Nadine Altounji is a Montreal-based singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist who’s musical passion and skills are deeply rooted in the rich soil of her family’s Syrian homeland. In addition to being a talented vocalist, Nadine is a consummate musician, playing the piano, guitar, bass and oud. Her first solo EP I Still, which fuses Middle Eastern music with a folk and pop sensibility, was released in 2016 (under the name Nja). Her latest release, an album entitled The Stories that Tie Us to Trees, combines Middle Eastern and South American musical traditions, whereby Nadine reclaims her full name and her identity as a citizen of the world.
A first generation Canadian, Nadine grew up hearing her Syrian grandmother play Middle Eastern classics on the piano, learning to play herself at the tender age of five. She later chose music as her profession. Nadine formalized her interest in music and its cultural significance by studying guitar at Concordia University and earning a BFA in Integrative Music Studies. A skilled musician, who has studied and taught music her entire life, Nadine has also put her talent to use working with other artists. As a songwriter and guitarist, she has collaborated with Montreal artist Wayne Tennant on several of his releases. She is also a member of the renowned Montreal musical collective Kalmunity, and the Imani Gospel Singers.
Over the past five years, Nadine has turned her focus towards exploring and connecting with her Middle Eastern heritage, learning how to play the oud, a traditional Middle Eastern instrument that her great grandfather played. Her first solo release, I Still, was a personal musical and lyrical journey to self-acceptance and a wider realm of self-expression. Her second solo release explores similar themes from a more expansive perspective. After receiving a Research and Creation Grant from Canada Council for the Arts, Nadine spent four months in Ecuador and Peru researching and exploring local musical forms and traditions, as well as discussing issues of identity and culture, before returning home to Montreal to write and record her latest project, The Stories that Tie Us to Trees.