Going global

MEMBERS of the popular band Majaz are set to bring their Afro-Khaleeji tunes to the Netherlands’ Musica Mundo festival tomorrow, marking their live European debut, featuring previously-released music and new songs.

The quartet - comprising three Bahrainis, guitarist Hameed AlSaeed, bassist Salah Sharakhat and Jehad Al Halal on cello, and Saudi percussionist Abdulla Faisal - came together in 2013, but it was their 2019 Morocco set at the regional performing arts festival Visa for Music that shot them to fame.

The Bahrain-Saudi band believes it gave them recognition and exposure, ultimately landing them an international gig this year.

“Since our Morocco performance, there has been a lot of buzz regarding our band and music, which resulted in us being invited to perform in the Netherlands, and we’re excited for that!” Salah told GulfWeekly.

Majaz, which means ‘metaphor’ in Arabic, celebrated their 10th anniversary last year. The band’s aesthetic has changed over the years with the group landing on their current Afro-Khaleeji sound, which nods to the long history of African and Khaleeji cultures.

“The band members have different backgrounds when it comes to music and inspirations, which resulted in an experimental sound. It was mostly instruments, nothing too loud or heavy, but since 2020 we decided to focus on specific compositions,” Hameed added.

According to Salah, it was the 2020 sound change that resulted in the band members re-recording and re-releasing their 2017 debut EP Rehla, Arabic for ‘journey’.

The band’s current aim is to modernise music from the Gulf’s heritage and culture to reach a wide range of people, including ‘young progressive Arabs’.

“We wanted to highlight music from our own heritage, as well as the Gulf in general, by making it more accessible, especially to the Arab youth, because we feel like there’s been a disconnect between us and our own heritage and culture,” Hameed explained.

“We also aim to highlight the intersections and really, really long history of African and Khaleeji cultures, but adding in also, of course, inspiration from each band member’s background,” he added.

Majaz’s recent releases include the Moroccan Gnawa-inspired Heila Hei (a generational Bahraini phrase with no particular linguistic meaning), released in September last year, and Ala Wain (Arabic for ‘to where’), released in April. The two singles are expected to be included in the band’s forthcoming EP, set to be released later this year.

“When we say ala wain el laila, sahari w sabahi (to where tonight? All morning and all night), people think that we’re sahari w sabahi, that we’re always out all night until morning, that this is our life, you know?” Salah said, explaining the lyrical context of Ala Wain.

“The song serves as a satirical thing that criticises the certain stigma society associates to full-time artists and musicians, and so the lyrics speak to the society by answering back,” Hameed added.

The band plans to carry on with the Afro-Khaleeji aesthetic as they are preparing to release a new single off their upcoming EP.

“We’re going to release it hopefully very soon within the next month or two and then, we’re going to release the five-track EP later this year, and of course, we’re planning on doing shows in support of the new release,” Hameed revealed.

In the past, Majaz has performed in the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Tunisia, Egypt, and Bangladesh.

For updates on new releases and upcoming live shows, follow @majaz_music on Instagram.