Sarah Guirguis Under her own label Laroussi music, Hind Laroussi recently released the anticipated music video of her new single, ‘Cat and Mouse’. Shot in Dubai by Lebanese director Adel Serhan and brought to life by executive producer Kenneth Paige, the song centers on the theme of chase between a cat and a mouse, telling the story of an independent woman who is “the cat” in control of her destin, who gets to play with a man’s head.
If you’re unfamiliar with her background, the Moroccan-Dutch singer and songwriter was discovered at the age of sixteen in the Netherlands, became popular in Europe and won several prestigious awards. After moving to LA to grow her music career, she worked with nine-time Grammy award-winning producer, Philip Lawrence. Her single ‘Lost’, which was produced in 2018 by another Grammy award-winning producer, Brody Brown, reached number 4 in the US Billboard dance charts. Of all places, she is now based in Dubai, and excited to work with some of the most prominent producers and artists in the region.
Interestingly enough, Laroussi’s music combines aspects of her Arab heritage with diverse pop and R&B music. On that note, Laroussi said, “Ever since moving to Dubai this January, I realized how much I missed being in touch with my Arab side – the people and the culture since I was by myself in LA for the past five years. Dubai was so warm and welcoming, there was an instant need to stay. This is where I belong now.”
As she began learning Arabic, Laroussi was inspired to listen to some artists who inspired her as a young singer, like Umm Kalthoum, Fairuz, Warda, and incorporate some subtle nuances of the language in her music. On working alongside Adel Serhan, she said, “Adel surprised me in many ways. He went above and beyond in every step of the way – with explicit attention to all details. Whether it was the storyboard – where he added the bus part which features people from different nationalities that represent my diversity, or when he lighted up the same bus and blew smoke in it for the last dance sequence in the video, including our communication.”
For choreography, Laroussi worked with dancer Abdelmajhad; “We had a lot of fun creating something that was animalistic and feminine at the same time. We didn’t want it to be too modern – so we blended it with some Arabic movements of the hips and arms.”
The single ‘Cat and Mouse’ is now available on all streaming platforms, including YouTube, Spotify, Apple Music, Anghami, Amazon Music and Deezer. The song will be performed for the first time ever in June at the Women’s Empowerment Investment Forum, the esteemed gala at Burj Khalifa.
