Boxing ourselves into a single identity sometimes seems inevitable in our world. We all trend towards seeking a niche or claiming a title. This practice can be great in a sense where it allows us to admire and see ourselves in each other. But what if it’s also programming us to miss out on our deeper narratives.
A title highlights our status and wins, but it doesn’t show the nitty gritty of our daily grind, the relationships we nurture or move on from, the hardships, the smaller successes and moments. It makes you wonder if viewing each other through a one dimensional label is disingenuous and selling ourselves short.
What would it look like to place more value on who we are? View standards of success as something that encompasses all our layers: our ancestry, who we are as a grandchild, child, sibling, friend. Our experiences, and plenty of mistakes and triumphs we make. Who are we professionally? Where do we stand politically?
You’re the singer, the filmmaker, the writer, the doctor, the athlete. But what’s the full range of pieces and little moments that make you who you are?
It’s in these little moments that are often most defining and memorable on our journey towards our goals. And do these moments ever resonate through music? A specific verse or instrumental that hits and stays with you. Can you learn more of someone’s personality through the music they treasure?
What are the songs or lyrics that instantly give you chills or goosebumps? The songs that drive, influence, motivate, or inspire you. Maybe it changes how you feel towards yourself or the world, pushes you to make a big decision, brings you hope, spits you out of an overthinking spiral, consoles your grief.
Rolling Stone MENA asked these major athletes what songs might best represent certain personal moments in their lives and what stories or emotions come up with it. A dig into the music that’s supported them as an athlete and a person.
Imane Khelif
Entering her neighborhood and coming back home was different this time. Once a young girl from Tiaret, says she’d look at herself now in “wide-eyed amazement.” Imane Khelif – now an Olympic gold medalist boxer, genuine advocate for Algerians, the Arab World, and athletes worldwide – came back to Algeria after Paris 2024 with the flag held high.
“Stepping off the plane was deeply emotional and one of the most beautiful experiences of my life. Children ran toward me, neighbors applauded, and my family embraced me with tears of joy. There were smiling faces and flags waving everywhere. It brought me back to my beginnings, to the streets where I used to run and train, and the memories that shaped me into a fighter in the ring,” Imane remembers openly.
Drawing from her roots, Imane reflected on her growth and continued to picture how her younger self would view her now. “Everything I endured, the injustices and hardships, was part of the path I needed to walk to reach this strength and this place today. The young Imane practicing sport in a modest gym in Tiaret could never have imagined one day standing on an Olympic podium.”
While Imane’s massive legacy continues to reverberate around the world, we explored what life looks like now and what she hopes for in the future. “On a personal level, I aim to balance my sporting career with my private life, to stay close to my family who always give me strength.” I also look forward to investing in myself beyond the ring and being a source of inspiration for young girls who dream of going further than they ever imagined.”
And her legacy: “I would like to be remembered as a woman who never gave up, who turned sport into a mission and boxing into a path to inspire generations and open horizons for every girl to believe her dream is worth fighting for.”
Imane Khelif’s Songs
Did you have a pre-Olympic match pump-up song you would like to share? / Imane’s pre-Olympic match pump-up song: “Lose Yourself” by Eminem
“I always have music with me before fights. It is part of my ritual. At the Olympics I chose a song with a strong beat and lyrics that fired up my fighting spirit. The song was ‘Lose Yourself’ by Eminem. Since I was young, I loved listening to Eminem. Sometimes I even felt as if he was speaking directly to me in his lyrics.
“The first time I heard it, I was training in a small gym in Tiaret. I never imagined I would still be listening to it years later on the world’s biggest stage.For me, that song was more than just a melody. It was fuel. It cleared my mind of tension and made me feel like a fighter stepping into the ring with an unbreakable spirit.
“Before every fight, when I put on my headphones and listened, it awakened every memory of struggle, every year of training, every tear, every pain. It gave me what I can only call a ‘beautiful anger.’ The kind that fuels the fight but keeps me centered and calm inside. And when I took off my headphones and walked toward the ring, I was no longer just Imane, the calm person. I was Imane the boxer, ready to explode with positive energy against my opponent.”
Is there a memorable song that you and your team love and listen to together while training or maybe on the way to tournaments? / One of Imane and teams songs: “Chan Chan” by Buena Vista Social Club
“We usually just talk about boxing and legends of the sport. Sometimes, though not often, we listen to Cuban songs. I love Cuba, and my coach is Cuban by origin.”
Do you have a song that embodies the strength or toughness you have? / Imane’s song that embodies her strength and toughness: “Unstoppable” by Sia.
“Unstoppable by Sia, it represents strength and determination, and encourages carrying on despite challenges.”
I read that your mom has always been a huge advocate for your journey as an athlete. Is there a song that you and your mom love that reflects this support, her belief in you, maybe in younger years or currently?
“Yes, there is an Algerian song, “Al-Walida” (“The Mother”) that I sometimes listen to with my brothers.”
A song that represents your come up story and the obstacles you faced to train and grow in this sport?
“There is not a specific song that tells my story in detail. I hope one day a new song will be written that does. And I promise I will listen to it always.”
Fadi Aldeeb
Things are changing every second in Palestine. As a Gazan and Palestinian national team parathlete Fadi Aldeeb, shared how everyday is beyond painful.
“In this current situation with the genocide in Gaza, my inability to return to Gaza, and the loss of my brother and many members of my family, a wound controls my emotions and my life and you are powerless to help them, but I am trying to pull myself together to present an honorable example of the Palestinian athlete,” he heavily described.
In 2001, during the Second Intifada, Fadi was shot in the back by an Israeli soldier. And now during the current devastating genocide in Gaza, he mourns the killing of his brother and many other family members.
“This sadness, this crying, it gives me power. We’re not machines. Palestinians carry so much love – the biggest hearts about everything.” Fadi describes. “But it’s not the time for crying. When we take our land, when we have our freedom…” that’s when we cry, he explains.
This past summer, Fadi competed in the Paris 2024 Paralympics in shot put. He plays wheelchair basketball at high-levels internationally, and also is a decorated athlete winning six medals in shot put, discus, and javelin throw. “I wasn’t competing for myself or to my name in Paris. It’s not about my name. I had a responsibility to represent my country. – we have hopes, dreams, goals.”
Now living abroad, Fadi plans to do what he can for his people. “I want to gather all these experiences, whether as a player or a coach, and transfer them to my country.” He shares, with hopes to also bring quality wheelchairs to Palestinians with disabilities.
Fadi describes how all his moves outside of Gaza have felt difficult. With constant worry for his family living there and trying to do what he can outside, he explains the importance of respect during this time. “This is the meaning of respect. You can’t celebrate, be out here playing, laughing, enjoying the moment with this suffering. All I can think about is my people. – It’s hard to eat while your family is starving. I’m scared to even publish a photo of me doing sport.”
And when it comes to Palestine and others asking what they can do: “Palestine is home to the Palestinians. If you want to solve the problem, know it’s not you that is going to solve the problem, go to the Palestinians and ask them what they want.”
Fadi Aldeeb’s Songs
Olympic song of strength / A song that represents being at the Paralympics while your heart and mind were still in Gaza: “Rajieen” by Various Artists
“The song’s lyrics are that distance has separated us, but we will return one day and we will not forget our land and we will remain the voice of its youth and its streets. When I’m competing, I feel like I have something to fight for. It gives me energy.”
Is there a song that you and your family love that reflects their support for you as an athlete? Or just a sentimental song between you all? / A sentimental song between Fadi and his family: “Yehmy Elshaj3ya” by Khaled Faraj
“It’s not about a specific song, but my family especially cherishes songs that praise the El Shuja’iyya area in Gaza, the place where my family and I were born and raised. These songs hold a special place in our hearts. They carry the memories, pride, and identity of our home. When I come back to listen it doesn’t make me feel darkness it makes me feel hope. These traditional songs give great energy and strength.”
A song that represents your come up story – the obstacles you’ve faced to train and grow as an athlete and coach?/ A song that reflects the obstacles Fadi’s faced to train and grow as an athlete and coach: “Everyone Is No. 1” by Andy Lau
“This song is deeply meaningful to me because I listened to it at the very beginning of my sports journey, shortly after acquiring my disability. At that time, someone with more experience was challenging me, and this song gave me the motivation to push through every obstacle. It reminded me that with dedication and belief, anyone can reach their goals.”
Do you have a song + story that makes you think of home? Your childhood, teenage years, early adulthood? / A song that makes Fadi think of home: “We Will Stay Here”
“It’s an anthem about the steadfastness that we were raised on in Gaza. It reminds me of my steadfast family and friends in Gaza. Each one of us, despite the difference in our profession and outlook on life, we agree that our origins are from this land and we will not leave it or give it up.”
What do you listen to when you’re not “Fadi the athlete”? Away from the training and competing? / What Fadi listens to when he’s not “Fadi the athlete, away from training and competing”: “Fat El Ma’ad” by Oum Kalthoum
“When I’m not Fadi the athlete, I enjoy listening to classic Arabic oldies, especially Umm Kulthum.”
Abdelrahman Elaraby / Haridi
Leaving home to take advantage of opportunities elsewhere can be risky. It has you weighing the pros and cons and questioning what’s going to come of the leap. When Abdelrahman Elaraby, also known as Haridi, left Egypt to swim D1 on a full ride in the states, he had a jumble of these contemplating thoughts beforehand. “I was excited, but I was scared at the same time. I didn’t have scared feelings of being alone or leaving my family. It was more like, I’m scared this is not going to be worth it.”
Looking back now, he can say it was. What was once a sport he was forced to do as a kid, now brought him huge wins, an NCAA title, medals, and recognition. But after closing out his collegiate career, Haridi experienced the drop-off that many athletes can relate to. “College coaches drop you off. Like, like you don’t mean anything, like you haven’t done anything for the sport, for them, for the program, it’s heartbreaking.”
This limbo had Haridi trying to piece together a new identity. Ironically, he got a corporate job helping athletes deal with this same drop-off. “It was kind of ironic,” he shared. “At some point I had the conversation with myself: am I really just not wanting to let go, or is it really worth it (to keep swimming)?”
Haridi chose to continue and coach himself. “I won’t do that again, to be honest with you,” Haridi describes the experience. In recent meets in Monaco and Barcelona, he broke records and became the fastest Egyptian swimmer. “I couldn’t celebrate, because I’m thinking, What could I have done better?” he explains. “It was so much pressure, because I’m the coach, the head coach, the planner. I say, what meets do we go to? What are we going to swim at training camp? What’s the load going to be like? When are we de-loading? Plus I’m the strength coach, the nutritionist, and I’m my own mental coach.”
Haridi, burnt out and rethought everything while warming up at the World Championships, “I had this existential question of like, do I really know what I’m doing?”
And now moving back home to Egypt was another big change for Haridi. “It was really scary at the beginning. It still is. I don’t know how things are gonna look in five months or even five weeks. It’s exciting, but it also makes me doubt and go back and forth. I’m taking my time with it.”
When reflecting on his journey and looking at younger him, “I’ve always been critical with my reflection, but I’ve been learning to reflect gracefully. Recently, I came across something on TikTok or Instagram, which said, like, would your 13 year old self think you’re cool. And, like, I paused for a second. I think my 13 year old would think I’m his role model. I was excited about it.”
When envisioning his hopes for the future, he has big goals for swimming but also painted a different vision, sharing what he’d like to eventually create back home. “I want a pool that kind of feels like a university auditorium where, you swim, lift, study – I want people to have what I had for the last seven years, but I want them to have it for the span of when they’re 13 until 33. I want them to have everything they need and want in that pool.”
Haridi’s back in the pool now after a short break and has big hopes for his swimming too.
Abdelrahman Elaraby’s Songs
A song younger you listened to, maybe pre-university time: “Kan Fe Tefl” by Ahmed Kamel
“I’m more of a smells guy, like, if something smells like something, that’s what takes me back to memories. (With) songs. It’s very rare, honestly, but recently, I heard a song by Ahmed Kamel. It’s called “Kan Fe Tefl.”
The song’s about a guy that’s kind of lonely, or alone. And then, like he’s describing how it feels cold even when he’s standing in the sun, things like that. And the first time I heard that song was actually when I was on my way to the airport to leave Egypt and start with the University of Louisville. And then I recently heard the song driving back from somewhere. It was late at night, a month ago after Worlds. And then, it hit me out of nowhere that, like, time really passes so fast.
And basically what happened is… eight or seven years of my life just flew. I met people, I left people, I made friends, I’ve gone through stuff, I’ve won medals, I’ve done all these great things. And it just all happened in a glimpse of an eye. I think it was a very strong feeling of nostalgia.
So I think it’s like two very different emotions, I think fear and worry in, like, the first incident where, like, I was departing Egypt to Louisville, and then it was like grace and nostalgia the second time when I was driving back, which is crazy that one song could have, like, two very different effects at two very different times.”
A song that gets you pumped up for your races/pre-race pump up jam: “Dead To Me (Slow + Reverb)” by Sex Whales & Fraxo featuring Lox Chatterbox
“I have ADHD so I hyperfixate on songs and then they disappear.
It’s one of those TikTok edits with a very strong base drop. It activates, like this switch of personas or personalities that I could easily go into. I don’t know how to explain it exactly but, if that song plays anywhere for me, it reminds me of like chlorine, performance, adrenaline, racing.I get excited [for my races] but I stay calm so I can use the excitement for this one moment. It’s almost like you’re playing a video game and your character has like this one big energy kick that is going to knock down their opponent. But like, if you use it wrong you use it wrong. This is how I am before races, I’m calm, I’m not jumping, slapping, and doing all these things. I’m calm so I can really go when it’s time to go.”
A song that lifts your mental spirits, brings you hope or strength, describes an emotional time/songs that heal or soothe you mentally: “I’m Good” by David Guetta & Bebe Rexha
“I immediately smile when I hear this song. [First heard it] – I went to Tampa to visit my best friend. (At the time) I hadn’t seen him all summer. He moved to Tampa and I went back to Louisville.
The song had just went viral. (My friend) he also hyperfixates on songs so he played it like 19 times and one of the times we were out at a get together and it was such a bromance moment where we like sang the song, word for word, smiling, dancing. And then we hugged each other and he was like ‘Bro I’m so glad you’re alive. I’m so glad you’re here with me and I’m able to do all this crazy stuff with you’. We had a lot of fun that night.”
A song that gives you goosebumps or brings you back to a very specific, nostalgic-type moment: “Dorothy” by Julia Anrather and “Ya Lalaly” by Mohamed Mounir
(1) “The first time I heard it, I was on a date and driving back. It kind of felt like a scene in a movie, where we’re all really really in love. We were not. The song played, we were on the highway, the wind was blowing in our faces. And I kind of felt like I was driving on the clouds, to be honest. Like it felt like this day was too good to be true. It was. – it was really fun, the song makes me feel like im driving on the clouds”
(2) “This is another song that makes me feel like I’m driving on the clouds, but I wasn’t on a date when I heard it.”
