to reveal that it had always been there, waiting to be heard.

Her studies began at the age of twenty-four at the Arab Music Institute in Cairo, Egypt. She arrived curious and left transformed, carrying an oud on her back and a diploma in her hand. From there, her career took her across most of Europe, from Spain, Greece, Austria, Germany and Switzerland to every corner of the Arab world, with her oud and astounding voice leading the way.

Nina is now based in Dubai and Abu Dhabi in the UAE, with strong ties to Stockholm, Sweden. She has been invited to perform at jazz and music festivals worldwide, and has received many honours and awards for her live oud music and vocal performances.

Unwilling to stay within the boundaries of tradition, she expanded her sound by incorporating the electric oud. Accompanying the oud with her gentle, soothing voice, she brings a funky edge to both traditional and popular Arabic music. It is this rare pairing of the classic and the eclectic that mesmerises audiences.

Nina is the first female oud player to release an oud album. After releasing her debut album, Sea Salt, in 2014, it became the third best selling Arabic album at Virgin Megastores across the GCC.

She is also the founder of Desert Rose's, Jawaher and, most recently, Benna Band. Through every project, she continues to dazzle audiences with her unique blend of classic and eclectic repertoire from the region.

Music was never a decision. It simply, always, happened.