Samir Mardini is a gifted Syrian Australian musician, who performs every week with his brother, Sargon, at Raqwa Café & Beer Garden in Preston, Melbourne, where I interviewed him one Sunday evening.
Samir and Sargon are often invited to perform at weddings and other events at cafes, restaurants and lounges. They are becoming quite well-known within the Arabic communities in Melbourne, but, as Samir explains in the interview, they hope to reach a wider audience one day.
Samir and Sargon were born in Damascus and came to Australia when they were teenagers. He explains that Syria is the ‘mother that gave birth to us’, while Australia is the ‘mum which raised us and gave us the support and knowledge to be successful’.
When they were growing up in Syria, the Mardini brothers discovered their love for singing and their talent for playing many different musical instruments, including the keyboard, guitar and oud. Samir explains that he feels compelled to play music and write songs because it is in his blood. After studying sound engineering at RMIT university, Samir acquired the skills needed to record his and his brother’s songs.
The brothers grew up listening to different styles of Arabic music, which has led them to perform cover songs of famous Middle Eastern artists from ‘Egypt to Iraq’. Their selection of songs to perform at a venue depends on their audiences and the occasion, but their aim is to make their listeners ‘happy’ and relate to the words/feel a connection with the words. For a Syrian audience, this often means the brothers sing songs which express a deep love for Syria.
Samir encourages other singers and musicians to keep searching for and creating opportunities to perform and to give no thought to income – for him, earning money is irrelevant. At the same time, he encourages the public to support musicians as music is so vital in our lives.
Interviewed by Sarah Nachar
Written by Sarah Nachar and Susan Dirgham
