Mawja — Music

I started making music when I was 16, long before I wrote a line of code. Growing up in Sudan, music was everywhere — and I wanted to be part of it. I formed bands, wrote lyrics, recorded wherever I could, and performed in front of anyone who would listen. Music was my first language for building things: you start with an idea, you shape it, you refine it, and then you put it out there and see how people respond. When I moved to France, I stepped away from music to focus on software engineering. For years, code replaced everything. I built systems, managed infrastructure, worked on AI projects. It was demanding and rewarding, but something was missing. In 2022, after a long silence, I went back to the studio. I produced my first EP — KAKASHI — under the name Mawja. It was raw, honest, and exactly what I needed to make. It wasn't a comeback strategy. It was me remembering who I was before I became an engineer. Now I'm working on my next EP, Rockstar, set for release in August 2026. It's the next chapter — bigger, more focused, and a deeper expression of where I am now. Music is not a side project. It's part of my identity, the same way engineering is. If you've listened to KAKASHI, you already know the sound. If you haven't, now's a good time. I make Arabic rap and Sudanese rap, with hip hop production that draws from both my roots and my life in Europe. The music is personal. It's about identity, displacement, ambition, and the tension between who you were and who you're becoming. If that resonates with you, I think you'll like what's coming.