The Breakdown: Nemahsis

“I’ve always been the underdog, and I’ve always respected the underdog, and I just didn’t think I’d be the underdog for this long,” Nemah Hasan, the artist known as Nemahsis, tells Rolling Stone in the latest episode of The Breakdown. In an emotional pause, she adds: “I’m just gonna take a moment. I’m so sensitive. I’m such a Pisces.”

In early October of last year, Nemahsis had flown to Los Angeles and signed a record deal. A few days later on Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas militants launched an attack on Israel, marking the beginning of a brutal war between Israel and Hamas. Shortly after, Nemahsis was dropped from her label.

“A year ago, I was in a situation where I had an album that every label was like fighting over,” she says, looking back at that time. “If I wanted a session with anyone I could most likely get it. It was like the easiest thing, because my talent, my music, spoke for more than what I look like and stuff. I didn’t want to do it alone, but I realized that it’s what was meant to happen. I think with this album, it no longer was mine, but it was more of a stance, I was making by releasing it and persevering.”