Very proud of this one. It was an honour to talk to Moroccan musician Issam about his rapid ascent to the rarified areas of the music industry, his freewheeling creative process, his ambitions for the Arab creative scene, his love for the Casablanca neighbourhood of Derb Sultan and his fears.

It's the first profile I write and my first cover story.

You can read it here.

Thanks to GQMiddleEast editor in chief Adam Baidawi, producer Amira Elraghy. Creative direction and styling by Artsi Mous.