Alsarah

Sarah Mohamed Abunama-Elgadi, known professionally as Alsarah (Arabic: السارة), is a Sudanese-American singer, songwriter, and ethnomusicologist. She is the leader of the group Alsarah & the Nubatones, and has performed with other groups such as The Nile Project and The Epichorus. Her stage name is a combination of her given name with the Arabic definite article.

Early life Alsarah was born in Khartoum, Sudan. Both her parents are human-rights activists. During this turbulent period, she often found solace in music, listening to bootleg recordings in Yemen and taking casual piano lessons from a family friend.

Career After graduating in 2004, she moved to New York City and began singing professionally in Arabic, supporting herself with various odd jobs. They have toured Hungary, Portugal, France, the United Arab Emirates, Morocco, Egypt, Lebanon, Sweden, and Lithuania.

In 2013, she released the album Al Jawal, a collaboration with French producer Débruit, released through Soundway Records. She contributed the song "Salaam Nubia" to Mina Girgis and Meklit Hadero's Nile Project album Aswan, which was recorded during a live performance in Aswan, Egypt.

She was featured in the 2014 documentary Beats of the Antonov, which won the People's Choice Award for Best Documentary at the 2014 Toronto International Film Festival.

In the summer of 2025, she performed at the Museum of Contemporary African Diasporan Arts in Brooklyn, as well as a duet at Georgetown University in Qatar as part of a series on Sudan. She has also collaborated with Sudanese visual artist Ahmed Umar on works displayed at the Venice Biennale; organized emergency funding for grassroots organizations in Sudan via her non-profit, Sunduq al-Sudan; and facilitated music residencies for displaced Sudanese musicians in Uganda.

Artistry Alsarah has listed Hamza El Din and Abd El Gadir Salim among her favorite Nubian and Sudanese artists. During her teenage years in the US, she was influenced by Americana, early blues, and Appalachian and Gullah music. She has also mentioned Lebanese singer Fairuz, American folksinger Joan Baez, and Yemeni and Balkan music as part of her musical development, and has named artists including Toshi Reagon, Bernice Johnson Reagon, June Millington, and Bi Kidude as inspirations. Despite her multicultural influences, she has rejected being labeled as "world music" or "traditional music", instead describing her sound as "soul music from East Africa" and "East African retro-pop".

Discography Solo albums Aljawal ("Eternal Traveler") (2013, Soundway) (with Débruit)

With Alsarah & the Nubatones Soukura EP (2014, Wonderwheel) Silt (2014, Wonderwheel Recordings) Manara ("The Lighthouse") (2016, Wonderwheel) Seasons of the Road (2025)

Music videos "Soukura" (2014) "Habibi Taal" (2014) "Ya Watan" (2016)

With The Epichorus One Bead (2012)

Other credits The Nile Project, Aswan (2013) – featured artist ("Salaam Nubia") Captain Planet, Esperanto Slang (2014) – featured artist ("Safaru") Dexter Story, Wondem (2015) – composer, featured artist ("Without an Address")