Women in Saudi Arabia are officially allowed to drive, and now they have their own soundtrack to cruise to. A female rapper from the Kingdom has gone viral after dropping a track that celebrated the lifting of the long-standing ban that prohibited Saudi women from getting behind the wheel. Following King Salman’s historic decree coming into effect on June 24, the artist, who goes by Leesa A, uploaded a song entitled “10/10” — 10/10 is a reference to the date the driving ban was lifted according to the Islamic calendar to YouTube. The track was accompanied by a music video highly reminiscent to M.I.A’s 2012 visual for “Bad Girls”, that showed her driving for the first time and celebrating the fact she no longer needs to rely on a chauffeur anymore.
“I don’t need anyone to take me, drivers’ license with me,” she raps behind the wheel of a Hyundai. “I am not kidding, today I can drive myself. The steering wheel in my hands, the pedal under my foot.” The video has since racked up thousands of shares on Instagram and YouTube, with more than 2.5 million combined views.
Leesa A wasn’t the only Arab woman to celebrate the lifting of the driving ban with a music video. Similarly, the Berkeley College of Music teamed up with PRI’s The World (a public radio news magazine) to create a soulful rendition of the Beatles’ famous 1965 song, “Drive My Car”. The cover was overseen by Palestinian cellist Naseem Alatrash and Syrian singer Nano Raies, who joined forces to produce an Arabized interpretation of the song as a celebration of the lifting of the ban. The collective name of the back-up violinist, percussionist, qanun player, and bassist, The 6-2-4, is a reference to the landmark date. The lyrics were re-written by Raies from a Saudi woman’s point-of-view.
The lifting of the ban was first issued in a royal decree by King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud last September, and now women are legally able to drive themselves throughout the Kingdom, ending a dependence on private chauffeurs. The reform falls under the Kingdom’s Vision 2030, a social and economic blueprint helmed by Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman.
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