Meriem Ben Amor

World Music Singer/Songwriter

Meriem Ben Amor on SoundBetter

I'm a multilingual session vocalist with a passion for storytelling through music. I've released 2 albums, 1 EP, and 7 singles with a 2-time Grammy nominee producer and 2-time Grammy-winning engineer. I turn simple beats into hauntingly beautiful tracks, delivering authentic and emotional performances that connect with artists and audience.

Meriem Ben Amor is a talented Tunisian-Canadian singer known for her warm, ethereal voice and versatile musical abilities. Fluent in Arabic, French, Spanish, and English, she also has a deep understanding of various cultural influences, allowing her to sing in languages such as Romani, Ladino, Azeri, Farsi, and Romanian. In addition to her vocal talents, Meriem is also skilled in a number of string instruments and percussion.

Growing up, she was exposed to a variety of musical traditions through her father's Sufi chanting and later learned the violin, classical guitar, and piano. After completing a degree in electronic engineering in Tunisia, she moved to Canada and further developed her classical music skills, taking composition and electronic music production courses at Berklee College of Music.

Currently, Meriem performs with the Roma Jazz Ensemble in Vancouver, led by violin virtuoso Lache Cercel. In 2019, she worked with Carmen Rizzo, a two-time Grammy nominee and founder of the label Electrofone, to produce her debut album "Once Upon a Time". The collaboration continued with the release of two more singles and a remix EP in 2020, and the pair founded the band "Didon" at the end of 2021. In addition to her work with the Roma Jazz Ensemble and Didon, Meriem continues to collaborate with artists from a range of musical backgrounds and seek out new experiences.

Click the 'Contact' above to get in touch. Looking forward to hearing from you.

Languages

  • Arabic
  • English
  • French
  • Spanish

Interview with Meriem Ben Amor

  1. Q: Tell us about a project you worked on you are especially proud of and why. What was your role?

  2. A: My new album, "Tunisian Tale," is a collaboration with my partner and bandmate, Carmen Rizzo, who is a two-time Grammy-nominated producer. We also worked with two-time Grammy-winning mastering engineer Dale Becker and the multi-disciplinary instrumentalist Dimitri Mahlis from the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra. My role in this project was to write the lyrics, create the melodies, and perform the vocals. The album has been receiving incredible feedback since its release just a month ago, and it's currently ranked #1 on the NACC charts in the World Music category. Additionally, the first track "A Faraway Land" was selected by the prestigious KCRW radio as "Today's Top Tune" on Feb 17, 2023.

  3. Q: What are you working on at the moment?

  4. A: I recently released a new album just a month ago, which has already reached the #1 position on the NACC charts in the World Music category for two consecutive weeks. I served as the lead vocalist and songwriter for the album. Currently, I am engaging in interviews and focusing on social media announcements to connect with fans and receive feedback. In addition, I am actively working on writing my next album, submitting my current album to awards and competitions, and collaborating on three new projects as a session vocalist. These projects include a French single, an album featuring classical Arabic lyrics and instrumentation, and an ethereal vocal performance for a movie soundtrack.

  5. Q: Is there anyone on SoundBetter you know and would recommend to your clients?

  6. A: I am aware of potential artists to recommend, but the talented ones I know are typically in high demand and already find work through other channels, making it difficult to recommend them for additional projects.

  7. Q: Analog or digital and why?

  8. A: I prefer using digital gear for music production. As a minimalist who values efficiency and flexibility, I find analog gear and recording in big studios can be cumbersome and impractical, particularly when traveling. I believe in using minimalist tools to achieve high-quality results and get things done efficiently, anywhere I go.

  9. Q: What do you like most about your job?

  10. A: Creating original compositions and meeting artists with more experience than myself that help me grow.

  11. Q: What advice do you have for a customer looking to hire a provider like you?

  12. A: I was lucky to have learned these recommendations from pretty advanced artists and Berklee educators who have multiple Grammy Awards in their credits so I can share some of this knowledge with my customers. As an example I will highly advise to know everything about your creation: Key, BPM, Recording Information (Sample Rate, Bit Depth), Multiple Reference tracks with similar sounds/style, what are the elements you can't scarify in your project, what are the elements you wish to improve or replace in your project, improve your vocabulary about the things you love most (sounds, effects, mixing techniques...) and most importantly keep an open mind sometimes what serves your creation is not necessary what you have in mind. Guessing and vague thoughts will never work in your project's favor but being precise and specific will help you get closer to what you are looking for from your collaborators.

  13. Q: What was your career path? How long have you been doing this?

  14. A: Conservatory education since childhood than live performances locally and internationally and currently enrolled ina Electronic Music Production & Sound Design degree in Berklee College of Music.

  15. Q: How would you describe your style?

  16. A: Ethnic Electronica.

  17. Q: What type of music do you usually work on?

  18. A: Electronic Music with some world/ethnic music flavors.

  19. Q: Describe the most common type of work you do for your clients.

  20. A: Artists who are working on an EDM track or beat and need a vocal improv or vocal samples to add an original or ethnic touch to their compositions.

  21. Q: What's your 'promise' to your clients?

  22. A: 100% Satisfaction or No charge.

  23. Q: What questions do customers most commonly ask you? What's your answer?

  24. A: 90% of my customers start by "I'm working on an EDM track and I want you to do a middle eastern improv to spice it up." My answer is "With pleasure" if I can provide anything that helps an artist close the loop on a project and release it, I'm all in.

  25. Q: What's the biggest misconception about what you do?

  26. A: This is a fun question to answer. A huge misconception about me as an artist is that my music is all Middle Eastern percussion and that I burly speak English. When the truth is that I listened to way more Heavy Metal records in my life than Middle Eastern Music and that my English have some imperfections not because I'm from North Africa but because I speak 5 languages.

  27. Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?

  28. A: 1st question is always; what's the deadline! I'm all about meticulous, organized work, getting paid just fairly and provide the best quality in the best time frame.

  29. Q: If you were on a desert island and could take just 5 pieces of gear, what would they be?

  30. A: Laptop, Push 2, a Small basic midi keyboard, good headphones and my mic. This is my favorite setup without the desert island trip. Minimalism boosts my creativity and helps me stay focused. When everything fits in my backpack I can be productive anywhere.

  31. Q: Which artist would you like to work with and why?

  32. A: Dj Snake, because it's the closest style to what I like to do: Electronic Music with world music influence.

  33. Q: Can you share one music production tip?

  34. A: Write a same melody in an usual mode and it will get interesting and edgy before even starting the production phase. There is much more in music than just Major and Minor keys.

  35. Q: What's your strongest skill?

  36. A: Singing & Writing Melodies

  37. Q: What do you bring to a song?

  38. A: Lyrics, Melodies, Singing (Vocal Recordings & Vocal Production)

  39. Q: What's your typical work process?

  40. A: Songwriting with Ableton11 in session view, gathering motifs, building melodies and writing lyrics simultaneously. After finalizing the songwriting phase I focus on the vocal recordings and the vocal production.

  41. Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

  42. A: Two Laptops, a powerful gaming laptop (Alienware), a Mac, Ableton11, Logic ProX, Protools, Push2, couple mics, couple monitors, a basic midi keyboard.

  43. Q: What other musicians or music production professionals inspire you?

  44. A: Carmen Rizzo and Prince Charles Alexandre inspire me every day. They have a huge impact on my practice because I know them well and I know the great artist behind the artwork.

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Terms Of Service

The terms of service will depend on the project.
All conditions are negotiable and compensation is not important if the project is interesting and original.

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Gear Highlights
  • Ableton 11
More Photos
SoundBetter Deal

I am open to discussing all conditions and prioritize interesting and original projects over compensation.

  • #1 on the NACC chartsFeb 16, 2023

    My new album "Tunisian Tale", which was released just a month ago, is a collaboration with my partner, the two-time Grammy-nominated producer Carmen Rizzo. As of now, it has held the #1 spot on the NACC charts in the World Music category for two consecutive weeks.

  • KCRW, KEXP & World Music CentralSep 11, 2021

    My debut album received great feedback from prestigious radios world wide and it got in top 10 "World Chill" category multiple weeks. If you are a fan of KCRW or KEXP there is a chance that you are familiar with my music. World Music Central also wrote an article about my debut album and my collaboration with the two-time Grammy nominee Carmen Rizzo. 


  • 400 000 Views on YouTubeSep 11, 2021

    My last collaboration with the content creator The Dreamer has almost 300 000 views on YouTube.