top of page
Biography
​

Teema is a Dutch/Moroccan Arabic Jazz/World Music Artist from the Netherlands. 
Currently in Istanbul.

Teema was born in Morocco to Moroccan parents. Her father was the first generation Moroccan guest workers that immigrated to Europe. Teema's mother immigrated from Rabat, Morocco to the Netherlands at the age of 14.
Teema spent her first turbulent years living between the Netherlands, Morocco and Portugal. At the moment Istanbul,Turkey is what she calls home for the past two years. 

MUSIC
Teema got in touch with Arabic music when she was 9 yrs old living in Rabat, Morocco for a year. Arabic music was always played at home. Popular music of Arabic singers such as: Um Khaltoum,Warda, Asmahan, just to name a few.
At the age 14 her mother gave her album of the Lebanese legendary singer Fairouz. Teema immediately fell in love with the voice of this Goddess and started listening to her music ever since. She knew at a very young age that singing was her passion. She auditioned for the part of Marilyn Monroe for a theater play at her primary school in Amsterdam. It was her first time performing on stage in front of an audience.

at the age of 11, after enjoying her performance on stage she decided to develop her craft and enrolled at the Music School of Amsterdam. There, she was a member of the Gospel world choir and local cover bands. Teema formed a girl band with her high school friends. The group wrote and performed their own songs and covers at clubs and festivals in the Netherlands.
After some years, Teema wanted to focus and develop her talent in Arabic music. at the age of 18, she went to the Hollywood centre of Arabic music in Cairo, Egypt. There, Teema met with famous pop Egyptian songwriters and composers. Teema recorded her first Arabic song (in Egyptian dialect). The song was recorded in the same studio where the Egyptian legend Abdel Halim Hafez recorded some of his songs (studio Sout El Hob). 

Since then, Teema has been performing in different countries in the world. From Denmark to Turkey, Morocco,Jordan,Belgium.
In the Netherlands, Teema performed at numerous festivals such as: South East Jazz Festival, Haarlem Jazz Festival. She had the privilege of performing with the Dutch Royal Metropole Orchestra at the Royal Concert Hall (Concertgebouw). This was for a live broadcast on the national Dutch television. with the Dutch Blazers Ensemble. Another great performance was Tribute to Fairouz, which was also held at the Royal Concert Hall in Amsterdam. In Istanbul, Teema is collaborating with Turkish musicians for her fusion jazz concerts. Such as the world famous Turkish clarinet musician Hüsnü Åženlendirici for her Arabic Jazz concert in Istanbul.


PROJECTS
*Building bridges with her Arabic/Jewish musical duo project "Maktub"with jewish singer Noam Vazana. A tour in 2017 will be announced soon..

* Teema has supported projects that encourages and supports Arabic women in music. She represented the Netherlands at the MWMM (Muslim Women Music Makers), an international campaign to encourage and support Muslim women as Music makers worldwide. This was a European tour with other muslim female talented artists.

* Teema went to Jordan to give music workshops to Syrian and Palestinian child refugees at UNRWA schools and at the Zaatari village camp in Jordan. She included "Art workshop" for children to paint their message's they would like to share with the children of the world.
She got inspired by the strength of the child refugees and wrote the song "Syria" that she recorded in Amsterdam.

Teema will continue to grow as a musician and hopes to inspire people with her music all around the World.....

bottom of page