Magical Majaz!

Renowned Bahraini band Majaz dazzled music lovers in Morocco in November at the Visa for Music (VFM) professional music market and festival.

The quartet, including guitarist Hameed AlSaeed, percussionist Abdulla Faisal, bassist Salah Sharakhat as well as Jehad Al Halal on cello and guitar, previously played shows at The Nest, Spring of Culture, Desert Beats and the coveted Arab Alternative Music Festival.

Salah said, “The crowd were very responsive and interactive with our songs and everyone loved our band, we are very overwhelmed! Also we got to meet so many amazing people in the music business, a stepping stone to touring the world, hopefully.”

The boy band performed at the Mohammed V National Theatre which is one of the biggest venues in Morocco and had a live recording session, along with 11 artists from around the world with Nabyla Maan, a well-known Moroccan singer-songwriter, with whom they intend to collaborate.

They were the first Bahraini band at the sixth iteration of the event, and were one of 40 Middle-Eastern and African artists at an international level, out of a pool of more than 1,000 applications from across the region.

Hameed said, “Most people, and especially industry professionals, were quite surprised that Bahrain hosted such a vibrant and lively music scene. It was as if they had a very specific idea about the music scene in this side of the world and so they didn’t really know what to expect.”

Majaz’s song, Shuruppak, which means “the place of utmost being” in Sumerian, also saw its first international debut outside of the kingdom. Their concert attracted one of the biggest and “most beautiful” crowds they have performed for so far.

Visa For Music started in 2013, with the aim of highlighting African and Middle-Eastern to the world and to provide rising artists with the right tools, connections and knowledge to progress in the industry.

Abdulla noted, “We learned how important music platforms are, how to make things easier for the sound engineers to mix our show and also how to target the right music festivals for our band.”

Majaz was also the only Bahraini band chosen along with other bands from the Middle East to perform at Dubai’s biggest Arab Alternative music festival ‘Wasla’.

The band’s first EP, Rihla, which is the Arabic translation of ‘Journey’, containing  four tracks, each influenced by different sounds from various cultures, fused with progressive musical influences, was released earlier this year.

It was well-received by fans and critics, and a first full-length album is in the works which the group hope to release next year.

Abdullah and Hameed noted: “We are currently recording two new singles. Our next EP is currently in the works and it will feature many different sounds and some new experimentation with various musical grounds.”