Amin Rezgui: Music with purpose
He was born in the 90’s, were outfits for men included bright t-shirts, colored jeans, striped sweaters, and leather jackets with sneakers. Most of the songs were played on the radio or, if you were lucky, you had the CD’s. Aside rap, reggae, contemporary R&B and urban music in general remained extremely popular throughout the decade, urban music was often blended with styles of soul, funk and jazz, resulting in fusion genres. That fusion is what characterize the essence of Amin Rezgui’s music.
For the third of three brothers, raising up in Kef at the northwest side of Tunisia, life was real fun. It was a middle-class home, and his parents were very well-known and cared in the neighborhood. His mom was a beloved 3rd grade teacher and his dad, the Police Superintendent. So, Amin’s childhood evolved in a safety-net environment.
Amin was a highly active boy. Full of energy, he was always outside with his skateboard playing with his friends, “stealing” some fruits from the neighbor’s trees, organizing skateboard competitions, and more. But one day, when he was 8 years old, something changed his life. “My plan was to do skateboarding maneuver to get everyone’s attention. But it did not go well, and I fell, suffering a strong contusion in my left leg”, said Amin, explaining that even he was feeling hurt, he stood up and continue pretending that everything was fine.
The real problems begun few days later, when a high fever let his family know, that something was not right. “I got a huge infection and had to stay in the hospital for months. I remember doctors saying that I may need a leg amputation. My mom, dad, and brothers were so sad and scared. I was scared too but I always have faith that everything was going to be alright”, explained Amin.
During those months at the intensive care unit of the hospital, Amin met lot of sick children. Most of them died. Those experiences changed his way of thinking. He learned to value life, how important was to be kind and friendly to each other, and that a physical disability does not define you.
“There were great doctors that help me improve my medical condition and I got better. During the months of recovery, I read lot of books and one of them was about this blind man and how he overcome obstacles to become a great musician. That is when I ask my mom to bring me a guitar. I was going to be a great musician. If my legs were not going to be fit enough for doing skateboarding, my hands were going to be the best for playing guitar, such as the man of my book”, told us Amin.
At that moment, music became the new lifestyle for Amin. “Music is everything. It is about feelings, about connections, about diversity, about authenticity”, said Amin. “I can describe music as this energy that make things work and what brings people together, no matter what language they speak, music is universal language”.
Although he learned to play guitar in a self-taught way; Amin had the opportunity to study at the University of Music of Sousse in Tunisia, where he was able to participate in well-renowned international music festivals, such as: Regional Music Festival, Street Tunis Festival, 24 Hour Theater Non Stop, Boumakhlouf Festival, Jendouba Guitar Festival, among others. Also, he performed in different restaurants and lounges in the touristic area of Sousse, such as: The Salon, Gepart Sousse, Golfbrau, Jazz Café, and many more.
In 2015, he moved to Puerto Rico and for the last 2 years, he has performed on the music scene in Orlando and Kissimmee Florida. In 2018, he completed a certificate in Logic Pro from Berklee College of Music, after receiving a scholarship for outstanding music producers and composers.
He speaks fluently English, French, Tunisian Arabic Traditional Arabic; and has basic knowledge in Spanish. He is passionate about world music and believes that music and the arts are the most powerful tools to unite society and eradicate discrimination.
“In the face of the unfortunate events caused by the discrimination based on race, gender and socioeconomic levels in the United States and the world, music represents a path of love for diversity and integration”, said Amin with full conviction. “For that reason, I believe in fusion, not only into music but into our lives”, established.
“Music represents a path of love for diversity and integration.” – Amin Rezgui
You can follow Amin Rezgui at:
https://instagram.com/rezgui.amin2
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