Youniss by Youniss

What’s in a name?

A name embodies the concept of your being, your personality and your self. When you hear a name, you might smile or cry; you might laugh or be unable to speak. A name holds power and a name is close. You might hate it, you might love it, but at the end of the day, it’s your name and your name alone.

My name - my real name - is Youniss. However, this hasn’t always been the case, due to peculiar circumstances I was given a name by the local government when I was born. A name that wasn’t mine. For 24 years I had to figure out how to live in acceptance with the fact that I was living some kind of double life. To the government, schools, employers and anything official I was Robby. To my friends, family, partners and, most importantly, to myself I was Youniss.

The duality of living and switching between names felt like wearing masks. Over the years, I had come to accept Robby. He grew from being an unwanted visitor that overstayed his welcome to a necessary part of my growth that I had come to respect. The masks slowly began to fade and made room for who I really am. The day when Youniss & Robby became one officially wasn’t a celebration but the next step in a long process of identity searching.

That’s what this record is about. This album is not just a collection of songs; it’s an exploration, a road map of my personal identity and the perception around it. Every song is a part of me and how I've experienced the growth of my identity, before and during the writing of this project. The people I have invited to feature on this album are people that share my vision or have contributed to it.

There was no better way to continue my career than going by the name I fought so long to claim as my own.

A name holds power.

Thank you for reading; I hope you enjoy listening.

Youniss

“I’m so post-post what you want from me.”

Antwerp-based multi-disciplinary artist Youniss Ahamad operates much like a quantum particle, constantly resisting categorization and knowability.

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