Saeed Saeed is a 2024-25 mental health journalism fellow and has been on staff at The National since 2011. His fellowship project will focus on the Arabic music scene and attitudes towards mental health within the industry, now that a new generation of artists are discussing mental health in their creative work and in societal discourse.

Read Saeed’s stories here:

From Fairuz to The Synaptik: 11 Arabic songs that speak honestly about mental health

What a year of listening taught me about mental health in Arabic music

Tania Saleh talks to Tarab about language, silence and packing her bags

Anthony Khoury on Adonis, Lebanese indie and music for fun

Lina Makoul on Palestine, contentment, and Arabic lyricism

Beirut port explosion survivor Bachir Ramadan turns trauma into testimony

A voice in exile: Tania Saleh’s search for belonging in Fragile

Palestinian singer Lina Makoul gives Arabic pop new emotional language

Lebanese band Adonis find space to rebuild on new album Wedyan

Why the Arab music industry needs to talk about mental health

The Synaptik talks war, mental health and staying in Palestine to produce his album