We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Karim Reslan a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Karim, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Let’s talk legacy – what sort of legacy do you hope to build?
Growing up in Lebanon during an environment of war, poverty and unemployment, playing the guitar was my escape from reality. A nihilistic approach to the music world in which a question of “will I survive to play this same riff tomorrow?” was asked often by myself and many musician friends I had. I joined the Lebanese Metal scene with close friends and relatives when I was 13 years old, we used to jam underground at a well-known music store owned by a family friend “Younis” where I was introduced to many subgenres of Metal, Punk, and Cross-over Thrash music. Our group of friends jammed almost every weekend there, it was like a drug to us, to escape from all that is real in Lebanon and convert it into heavy instrumentals and vocals. Around 15 years old, I travelled to the UAE to continue my education in Canadian International School, people of Abu Dhabi held great love for R&B and Hip-Hop sounds, so my journey took a turn when I dived into R&B singing, showcasing my voice and talent in music. After moving out of my parent’s at 18 and travelling to Ottawa, Canada, I found myself again, the metalhead child who converts emotions into heavy music of distortion. I’m 22 years old today, I founded the band “Grisogone” May 1, 2024, in which we do Grungecore music, inspired by Rock ‘n’ Roll, Punk, and Thrash Metal elements. Watching the way internet music is slowly fading and people wanting to enjoy live instrumental music done by REAL hard playing musicians, I finally was able to call Ottawa my home. The legacy I want to build revolves around my tough life experiences that I translated to lessons in lyrics of the music I make and the upcoming album Grisogone will be releasing this year! I want to be remembered for fearlessness, stepping out of the comfort zone in courage, and stage confidence.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.
I’m a multi-genre singer and instrumentalist, exploring a diverse musical palette through my sonic experimentation. Born and raised in Lebanon in 2002, my journey into music began in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, in 2017, driven by a deep passion for various genres. Recognized for infusing Arabic influences into my singing style, my track “Regrets” was featured on Spotify’s Editorial Playlist “Arab X” upon Tox-Sins album release, launching me into a global venture that has captivated audiences worldwide and expanded my devoted fanbase.
Currently based in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, I have collaborated closely with Juno Award-Winning Artist & Producer, Rich Kidd, and GCC R&B Artist, sobhhï, achieving a milestone with the release of the Kasanova EP. Apple Music has been instrumental in supporting my unique R&B sounds, featuring tracks like “Tonight” on the global playlist “R&B Now,” “I Ain’t Lonely” on “New Music Daily,” and my Arabic-English hit “Min Awwal Marra” reaching #1 on Apple Music Arabic’s “Mostakella” MENA playlist.
Throughout an era of bold experimentation, I have strived to inspire the sensual music scene. Join me in experiencing my latest R&B release “Seven Seas Away,” exclusively on Apple Music MENA’s “Today’s Hits” & “New in R&B.”
As for the continuation of my musical journey, I have taken the role of Lead Vocalist and Rhythm Guitarist for my band “Grisogone”, our latest release “Metal Pleasure” has granted us many open doors in the live music scene here in Ottawa!
How did you build your audience on social media?
During my teenage time before TikTok was a thing, there was Snapchat, Instagram, and Whatsapp which I personally viewed as Broadcasting platforms for me to take advantage of. Meeting as many people from different schools, making friends at parties and events, and adding as much people as possible on those 3 social media platforms. When it came to releasing music, I would construct a message that included the links to my release and socials, encouraging everyone to reshare it on their stories and tag me. This arose my popularity quickly in Abu Dhabi, say I sent this broadcast message to a total of 1000 people and each one of them had an average of 100 views on their stories, that’s a reach of 100,000 viewers with no initial budget, only personal connections of music lovers. From then I used this popularity tactic and advertised my success to outer countries. After making noise outside my region, it bounced back to the local scene which channeled various fanbases! The power of personal connections built my career, everyone around me made the artist I am and I in return will always give them good music.
What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?
Apple Music. I have deep appreciation for Apple Music Dubai’s Editor-in-Chief Samer Doumet. When I was discovered by Saif Ramahi, a former R&B artist in Abu Dhabi, he connected me with Apple Music, introduced me to the world of audio engineering and granted me success that I will always be grateful for. My top reputation boost is Apple Music’s placement of my songs on the worldwide popular playlists “Today’s Hits”, “R&B Now”, “Mostakella”, “New Music Daily”, “New in R&B”, as well as featuring me on the Browse menu banners, charts, and editorial descriptions on releases. Apple Music made the dream come true.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://grisogone.univer.se
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/karimreslan
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/@karimreslan
- Soundcloud: https://on.soundcloud.com/EoAXc7btDZ7ZeWH9A
- Other: Record Label: https://instagram.com/blackdimerecords
Google portfolio: https://g.co/kgs/2YBPnBp
Image Credits
Mackenzie Elliott
Instagram: @macdrip613