Verbathim

Verbathim is the debut studio album by Palestinian-Canadian singer-songwriter Nemahsis. It was independently released on September 13, 2024. The album contains 12 tracks including singles "Stick of Gum", "You Wore It Better", "Fine Print", and "Coloured Concrete".

Verbathim won Alternative Album of the Year at the 2025 Juno Awards and was shortlisted for the 2025 Polaris Music Prize for Best Canadian Album.

Background

Nemahsis began planning her debut album in November 2022 and had chosen the name Verbathim around the summer of 2023, later stating "I wanted [the title] to be as if someone grabbed my tongue in the middle of saying 'verbatim'."

In early October 2023, Nemahsis had signed a record deal for her debut album. Days later, she announced that she had been dropped from the label following the Hamas led October 7 attacks on Israel and Nemahsis's social media posts drawing attention to the subsequent Israeli blockade denying millions of Palestinians in Gaza access to food and water. On October 12, Nemahsis stated "My label just dropped me, a Palestinian artist, for being pro-Palestine". Nemahsis, who had been preparing to release her debut album through the label, stated she was "fully ostracized" after being dropped from the label and "didn't think there was going to be a future in music [for her]". After seeing she had been dropped from her label, Canadian producer 40 reached out to Nemahsis offering his studio and craft, which she accepted.

In the spring of 2024, Nemahsis traveled to check on her family in Jericho in the occupied West Bank which had been seeing an increase in settler violence. While there, her manager suggested shooting a music video for one of her tracks, with the artist deciding on "Stick of Gum". In April 2024, Nemahsis finalized a deal with a Toronto distribution label to release her album, only for the label to withdraw the deal the following day when she arrived to sign the papers. That night, Nemahsis decided to release her music with "no publishing, no distribution, no label", beginning with the track "Stick of Gum".

Release and promotion

On May 23, 2024, Nemasis independently released "Stick of Gum" as the lead single of her debut album along with the music video shot in Jericho, stating "Some people didn't even know Palestine existed until October, and now we want to show them in a way where we're humanized again." Through the summer, Nemahsis released the singles "You Wore It Better", "Fine Print", and "Coloured Concrete" towards the album.

On September 13, 2024, Nemahsis independently released her debut album Verbathim, with album artwork featuring her dressed as a nun "to show that the world doesn't have a problem with modesty, but rather a problem with hijab" and her tongue being held to represent censorship she has faced. After the release of the album, Nemahsis stated "I wanted people to mark my words with the things that I was saying long before October 2023. Then, I was stripped of all connection and ostracised."

In November, Nemahsis announced a North American tour in support of Verbathim, beginning January 2025 in Vancouver and ending late February in Montreal. On January 16, 2025, Nemahsis performed a stripped-down version of track "Miss Construed" on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.

Reception

Vijai Kumar Singh of Exclaim! gave the album an 8 out of 10, praising Nemahsis's "exceptional vocal delivery" and "introspective lyricism". Singh further stated "Stick of Gum" was a "defining moment for [Nemahsis]" and praised its music video, opining it is "a love letter to Hasan's homeland [that] feels like an act of radical, humanizing protest".

During its week of release, "Stick of Gum" was included in weekly music recommendation playlists including Nylon's "Soundcheck" and Pitchfork's "Selects".

Accolades

Awards and nominations

Track listing

Notes

• All tracks are stylised in all lowercase.