Afef Jmili

Name, where are you from?
Afef Jmili, my stage name is Miragal. I was born in Morocco and raised in Italy since the age of four.

What do you do?
I’m a singer/songwriter.

Describe your style in three words?
Moody-feminine-vintage.

What’s the best gig you’ve ever been to?
I’ve been to very few gigs surprisingly, but one of the latest was club to club in Turin and I had the chance to hear and get to know a fellow Moroccan artist, a rapper called Issam Harriss. I loved the set and how the crowd around me was vibing to it even if not understanding a single word, I felt like being in my homeland again but in a different dimension!

If you could be on the line up with any two bands in history?
The perfect line up would be SZA which I adore and take a great deal of inspiration from and Sade, she’s a legend and an idol of mine.

If you could spend an hour with anyone from history?
I would spend an hour with Umm Kulthum, the mother of Arab music. She was active from the '30s to the '50s, she’s a legend that helped spread the poetry and magic of Arab music. Her songs were literal poems of 30/60 minutes, orchestral masterpieces. It would be incredible to hear about her journey.

Of all the independent venues you’ve played in Italy, which is your favourite?
I definitely loved playing here in Milan for Pride week in 2019 at Spazio LUMe. The energy I felt through that crowd made me overcome the initial stage nervousness. I was also going through a rough period, that night helped me regain a bit of confidence in myself and my talent. There was smoke and red lights, the stage was at the end of a tunnel, I loved the almost sci-fi like vibe, I felt like a mirage singing to a lost crowd. I really loved my outfit: I wore a very see-through Moroccan Caftan on top of a sparkly crystal bikini.

Your greatest unsung hero or heroine in music?
Kylie Minogue, she’s paved the way for all of the pop girls of today and it’s sad to see that a lot of people don’t know about her impact, about her art. I love rewatching every single video of hers, especially from the Fever era, I repeatedly fall in love with the 2k aesthetics, the outfits, the art direction and the catchy lyrics as if it’s the first time.

instagram.com/miragemiragal