Ginhawa | Ruhiya and Friends

An evening of music from Ruhiya’s debut album “Ginhawa”, featuring musicians Zayn Mohammed (guitar, oud, ney and rebab), Jason Reyes-Walsh (bass), and Filippo Galli (drums). Meaning breath in Visayan, “Ginhawa” is inspired by Ruhiya's matriarchal Filipino roots and explores themes of nature, spirit, and dreams. The songs share stories through soulful vocal melodies, percussive rhythms, Filipino folk, and jazz fusion.  

"...the soothing soundscape Mohammed has created provides the canvas for Ruhiya's beautiful voice" - John Clewly, Songlines Magazine

About the musicians

Ruhiya is a singer-songwriter with British, Irish, and Filipino roots. She has recorded with the Grammy award-winning Soweto Gospel Choir, toured Europe with Yarah Bravo, and performed a solo show with a 9-piece band at Joe’s Pub, New York. A SOAS ‘Music in Development’ graduate and a qualified sound healing practitioner, Ruhiya is passionate about the sacred dimensions of music, and its healing properties.

Zayn Mohammed is an award-winning jazz-fusion guitarist, multi-instrumentalist and music producer based in London. Drawing on his Near-Eastern, Malay & Subcontinental roots, Zayn fuses a wide range of styles including Jazz & Funk, Flamenco, Neo-Soul, Turkish Folk & Classical, & North Indian Classical Music, on instruments such as the guitar, oud, sarod, rebab, ney and percussion. Zayn regularly collaborates with world-renowned artists, and is a member of UK jazz supergroup, “True Think”. Zayn is producer and MD for Ruhiya’s album “Ginhawa”.

Jason Reyes-Walsh is a multi-instrumentalist/singer based in London. Originally from Manila PHL, he is primarily active on the jazz scene, working with artists such as Binker Golding, Jay Phelps, NYC Sax phenomenon Chad Levkowitz-Brown and serving as MD for world music crossover artist Nicki Wells’ solo project TURYA.

Filippo Galli is a drummer, born in Tuscany, Italy. His musical language combines bebop, funk, electronic music and rock. In 2015 Filippo moved to London where he had the opportunity to dig deeper into these musical languages and tour both nationally and internationally with artists including Phoenician Blinds and Fjokra.

Plus special guests TBA.

For questions or further details, please email SOAS Concert Series coordinator Georgie Pope on musicevents@soas.ac.uk