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Talented composer Zaina Arekat has launched her first instrumental album despite losing her vision as a teenager and suffering from a rare type of muscular dystrophy that has left her bed-bound and needing the use of a ventilator.
A 10-track album entitled Mind Journey, which features nine original songs and one cover as a tribute to her favourite band Within Temptation, took the 27-year-old around a year to complete from the sanctuary of her bedroom in Barbar.
She spends most days and nights playing her electric guitars, composing and creating music which is loaded on to YouTube and fans, totalling more than 1,000, now follow her on social media.
“I got to the point where I wanted to share my story, my emotions and my thoughts with the world,” said Zaina, a Bahraini who has Palestinian roots. “The comments and messages that I received from viewers around the world encouraged me to continue playing.”
Her musical enterprise is fully supported by her family - mum Majdoleen, an art entrepreneur and business management university senior lecturer, businessman dad, Ziyad, and her sisters Hiba, a 25-year-old architect and student Sumaya, 20.
Zaina added: “I had been considering creating an album for a while but I never really gave it much serious thought. However, Hiba kept encouraging me and suggested sharing my music with others on social media channels. She inspired me to upload my guitar covers.
“She was always supportive and even helped me create my channel and posted me playing. Now, I do it myself through a voice activation feature on my smartphone but my sister still records and uploads for me too.
“That’s when I began taking the idea of creating an album more seriously. I also wanted to share my story through music to raise awareness about Nemaline Myopathy, a rare form of muscular dystrophy that very few people seem to have heard of.”
Zaina was diagnosed with the condition when she was four. At the time she was like any other child, able to walk, run and play happily without a care in the world. However, her health deteriorated over time and when she reached her teens she became wheelchair-bound, later becoming bedridden and needing machines to help her breathe.
People with Nemaline Myopathy suffer muscle weakness throughout the body, but it is typically most severe in the muscles of the face, neck, trunk and other muscles close to the centre of the body (proximal muscles), such as those of the upper arms and legs.
It is a congenital, hereditary neuromuscular disorder with many symptoms that can occur such as hypoventilation, swallowing dysfunction and impaired speech ability. It is caused by a variety of genetic defects, each one affecting one of the filament proteins required for muscle tone and contraction.
Her sister Sumaya has the same condition but can still get around using a wheelchair.
Zaina said: “During my earlier school years it wasn’t fun. I can’t say that the kids were cruel, but they were not the nicest. I just learned to ignore their comments and move on, they annoyed me sometimes, but I never let it really get to me or upset me.
“My high school days were good though and I had great classmates and friends. They were very understanding of my condition and they were always there for me when I needed help with things because of my disability.”
Zaina graduated from Al Sanabil Private School in 2007 and took up an online graphic design course as she loved creating art but found it difficult after her eyesight started to fail. She then contracted pneumonia at 19 and lost her vision completely.
Zaina said: “I won’t lie, it was terrifying at first and adapting to the new situation was not easy. It took me quite some time to get used to it. Hiba convinced me to pick up the guitar again because I used to play back when I was younger.”
She always had a fondness for music, particularly instrumentals across various genres, including Arabic and English pop and classic rock.
Zaina had a few classical guitar lessons before deciding on an independent path and with the help of online guitar tutorials she learned to master the instrument.
“The physical limitations and obstacles have always been a struggle, even with making music,” she admitted, “but so far, I’ve always managed to walk around the obstacles and find a way to achieve what I set out to do.
“The sounds of heavy electric guitars combined with powerful symphonies and melodies really attract me. I also love European folk and medieval music.”
Zaina is a great fan of legendary guitarist Richie Blackmore of Deep Purple, Rainbow and Blackmore’s Night fame. “I love his music and wanted to learn to play like him.
“It was hard at first, learning to handle a guitar. Due to my weak muscles, my fingers didn’t seem strong enough to press down on the strings properly, but it got better over time. I still struggle with certain chords, but, again, I have found ways to play around them.”
When composing her album, she also turned to Dutch musician, Arjen Lucassen and the band Within Temptation. She loved the way Arjen told a story through his album The Source and how Within Temptation would try out different music styles on their albums, especially on Hydra.
“Those musicians inspired me the most, so I decided to tell my own story with my instrumental music using multiple styles and genres, then the complete idea for Mind Journey came about.
“I would describe my music as ‘progressive’. I explored different music genres on my album, such as acoustic, folk, soft rock, symphonic metal and oriental metal. Each song is different from the other and has a unique feel.”
In her album, Zaina takes listeners on a musical journey with various instrumental pieces. She focused on medieval times with songs such as Majestic Realm and Mind Journey. Her song The Nautilus was inspired by a classic sci-fi book which tells the story of a number of characters on an underwater exploration of the oceans. And the Ghostly Sails track tells the story of the legend of the Flying Dutchman, a tale about a ghost ship that can never make port.
She added: “I added folk and pirate music elements to that metal song which made it darker. I hope the listeners get into the music using their own imaginations.”
Zaina’s playing has already captivated numerous musicians. Her next goal is to sign up with a record label and to collaborate with other musicians as she would love to continue developing her sound.
She is full of admiration for the support she has already received, adding: “My friends and family truly love the new album and have supported me so much throughout my days and nights of hard work. I was strongly encouraged by my mother and sisters who kept up with my album updates on a daily basis.
“My sister, Sumaya, was my hardest critic. She would suggest what she thinks needs fixing or gently adjusting and helped me design the album cover too. My sister Hiba took charge of contacting the distribution company, sending them my album and filling in the necessary forms and my uncle Ayman, has also been truly encouraging.”
Uncle Ayman, 57, a businessman, said: “I am very proud of her - she has accomplished something spectacular. We enjoy our full abilities and at my age I feel I have not accomplished what she has achieved. She is an incredible source of inspiration for me and all who know her.”
Digital copies of the album can be purchased from cdbaby.com and it is also available on music portals such as Anghami, Spotify, Deezer, iTunes, and others. A physical copy of the album can be purchased, priced BD7, by contacting Zaina by emailing her on zaina.arekat@gmail.com, or message her on @zainaarekat on Instagram. The album can also be found in Room2Rock in Saar and it will be available in other local shops soon.
