MADAM is an international mixed-culture duo based in Dubai, renowned for their energetic performances, and their creative blending of diverse musical influences. With a unique fusion of traditional and contemporary styles, the duo is driven by the dynamic chemistry of a highly skilled fiddler and a versatile singer and multi-instrumentalist.
Creating high-energy grooves combining percussive instrumentals, vocals and beatboxing, world-class live looping, layered with soaring fiddle, MADAM seamlessly brings together innovative arrangements that connect audiences across different cultures worldwide.
A reflection of their backgrounds, MADAM offers a fresh, genre-defying sound that is accessible and engaging to all listeners.
Below is the interview with Miriam Willmott-Powell and Adam Baluch, MADAM Founders, conducted by our Editorial Team for Art&Gulf Magazine.
1. Growing up in different parts of the Gulf region (Dubai and Saudi Arabia), how have your unique upbringings influenced your musical style and the creative direction of MADAM?
Having been raised in the Gulf, we were fortunate that our musical upbringing incorporated a wealth of musical genres from every corner of the world, which shaped us as musicians from a very young age. As we were both homeschooled in unconventional families (respectively in Riyadh and Dubai), popular music was not something we were exposed to until much later in life. Our early education was heavily influenced by classical and sacred music. MADAM has allowed us to take all our musical influences and explore ways of bringing them together.
There is no blueprint for MADAM. The band is created for us, by us, and to allow us to be completely authentic and interpret music the way that we feel it.
2. The name MADAM cleverly combines elements of your names (Miriam and Adam). Beyond the wordplay, does the name hold any deeper significance or represent something specific about your artistic identity?
Our name started as a joke by Adam, as was then also suggested to us by many other people. As we explored different band names, looking for something that would work both in English and Arabic, and be memorable, MADAM stuck. It was convenient that Madam is also the name of a town in the United Arab Emirates, and we were lucky enough to have a photoshoot there, by the incredible photographer, Tina Hager.
As we developed the MADAM name and logo, with artists Darren and Shane Narara, we wanted it to reflect us both individually and together. Therefore, the lettering in our logo is comprised of triangles representing the Saudi architecture of the Najd province, where Miriam grew up, and the MADAM symbol is a Baluchi rug design from Adam’s heritage, symbolising love and harmony.
The band is created for us, by us, and to allow us to be completely authentic and interpret music the way that we feel it.
There is no blueprint for MADAM. The band is created for us, by us, and to allow us to be completely authentic and interpret music the way that we feel it.
3. As a homegrown duo based in Dubai, how do you see yourselves fitting into or standing apart from the city’s evolving music scene? What challenges and opportunities have you encountered as local artists?
Most bands desire a distinctive sound, and over the past two years we have worked hard to create something that we hope is unique to us, based on musicianship and originality. It hasn’t been an easy road. We faced a lot of push back early on from people who just didn’t quite get us – many of those people have since become our biggest supporters. It’s been fantastic to see people get on board with us and love and appreciate what we do. We’ve been told on a number of occasions that we’re filling a void people didn’t know existed.
There were times when it would have been easier to fold the idea of MADAM. However, we trusted the process, and knew we had something fresh to offer that was born and created of the Gulf region. We were also lucky enough to have had someone who supported us and gave us a platform to develop our craft, in a prestigious live venue. Ross Matthews-Smith, owner of Fibber Magee’s, took a gamble on us, and has a respect and loyalty to competent musicians that you rarely see in this region.
The local scene is a relatively new, evolving melting pot. However, there is a recent trend for entertainment and theatrics, as opposed to good music, occasionally leaning towards style over substance. Over the last few years, the market has become flooded with musicians, and venues are bringing in musicians from other countries, forcing down prices and making life difficult to sustain for local artists. We’ve noticed an increase in venues hiring based on price-range rather than standard, and treating musicians as a one-size-fits-all group.
However, there are still good opportunities for local musicians here in the UAE, and we’ve been fortunate enough to play some very prominent gigs, and to be nominated for an award. We’ve also had the chance to travel with MADAM and perform both across the Gulf, and further afield internationally. Our sound seems to resonate well in Bahrain, and we can’t wait to bring what MADAM has to offer to Saudi Arabia and Oman in the future. We’re starting to attract a fair amount of global attention through our social media and live performances, and we are currently planning a tour of the UK over the summer.
4. Your description mentions being an “eclectic duo.” Could you elaborate on the range of musical influences and genres that shape your sound, and how you bring these diverse elements together in your performances?
For both of us growing up in the Gulf, we were exposed to a wide range of genres and styles, from local and international expatriate communities. This experience influenced and shaped us in completely different ways.
Miriam: As a young teenager I listened predominantly to Arabic music and also discovered fiddle music from Scotland and Ireland. I was particularly drawn to the melodic element, and to the bright tone of certain fiddle players – I was spurred on to try and achieve a similar tone myself. In my family we mostly played solo instruments or sang, giving me a focus on melody, various scales, and different fiddle styles, which I bring to MADAM.
Adam: Although trumpet and piano were my first instruments, there were drums from all over the world around the house that I would play daily. At a young age I discovered how different rhythms from around the world worked. I have adapted those skills I learned as a kid to be rhythmically in the pocket for MADAM, using guitar, beatbox, stomp-box, percussion, keyboard, trumpet, and loop-station.
Our performance, although very broad, is somehow cohesive. We combine ballads with film scores, hip-hop with traditional Celtic and classical, sea-shanties with Egyptian pop, fiddle with beatbox, and layered live-looping. Through our individual influences of Adam creating a percussive instrumental groove, and Miriam weaving melodies and harmonies on top, we’ve been able to explore music our own way.
We combine ballads with film scores, hip-hop with traditional Celtic and classical, sea-shanties with Egyptian pop, fiddle with beatbox, and layered live-looping.
5. Both of you share the experience of being raised in Gulf culture while presumably being exposed to various international influences. How does this cultural duality manifest in your music, and how do you balance honoring your roots while exploring new creative territories?
We both come to MADAM with years of musical experience; Adam having worked as an international solo artist, living in the UAE and abroad, and Miriam having played in bands in Saudi and the UAE. When we met, we were surprised by our shared experience of upbringing and culture, and upon our first jam, we knew there was something special musically that we could develop. The Gulf is always pushing the boundaries of possibility and innovation, and as musicians that have grown up here, we feel it’s our obligation to do the same.
We feel that we can be just as creative in the repackaging of covers as we can be in creating our own originals. We’re constantly throwing stuff at the wall to see what sticks. Sometimes we get it right, and sometimes we don’t. We feel we have to take the risk, because when we get it right, as we were once told, “it’s almost supernatural how it all works perfectly”.
MADAM is not just a musical act—it’s a movement born from the Gulf, shaped by the world, and designed to challenge the boundaries of genre and geography.
In a region that’s still defining its cultural identity on the global stage, MADAM stands out as a bold and authentic voice—fiercely original, yet deeply rooted. Their story is one of trust, tenacity, and transformation. They’ve created a sound that’s impossible to label but universally felt—where Celtic fiddles meet Middle Eastern rhythms, and every note pulses with emotion, innovation, and intent.
As cultural ambassadors of a new kind of Gulf-grown creativity, MADAM proves that when artists are true to their roots and fearless in their vision, they don’t just entertain—they inspire, connect, and redefine the musical landscape.
Whether on an intimate stage or an international tour, MADAM brings more than music—they bring a message: that fusion is strength, and that music, when crafted from soul and story, speaks louder than borders.
Their journey is only just beginning. And for audiences worldwide, MADAM is a name—and a sound—you won’t forget.
