Mariam Nihal

Saudi Gazette

 

MASHROU’ LEILA (‘an overnight project’) was formed in the heart of Beirut. The band consisting of artists Hamed Sinno, Haig Papazian, Omaya Malaeb, Carl Gerges, Firas Abu-Fakhr, Ibrahim Badr and Andre Chedid started performing around Lebanon in 2008. The talented band went on to win various awards and fans for their profound belief in musical aesthetics flowing from the fabric of life and of course their dynamic surroundings. They released their first album Mashrou’ Leila in 2010, El Hal Romancy in 2011 and their third album Raasuk in 2013.



Saudi Gazette caught up with Firas from Mashrou’ Leila. He described Mashrou’ Leila as a band that makes music striving to influence the suffocating status quo of the music industry in the Middle East and beyond. He explained that Mashrou’ Leila writes music that seeks to defy the current cookie-cutter productions of Major Arab labels, and to elevate the status of independent music. The music talks about life, love and experiences of real members in a real city. Band members Hamed, Haig, Carl, Firas and Ibrahim produce music collaboratively to achieve this.



The project started as a workshop at university. “From the first moment that we wanted to produce something that was new and something that would challenge us and the people around us, and so we decided not to play any covers, and to sing in Arabic. These two conditions might seem trivial and straightforward, but they were the most important elements that pushed us individually and as a project.” Of course they have come a long way since.

The band has performed in Lebanon, Egypt, Jordan, Tunisia, the UAE and Qatar and next on the list is Morocco. A personal dream of Firas is to play in Damascus, soon.



“The past few years has seen Mashrou’ Leila travel the Middle East and the rest of the world on tours. The aim is to continue making challenging music and hopefully carve a space in contemporary Arab art not just for Mashrou’ Leila, but for all artists working towards the same goals. The aim is also to produce music that can cross the linguistic and Anglo-centric barrier of the music industry around the world.” Firas described art, architecture, design, nature, literature, film, theater, family, and love as their guiding light beyond music. Mashrou’ Leila’s music pushes you out of your comfort zone preset by Arabic and international music standards.



The band sparked national and international interest because of the changing parameters of their lyrics and genre. Many have questioned the real essence but the beauty remains in the ever-changing subjects touched with love and melodies.



For the band: “The genre of music we produce shifts constantly as we shift, it is a product of our desires, interests, and objectives at the time of writing. The subjects of our songs also change going from the embarrassingly personal, to the national, to the mythological. But somehow, in retrospect we realize that we talk about ourselves and the people around us.”



So has their vision changed since their first single? “The feeling is overwhelming, especially when we look back and remember those three and a half years ago, we were still students who were given an opportunity. We’re not sure we had a vision, we had desires and expectations, and along the road, we have made decisions that defined our vision and our expectations of what this project means to us, in terms of shaping the social and political environment around us on a global level, to the very individual level.”



Music is known to influences today’s generic consciousness as it has for previous generations. “We hope that it does and we hope that it especially influences those people who are living similar experiences, similar ambitions and similar motivations for change. And those people, thanks to the age we live in, are growing in numbers alarmingly quickly.”



Looking around for inspiration and local musicians in the scene, Firas said: “The local scene is producing powerful music, bands like Who Killed Bruce Lee, the Wanton Bishops, Postcards etc. are constant influences, and very good friends too.”



The band released their third album in August and is aiming for a European release in the coming months. “But we have already started working and writing, and there are several new songs taking shape.



Website: http://mashrou3leila.com/

 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mashrou3leila