Aseel Massoud and Athrodeel Win InterContinental Music Award, Turning Displacement Into a Language of Unity
Aseel Massoud and Athrodeel Win InterContinental Music Awards, Transforming Displacement Into Shared Human Experience
At the 2025 InterContinental Music Awards, Syrian soprano Aseel Massoud and her cross cultural duo Athrodeel received recognition in the Fusion Music category. The award honors Athrodeel’s original composition “Refugee”, a work shaped by memory, displacement, and cultural heritage that continues to influence the duo’s artistic direction.
Athrodeel’s music does not reduce displacement to a single emotion or simplified narrative. It leaves room for complexity. Loss, pride, tenderness, and resilience exist side by side within the same work. Rather than trying to explain exile, the music reflects what it feels like to live with it.
Aseel Massoud and guitarist Ahmad Dyab formed Athrodeel around a shared musical vision. Together, they developed a sound that blends Middle Eastern vocal traditions with flamenco, classical guitar, and contemporary European influences. Based in Barcelona, the duo draws from both their Syrian roots and their experience building a life and career in diaspora.
The award winning composition feels personal without closing itself off to the listener. Themes of refuge and belonging remain central, but the music presents them in a grounded and direct way. Memory and present life exist next to each other, creating space for connection rather than distance.
Aseel Massoud’s artistic approach reflects a path that extends beyond music alone. Alongside her training in classical and operatic singing, she works as a medical doctor and music therapist. That background shapes the way she performs. Her technical control is clear, but it never feels detached. She uses her voice to communicate, not to impress.
The recognition of Athrodeel’s work reflects more than genre fusion. It points to a growing understanding of music as a form of cultural preservation and emotional processing, especially for artists whose stories involve movement, migration, and rebuilding.
This recognition matters because it reflects how global music is being heard and valued today. The InterContinental Music Awards brings together artists from more than seventy countries, many of whom work between traditions rather than within fixed categories. Athrodeel’s work sits in that space, honoring its origins while creating something new.
In recognizing Aseel Massoud and Athrodeel, the awards highlight music that prioritizes meaning over excess. Work that feels intentional, grounded, and focused on connection rather than spectacle.
You can watch Aseel Massoud’s acceptance speech below:
About the InterContinental Music Awards
The InterContinental Music Awards is a Los Angeles based international platform dedicated to recognizing outstanding musical talent across genres, regions, and cultures. Through its annual awards, artist features, and global community, the organization supports artistic integrity, cultural exchange, and connection across borders.
A full list of 2025 InterContinental Music Awards winners is available here.
Athrodeel’s Contact Info:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/athrodeelahmadaseel
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/p/Athrodeel-AhmadAseel-100051122647029/