Naima Shalhoub is a Lebanese Arab-American vocalist, composer, performing artist, and educator based in the Bay Area. Her multidimensional work explores the borderlands of belonging, remembrance, liberation, and the expansive quality of the voice - its power for fueling collective healing and social justice. 

Naima performs for theater productions, fundraisers, and presents at conferences such as the National Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation, and TEDxLAU in Beirut. Her work has been written on and supported by AJ+, San Francisco Chronicle, East Bay Express, Pop Matters, Electronic Intifada, Le Orient Le Jour, KQED, KPFA, 48 Hills and others. Her first full-length studio album, Siphr, was released on August 6th, 2020. Watch her most recent music video HERE. 

Her debut live album, Live in San Francisco County Jail, was recorded in 2015 alongside an audience of incarcerated women with whom she had been facilitating weekly “Music and Freedom” sessions for one year (many of whom participated in the performance). Produced in solidarity with movements to end the prison-industrial complex, the recording embodies Naima’s deeply-held belief that "you have something in this world, so stand for it" (Ghassan Kanafani). Watch the music video/documentary HERE. 

In addition to performing regularly from nationally-acclaimed venues to grassroots community event spaces, Naima has an MA in Postcolonial Anthropology and is a seasoned Restorative Justice practitioner and circle-keeper with experience in public schools, Juvenile Halls, and communities. She currently is an independent Restorative Justice consultant, trainer and practitioner, and is also on staff part-time at Restorative Justice for Oakland Youth (RJOY). Naima discovered a passion for creating handcrafted jewelry during quarantining in 2020 and launched naima grace at the beginning of 2021. 

Find out more about naima grace, Naima's hand-crafted jewelry line HERE.