Siraj Al-Ruh wrote “Mirrors” the day after he got fired. The pop/R&B single carries a blunt self-check: “I couldn’t be upset at everyone judging me because I spent a lifetime being judgmental myself.” Released on 17 January via Girls, Gays, and Theys Entertainment, it appears on the EP Is the Light On? and marks a clean break from his earlier work as Serenely Samer.
The Palestinian/Syrian-American artist, based in Los Angeles, renamed himself Siraj al-Ruh, Arabic for “Lamp of the Spirit”, to signal a shift in how he presents his voice and writing. He cites influences across gospel, soul, R&B, Arab pop, and older Arab music.
He has worked teaching music to children and in psychiatric units and detox settings, and he also maintains an online presence as El Mukhtar on TikTok and YouTube. In 2024, he opened for Stevie Wonder’s House Full of Toys benefit event, and in 2025 he contributed to the gospel album Don’t Take Your Spirit through KJLH Radio Free Voices.
Stream and listen to the EP HERE