Bahaa and Moe started jamming at home in Cairo in 2012, blending sounds from various genres such as reggae, reggaeton, funk, and latin music, all while keeping their lyrics in Arabic. Only a couple months and several YouTube videos later, the two Egyptians realized they were on to something, and could create a name for themselves in the industry using the original sound to touch on sensitive issues of the Middle Eastern society.
Sharmoofers crashed into the music scene in Egypt in an impressively short amount of time. It was only 2 years later that their first single ‘’Khamsa Santy” was released, which helped them receive the Best Band award in the Middle East Music Awards (MEMA), highlighting the beginning of a beautiful journey.
The duo have recently just released a hit single off their upcoming album, Infisam, a track titled “Motfaqed Al Habiba”, their first love song. The song has received critical acclaim, but has left fans puzzled as to what to expect from the upcoming body of work. We sat with the two friendly artists to ask a couple of questions about the single and what made them go in this direction.
Sharmoofers x #RedBullFelShare3
جمهورنا العظيم، يؤسفنا إننا نقولكم إن إحنا مش هنقدر نلعب في #RedBullFelShare3 لأسباب خارجة تماماً عن إرادتنا و إن آخر حاجة كنا عايزنها هي إننا منتطلعش عالمسرح قدامكم بعد كل التجهيز للحفلات ده.نشوفكم قريب.
Geplaatst door Sharmoofers op Zondag 22 april 2018
Cairo West Magazine: As your music is very diverse and involves so many instruments and genres of music, we wanted to know who influenced your musical style and who did you use to listen to growing up?
Bahaa: Michael Jackson, Bob Marley, Backstreet Boys, N’Sync … Everything our generation used to listen to! Pop music in general. However, the genre has evolved. Today it’s more about Pharell and Bruno Mars.
CWM: After watching the short videos you are posting on your YouTube channel, and hearing Moftaqed El Habiba for the first time, we don’t really know what to expect from your next album. How will it be different?
Moe: Our next album is called Infisam, which means bipolar, and will touch on this psychological illness in a serious way. Egyptians, and Arabs in general, never take mental health seriously and we feel like people suffering from mental illnesses are often rejects of our societies. They make it seem like it’s scary. They get no help. Just talking about it and having conversations could help them a lot! We need to accept them.
Bahaa: For example, in the west, you can have weekly sessions with a psychologist and get help. But not here.
CWM: You guys are basically celebrities now. How are you dealing with the photoshoots, interviews, media attention?
Bahaa: It’s a learning process, I still hate the camera until now! But put us in the studio, that is our comfort zone.
Take a look at the newest hit single MOFATQED EL HABIBA
