Well-known local musicians Nishfa Nashid (Nish) and Mohamed Yoosuf, on Tuesday, headed west to Switzerland to embark on a month-long tour.
In an exclusive interview given to The Edition, daughter of late legendary musician Ahmed Nashid (Fuloo), Nish stated that, "Around the same time 28 years ago, my dad and his band 'Zero Degree Atoll' went and played in Switzerland at the World Music Festival, introducing the sounds of Maldives to the world".
The two were hired by a Swiss hotel chain to tour in the country.
Presently, the duo is set to play across various hotels in Zurich, Ascona and St. Moritz throughout August and will perform five nights a week for the duration of their journey.
Referring to her father's debut moment representing Maldives in 1991 - the year she was born, Nish called the timing of her trip "a happy coincidence".
"This came about after a hotel owner and his family, who came to one of the resorts I performed at, saw us playing. He literally told the management - I have got to take her, I need to take her to my hotel because we do not have these talents in Switzerland", explained the exuberant artist.
"Even though it isn't to represent my own music, I still get to introduce my voice, and who I am musically, to the people of Switzerland. It's such a big honor”, said Nish.
Having established herself across the resort-aspect of Maldives' music industry aged 20 in 2011, Nish credited a portion of the success she's had to the immense support she recieves from her long-standing bandmate Ibrahim Fayaz (Faya).
"It just so happened that on that particular night, the owner of the hotel saw myself and Yoosuf perform. Yoosuf is an amazing musician and I regularly play (resort music) with him as well."
Yoosuf's musical breakout can be traced to his runner-up finish at the 'Guitar Idol Maldives' in 2011. Since, he has become a celebrated musician in the industry, across a number of genres and has performed with the famous rock band 'Eman's Conspiracy'.
Shining the light back on her other musical influences and sources of support, Nish expressed her gratitude that, "on a day where I need the most musical guidance, I am very lucky that there are other people ready to step in and help out".
In addition, Nish is preparing to release her first originally composed EP by the end of 2019. She hopes to record and master the album during her time in Switzerland.
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