Have a conversation with Dua Saleh, and one thing is certain: The Sudanese-born, Minnesota-raised artist-actor thinks considerably deeper than practically anyone you’ve met.
Saleh, who’s transgender, nonbinary, and queer and uses they/them pronouns, was kind yet pensive upon our first meeting during their photo shoot last December. Just weeks later, we meet at an unassuming coffee shop in Glendale, where they’re seemingly refreshed and fulfilled after throwing an afternoon barbecue among neighbors. Wearing baggy jeans, black combat boots, and curly hair—a shift from their usual cornrows—Saleh gets right down to why they’re in the suburban area, just north of Los Angeles: They encountered a stalker at their previous apartment in East L.A.
“I kept gaslighting myself about it until my team was like, ‘This is strange,’” Saleh tells Tidal. “So I’ve only been here for a little while, but I’m making my environment a safe space for me and also for trans and queer folks.”
Despite the scare, Saleh has made a home out of their new location and unconventional artistry. Saleh makes community building an intention in their creative work, whether making a call to action in their 2023 promotional single “Daylight Falls,” dedicated to victims of genocide in Darfur, or challenging the cisgender gaze as Cal Bowman in the Netflix series Sex Education. Currently, they garner attention on social media for anti-trans and queer violence and ongoing international genocides, keeping their purview on sociopolitical activism.
“As somebody who did previously organize, I know there’s a lot more work that goes into organizing, a lot more community input and interaction,” Saleh explains between sips of a matcha latte. “So far, the ways that I have been able to interact have been through digital spaces and nonprofit spaces. There’s so many people who are going through things and I think if you have a platform, use it.”
Their empathy is particularly focused on those most impacted by the Israel-Palestinian conflict, as Saleh’s immediate family relocated from Sudan to several cities across the East Coast and the Midwest before settling in Minneapolis–Saint Paul. In the Twin Cities, Saleh’s progressive consciousness was informed by their origins but elevated through their poetry, art, and studies while attending Augsburg University, where they studied sociology, gender, and women’s studies.
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“A lot of people think it’s just another war that’s happening on Earth, which is understandable, but it’s deeper than that,” Saleh says about the Gaza war. “The violence is gratuitous and it’s exacerbated by the help of all the corporations and the governments trying to get access to the waterways and the ports that are through Palestine. So it’s disgusting that such an atrocity...is happening and people are hiding it.”
“I think somebody from Sudan has empathy or understanding of what true genocide looks like. For me, my language is completely not accessible,” they continued. “There’s only a handful of people who actually speak my language—it’s even called gibberish in Arabic.”
But Saleh’s language in music is shaped by their existence and gender expansion. Their musical praxis lies between holism and evolution, being intrinsic to their methodical songwriting craft while eyeing the futurities of pop and R&B. They made their nonconformist expression clear on past EPs Crossover, Rosetta, and Nūr, but on their debut album, currently untitled, Saleh’s in hedonist mode over an extent of sounds, some tracks glitchy and experimental. Their vocalization bends and trills on songs about sexual excursions and the vulnerabilities of romance, but Saleh insists that the album also has a “calm before the storm” message toward global climate change.
“It’s easy for me to come up with melodies and lyrics because I’m a writer—writing’s the core of who I am,” they say. “With poetry and other things, it was harder to think of full concepts as opposed to coming up with melody ideas. I feel like there’s more precision with my timelines for the storytelling.”
Their storytelling resonated with world renowned rapper Travis Scott, who handpicked a reference track from Saleh for his latest album, Utopia. Saleh was given the opportunity by chance via text from Bon Iver frontman Justin Vernon, ultimately landing a spot for “My Eyes,” the most poignant song on Scott’s album.
“I was in London at the time and I found out that he wanted it. Travis over a voice note, like, ‘Yeah, “My Eyes,” that’s the one. That’s definitely gonna be on the project,’” Saleh recalls. “I was shocked. It’s crazy, especially from an artist as big as Travis Scott; it makes you feel like you’re a kid again.”
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Saleh considered Scott to be groundbreaking years before working with the Houston native and calls his 2014 mixtape Days Before Rodeo “instrumental” within trap, pop, and R&B, similar to the boundaries that Saleh pushes on their new LP.
“I hadn’t heard anything like it before and I think it was one of the most creative ways to use autotune. We saw a shift in the musical climate as it occurred,” they say. “It’s weird to get an [icon] of culture to interact with you and also think that your music is good enough to be part of another historic moment.”
Saleh’s craft has been respected for years by the artist’s dedicated audience, but as others outside their fan base take notice—particularly Sex Education viewers—Saleh knows the responsibility that comes with being in the limelight.
“I’ve had to hide my trans identity and queer identity for such a long time. I knew I was nonbinary in high school, just reading on Tumblr, reading books, listening to podcasts, so I do feel a sense of accomplishment,” they say. “Sociologically, I’m aware of what’s happening, but I still kind of feel this warmth in my stomach when I’m allowed to just be myself, but I know there is a lot of pressure to be pristine online.”
“I’m aware that there’s a broader curiosity [about] my career from people. I can’t leave that in the back of my mind. I have to think about it constantly because it’s a part of my life now, being an actor,” they admit.
Being mindful doesn’t stop Saleh from exploring trysts on their new LP. Apart from being unreserved about their sexuality, Saleh shows an interest in dating, but they’re aware that the intimacy they seek often comes from wanting to be embraced as they are.
“I’m open to going on dates or meeting people just because I had a lot of time to sit in solitude, and I really enjoy my personal space in my alone time. But it’s always nice to be in love, to feel loved, to allow yourself to be immersed in that fully,” Saleh says. “Maybe that’s why the album came together so quickly, because I have that desire for love. I yearn, like any artist, to be seen, but also...I yearn to enjoy the depth of love, even the throes of it.”
As close-knit ties keep them grounded and in alignment with their purpose, we should all be in admiration of Saleh, who integrates truth and understanding within the totality of their ethos.
“In all of the media I’ve been a part of, it’s knowing that you are the identity for a lot of people, you’re the first person that they’re gonna see from that community,” Saleh says. “It’s kind of weird but a lot of people want to advocate for themselves because we’re strong as a community. We know who we are in every community.” ❤
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