3YOONI

Yassin Mahdi was born in Baghdad, the capital of Iraq. Because of the war, his parents fled their home country with him, eventually arriving in Graubünden, Switzerland. Here he experienced the reality of being "othered" and that there is a problematic dominant narrative about Arab people. So it's no surprise that his music project critically addresses concepts such as identity, language, racism and orientalism - themes that he has explored over the years through his studies, work and also everyday life.
3YOONI fuses traditional Arabic rhythms and the echoes of oud arrangements with pulsating electronic beats and distorted synthesizers. The music is accompanied by his distinctive voice and lyrics in Iraqi Arabic.
The 3 in 3YOONI (pronounced: ayooni) refers to the Arabic letter ع "ayn", which looks like an inverted 3. In the Arab diaspora numbers are increasingly being integrated into the Latin script to represent the Arabic sounds. 3YOONI translates as "my eyes", which implies both affection and respect and is used not only for the loved ones but also for strangers. On 16 May 2025, exactly one year after the release of his debut single, 3YOONI will release his first album containing 10 songs digitally and on vinyl. It will be called Baghdad.