Getting to know Libyan-Irish songstress Farah Elle

With a soothing voice and charming smile, Libyan-Irish singer Farah Elle has captured the attention of thousands of Dubliners.

The singer-songwriter strongly believes that music can be a means of bringing people together and growing in the world.

Speaking to Babylon Radio ahead of the BlueFire festival where she will be performing, Farah said music is more than just a job for her but also a means of cultural integration, maintaining her mental health and engaging with the world beneficially.

Although she considers her partly Libyan, she was influenced by the music her brothers played around her while growing up.

“I was really influenced by what my brothers listened to and whatever I chose to listen to from hip hop to heavy metal to world music,” she said.

“People’s voices are impacted by their culture whether they realise it or not.

“When it came to singing, they was a part of me that was impacted by my culture that I didn’t realize about myself.

“I was raised a Muslim, so a lot of my personality and the way I see myself and all of the Quaran tapes playing from the car and Arabic school…I think I would have soaked it up…they would have impacted me”

Despite all of these influences, Farah has decided soul music is her path. She like Amy Winehouse have a huge influence on the kind of music she makes.

Punk is also something she loves: “I love punk and that sort of fascinates me.”

Speaking about the message her music aims to pass across, she says she tries to challenge the idea of peace but from an inner perspective.

“I am a strong believer in healing yourself, healing others around you and I think that when it comes to achieving peace, we need to look at ourselves and know all of the roles we play in the madness that surrounds us,” she said.

Asked what kinds of music she listens to in her quiet place, she admits that while the likes of Cardi B and Nicki Minaj are not on her list, she loves Noname.

She said: “I love Noname. She is a rapper from Chicago. I think she is our generation’s Nina Simone.

She also admits a love for Nigeria’s Burna Boy who is one of the world’s biggest artist right now.

“I am really into Burna Boy right now,” she said. “He is so proud and such a positive message.”

For her target audience, she says she sings for “people who badly want world peace.”

She says that while she doesn’t consider herself a race-equality activist, she tries to live like a person who does not see skin colour.

Despite not considering herself her activist, her mother did some activism.

She said: “My mum was one of the people who set up a charity to send over medical aids for Libya. As a result, she was nominated to be the Minister for Health.

Farah Elle would be performing alongside the likes of Munky and Danny G at the BlueFire festival and she says she is excited about the opportunity to pass on the message of peace.