Nemat Battah is a Palestinian-Jordanian singer, oud player, composer and educator based in Helsinki. She studied at the University of Jordan before completing master's degrees in Gothenburg and at the Sibelius Academy, where she now lectures and serves as Vice Head of the Global Music Department. Her work is rooted in Arabic classical and folk tradition - she has been singing from that repertoire since the age of eight - and she channels it into cross-cultural projects. As a member of the Finnish-Palestinian trio Wishamalii, she bridges Arabic-Andalusian muwashah songs with a Nordic jazz sensibility; the debut album Al-Bahr (Nordic Notes, 2024) received nominations for a Finnish Emma Award and the German Preis der deutschen Schallplattenkritik.
Wishamalii performed at the Flow Festival in Helsinki (August 8-10, 2025), one of Finland's largest music festivals.
Wishamalii was on the program of the Nawa Festival in Vienna, where Nemat Battah was also presented as a musician and teacher.
The Helsinki Jazz Festival programmed Wishamalii; the album Al-Bahr was described as awarded an Indie Award and nominated for an Emma Award and the Preis der deutschen Schallplattenkritik.
Wishamalii's debut album Al-Bahr was released on September 13, 2024 via the German label Nordic Notes.
Al-Bahr ended at position 52 in the World Music Charts Europe annual list for 2024.
