It’s unusual circumstances that can bring people together to create something so unique; it’s like the universe pushes us in a direction to find the people we need to inspire us and grow. This is the story of Husa and Zeyada, who were both in North America before the pandemic seemingly brought them together in Egypt.
Through a chance meeting of a mutual friend, Adam met Zeyada, who had been living in NYC doing her master’s degree until she had to return to Egypt last year. Adam had heard her voice on a single and knew they had to meet. They quickly decided to go to his studio situated between the mountains and the Red Sea to start making music. On this particular day, a freak storm crashed into Dahab, with the valleys creating floods all around town and the dark beautiful ever-changing skies.
During the hours they had locked themselves into the studio they started experimenting with different sounds which gave birth to their first track, ‘A Little Fun’. The Sasha Carassi remix out now on IAMHER Records has also hit as one of the top tracks of 2021 on Beatport, and was played everywhere by the best in the scene like Maceo Plex, Artbat, and Hernan Cattaneo, and it still sits in the best-sellers chart in the indie dance genre.
They still spend most of their time finding ways to blend indie rock elements into new electronic music sounds, using both English and Arabic lyrics to appeal to not only their international fans but also to help develop new Arabic music for the locals.
Over a year of adventures they shared, a fictional story was born. A story that ties reality and fiction by utilizing multiple mediums including music, Illustrated comics, animation, and music videos. The latest video released is of their new single ‘Feinak’, which was produced by Hz Studios with the help of the beautiful cinematography of Nunshi Studio.
The illustrated characters designed by Amr Qenawy, represent Husa & Zeyada’s little monsters, two little magical beings who appear before the duo after a storm strikes. The little monsters personify everything that is wicked, dark, and childish about the duo and guide them into a series of adventures exploring the darkest parts of the mind.
It’s sometimes the darkest parts of ourselves that create the most beautiful artworks, and this is definitely true for this duo. With such an exciting start, the future looks bright for these two. It was great to connect with them recently to learn more about their inspirations, their new album, and an exciting tour for 2022!
EG: What have been your biggest inspirations for creating the new album?
Husa & Zeyada: For us, it was really about going back to basics. We were both going through a lot when we met, and creating this new album was the birth of a new chapter in our life. We felt like finally, away from the city noise, at a time when the whole world was upside down, we had made a home in music.
“We related so much to the sound that came out that day, so we kept making more & more tracks until the idea of starting the world of Husa & Zeyada came to be.”
EG: What were the pros and cons of the pandemic for you and your creative process?
Husa & Zeyada: The pros were that considering the situation happening worldwide with flight cancellations and all that jazz; we felt no rush to start touring, which led us to dive even deeper into the creation process, storytelling & the visual aspect of our story.
The cons were that it was much harder to travel during these times for us to see our families, considering we were both living in a tiny beach town, far away from city life.
EG: Adam, you have mostly worked solo and Zeyada was a part of an indie band, how did you come together to find your flow as a duo?
Husa & Zeyada: In late 2020 in Dahab, Egypt, we decided to record some music shortly after we met. The sound turned out to be a unique balance between electronic and indie rock music. We related so much to the sound that came out that day, so we kept making more & more tracks until the idea of starting the world of Husa & Zeyada came to be.
EG: What are you looking forward to this year?
Husa & Zeyada: Technically, 2022 is the official launch of our project. 2020 was just a tease, so we are looking forward to so many releases! First off, Jan 24th was the very first drop of our conceptual music video storyline on Youtube via Universal Music. We are expecting to release the next chapters over spring time.
Moving forward, we have the rest of the ‘Long Way Home’ album that will be released over the course of the next months, including incredible remixes by the likes of Hernán Cattáneo, Timo Maas, Madmotormiquel, Miyagi, and more! The full album will drop officially this summer along with our first tour. (Date TBC). We also have a new collaboration with Sasha Carassi we hope will release before summer.
Aside from all of this, we are digging a little deeper into how we can tell our story…stay tuned for our very first NFT collection announcement as well!
Husa & Zeyada’s ‘Feinak’ is out now. Purchase your copy of the single here.
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