Well, like every story, it all begins with a memory. Unfortunately, I don’t have too many memories of my early childhood days, or better yet, I can’t remember them, but the ones that did last had a major impact on me and the person I became. 

By the way, it has almost been a year since I started this journey, and truth be told it has been incredible, not only because of the wonderful people that joined me but also because of the discoveries I made about myself. Who would have thought that many of the answers that we seek about our future can only be found by looking back. That is how I came up with “ᴀʟʟ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴀᴡᴀɪᴛꜱ ʙᴇɢɪɴꜱ ɪɴ ᴡʜᴀᴛ ʟɪᴇꜱ ᴡɪᴛʜɪɴ.”

With The Golden Hour, I wanted to create something that could go beyond music, a movement of sorts, if you will. The whole purpose of the project is to use my past struggles and my story to create a safe space where everyone can have a great time and where no one feels left out, especially if going through a rough spot in life. I’ve been there, believe me, I know first hand how difficult it is to be afraid to ask for help. Music helped me get through difficult times over and over again, so it was clear that with these songs I wanted to do more to explore life and the kaleidoscope of feelings that make it, especially trying to hint and sometimes go into detail about how it feels to be on the other side of the door.  

But let’s get back to the reason that drove me to choose this specific name. 

As some of you know, I have had the blessing and the curse of having traveled a lot in my life. I was born in Libia in 1992, and from there I have lived in 4 Continents, trapped in a cycle where I was forced to restart my life by moving to a new Country every number of years.

What I am about to tell is possibly my second earliest memory.

I still lived in Libia at that time, and if memory serves me right I was about   5 years old and sitting on the balcony of our old house. I remember seeing my older sister dry her hair while wearing a black t-shirt with neon palms on it (still cool before becoming “Retro-cool”, lol). The air was warm, and a gentle breeze moved the palms around us, sort of caressing us and everything that stood in its path. Behind those dancing palms, I saw something so majestic that my tiny heart skipped a beat. The hour felt like pure gold. Everything the sun touched suddenly felt more real and beautiful, and for the very first time in my life, I knew what it meant to “Feel” alive. Mind you, that is also the very first memory I have of a sunset, and considering the way it made me feel it came naturally when looking at my options to choose a name that sounded and felt like me. 

Thus The Golden Hour was born, and my dream came into focus once more, but this time it was the first step towards making it my reality. 

Through it, I got the opportunity to revisit and remind myself of what it means to feel alive.