Egyptian Musicians Provide Entertainment During Quarantine

By: Layla Mohamed

@laylamhmd

 

Keeping with global trends, Egyptian musicians have taken to Instagram and Facebook live streams to hold live performances in the shadow of the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic.

Ahmed Zeidan, the founder and CEO of Room Art Space, which hosts live shows ranging from musical performances to stand-up comedy, explained that his venue, despite the limited amount of branches across the city, is one of the very few places that pays underground and up-and-coming musicians a salary.

“Every person has an obligation towards his community. A musician’s duty is to entertain people under all kinds of circumstances, especially global pandemics like the one we’re in,” Zeidan said.

Egyptian hip hop and soft rock artists like Wegz and Massar Egbari are just two of the many bands trying to keep their fans entertained.

Room Art Space is currently trying to host as many online live performances as possible, paying them the highest price they could afford to help the musicians who depend on their music for a living.

Zeidan said that usually people of other professions do not think of music as a career and they tend to undermine the musician’s role in society.

“Our role is highlighted in times like this; our support to the fans and our impact on their lives, no matter how small, gives us purpose,” he said.

He added that hosting live performances has increased their viewership and popularity, as fans and viewers spread the word about the platform.

Even though this quarantine might affect the venue itself, as people are stuck at home and are not capable of being physically there, Zeidan said that online performances could have a great impact on the artists after lockdown.

“We’ve always had online live gigs hosted on our page, but now more people are participating, commenting, singing along, and even suggesting them to friends. We had one live show a few weeks ago that had over 20,000 viewers,” Zeidan said.

But performing live on social media comes with its different set of difficulties.

“We usually face technical difficulties because of the internet connection. It’s hard to maintain a good live performance as the video keeps lagging,” Zeidan said.

Mohammed Baz, guitarist of the Egyptian band Code Masr, said that they have faced difficulty with live performances. As a band member, he explained that the problems are not only limited to connection issues but they also include health concerns, venue space, and interacting with the crew members while shooting.

“If one of the people present for the live streaming coughs once, we have to cancel the entire thing,” Zeidan said.

He continued by explaining that finding a space which fits the requirements for recording a live stream is also a big challenge for artists performing live.

These problems, however, are only valid when the artists have to meet up for the live performance shoot and when this involves more than two or three people, including the artists and technicians.

“It is quite challenging to ensure that the entire set of dynamics of the live show is met under such pressures,” Baz said.

He mentioned that the band members’ coordination is also challenging since everyone is working from home.

Musicians did not stop at online performances though, many artists have performed from their balconies to entertain their neighbors, encourage them to stay home and keep themselves in good spirits.

Composer of Egyptian band Medic, Ehab Fawzy explained that he and his brother, who also happens to be a musician, performed several times from their balconies.

“The joy of making people step out in their balconies and sing or clap along with smiles on their faces is indescribable,” Fawzy said.

He also added that as an artist, he prefers small gigs over concerts as he appreciates the quality of interaction better with his audience.

“I do not think I would do [an online] live performance as I am not used to not having a physically present audience. But given that everyone is stuck at home, perhaps we could do this as a band,” Fawzy said.