{"id":23827,"date":"2025-08-08T14:06:26","date_gmt":"2025-08-08T14:06:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/guitarmadrid.com\/?p=23827"},"modified":"2025-08-08T14:06:26","modified_gmt":"2025-08-08T14:06:26","slug":"the-scene-was-super-underground-when-the-music-industry-developed-everyone-got-excited-to-start-a-band-meet-seera-saudi-arabias-first-public-all-female-band-who-are-mer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/guitarmadrid.com\/es\/2025\/08\/08\/the-scene-was-super-underground-when-the-music-industry-developed-everyone-got-excited-to-start-a-band-meet-seera-saudi-arabias-first-public-all-female-band-who-are-mer\/","title":{"rendered":"\u201cThe scene was super-underground. When the music industry developed, everyone got excited to start a band\u201d: Meet Seera, Saudi Arabia\u2019s first public all-female band, who are merging Nirvana and Tool with Arabic influences \u2013 and going global"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"article-body\">\n<p>Some band names start as a joke, while others are carefully considered. In the case of Saudi Arabian four-piece Seera, it\u2019s the latter \u2013 cementing their ethos via a word that means \u201cstory\u201d or \u201cjourney\u201d in Arabic.<\/p>\n<p>With debut album <em>Al Mojallad Al Awal (Volume 1)<\/em> Seera started weaving a tantalizing story with a psychedelic sound that blends traditional Middle Eastern music with prog and contemporary rock, and drew attention from an international audience.<\/p>\n<aside data-block-type=\"embed\" data-render-type=\"fte\" data-skip=\"dealsy\" data-widget-type=\"seasonal\" class=\"hawk-base\" \/>\n<p>They\u2019re indisputably breaking new ground \u2013 and as guitarist Haya and bassist Meesh dial in from Riyadh, they express their satisfaction. \u201cIt\u2019s exciting to see that we&#8217;re the first all-female band [from Saudi Arabia] to be so public about it,\u201d notes Haya.<\/p>\n<aside data-component-name=\"Recirculation:ArticleRiver\" data-nosnippet=\"\" class=\"clear-both pt-3 pb-4 mb-4 border-solid border-y border-neutral-300\"><span class=\"font-article-heading block pb-3 !text-base font-bold uppercase sm:text-sm text-[#333]\">You may like<\/span><\/aside>\n<p>She\u2019s quick to acknowledge their all-female predecessors The AccoLade, but notes that group had chose to remain anonymous. \u201cWe\u2019re hoping to see a lot more,\u201d she says. \u201cIn the future, when we go on tour, we hope we can bring another Saudi [all-female] band with us.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Haya contacted Meesh after hearing her playing The Doors music online. Meesh\u2019s first foray into making music was through <em>Guitar Hero<\/em>. \u201cI was spending six hours, seven hours, playing the game,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI thought, \u2018Why am I wasting time on a plastic guitar when I could benefit from a real one?\u2019 So my first instrument wasn\u2019t <a data-analytics-id=\"inline-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.guitarworld.com\/features\/best-bass-guitars-for-every-budget\" data-before-rewrite-localise=\"https:\/\/www.guitarworld.com\/features\/best-bass-guitars-for-every-budget\">bass<\/a>. But the first week I got it, I was plucking the strings \u2013 I didn\u2019t want to play with a pick.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Bass-heavy bands including <a data-analytics-id=\"inline-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.guitarworld.com\/tag\/primus\" data-auto-tag-linker=\"true\" data-before-rewrite-localise=\"https:\/\/www.guitarworld.com\/tag\/primus\">Primus<\/a> and Tool led her to make the switch to the low end. Meanwhile, Haya\u2019s early influences were flamenco guitarists and old Andalusian and Arabic Spanish music. \u201cBut then I discovered <a data-analytics-id=\"inline-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.guitarworld.com\/tag\/nirvana\" data-auto-tag-linker=\"true\" data-before-rewrite-localise=\"https:\/\/www.guitarworld.com\/tag\/nirvana\">Nirvana<\/a>, and it all changed from there,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n<p> {        window.reliablePageLoad.then(() =&gt; {            var componentContainer = document.querySelector(&#8220;#slice-container-newsletterForm-articleInbodyContent-msJnVDWQgqTxAcdevs8hY8&#8221;);            if (componentContainer) {                var data = {&#8220;layout&#8221;:&#8221;inbodyContent&#8221;,&#8221;header&#8221;:&#8221;Get The Pick Newsletter&#8221;,&#8221;tagline&#8221;:&#8221;All the latest guitar news, interviews, lessons, reviews, deals and more, direct to your inbox!&#8221;,&#8221;formFooterText&#8221;:&#8221;By submitting your information you agree to the <a href=\"https:\/\/futureplc.com\/terms-conditions\/\" target=\"_blank\">Terms &amp; Conditions<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/futureplc.com\/privacy-policy\/\" target=\"_blank\">Privacy Policy<\/a> and are aged 16 or over.&#8221;,&#8221;successMessage&#8221;:{&#8220;body&#8221;:&#8221;Thank you for signing up. 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I guess it\u2019s the teenage angst!\u201d<\/p>\n<p>In 2022 she roped her sister, vocalist-keyboardist Nora, into what was to become Seera. \u201cWhen we all jammed for the first time, we clicked instantly. Five songs in one night,\u201d she says. When the masked drummer known as Thing met the trio at a music event in Riyadh, Haya says, \u201cwe really manifested each other.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"youtube-video youtube-facade\" data-nosnippet=\"\">\n<div class=\"video-aspect-box\">\n<div class=\"watch-on-iframe-0Jufq0Rna7c\" data-yt-video-token=\"0Jufq0Rna7c\" title=\"Seera - Al Fanaa (Oblivion) - Official Music Video - YouTube\"><span class=\"youtube-video-title\">Seera &#8211; Al Fanaa (Oblivion) &#8211; Official Music Video &#8211; YouTube<\/span><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" data-src=\"https:\/\/img.youtube.com\/vi\/0Jufq0Rna7c\/maxresdefault.jpg\" alt=\"Seera - Al Fanaa (Oblivion) - Official Music Video - YouTube\" data-aspect-ratio=\"16\/9\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"lazyload\" \/><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a class=\"watch-on-youtube-0Jufq0Rna7c\" href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/0Jufq0Rna7c\" target=\"_blank\" data-url=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/0Jufq0Rna7c\" data-hl-processed=\"none\">Watch On <\/a><\/div>\n<p>She and Meesh describe the city\u2019s music scene as \u201cbubbling,\u201d reporting that there\u2019s more room for rock music than ever before. \u201cThere was always a scene here, but it was super-underground,\u201d Meesh says. \u201cRock bands and metal bands would play at house parties and stuff.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWith the development of the music industry in Saudi Arabia, a lot of opportunities were popping up. Everyone got excited to meet other musicians and start a band.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The kingdom\u2019s move towards diversifying its economy away from oil, with increasing investment in its nascent music industry, has introduced a new chapter for Saudi artists. That spirit is encapsulated in Seera\u2019s debut record: modernized, bold, yet firmly rooted in Arabic and Saudi heritage.<\/p>\n<p>The Arabic lyrics are anchored in the legacy of storytelling, while the guitars and bass draw heavily from the scales that have shaped the fabric of the region\u2019s music. \u201cI focus very much on Arabic-sounding intervals,\u201d Haya reflects. \u201cThe scales I play are in harmonic minor or the Phrygian mode.<\/p>\n<div id=\"slice-container-imageGallery-msJnVDWQgqTxAcdevs8hY8-MMAPGZvnRvpfKIYE6hwBfZ3AnzgBPbq3\" class=\"slice-container imageGallery-wrapper imageGallery-msJnVDWQgqTxAcdevs8hY8-MMAPGZvnRvpfKIYE6hwBfZ3AnzgBPbq3 slice-container-imageGallery\">\n<div data-hydrate=\"true\" class=\"inline-gallery first-slide-only\">\n<p>Image <!-- -->1<!-- --> of <!-- -->2<\/p>\n<div class=\"inline-gallery__items\">\n<div style=\"flex-direction:row;direction:ltr\" class=\"react-swipeable-view-container\">\n<div style=\"width:100%;flex-shrink:0;overflow:auto\" aria-hidden=\"false\" data-swipeable=\"true\">\n<div class=\"items__item\">\n<div class=\"item__image-cont\">\n<div class=\"image-cont__image\">\n<figure><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Seera\" class=\"image-wrapped__image image__image lazyload\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/RqETZzFP9mEfosB6mgtKCn.jpg\" data-original-mos=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/RqETZzFP9mEfosB6mgtKCn.jpg\" data-pin-media=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/RqETZzFP9mEfosB6mgtKCn.jpg\" data-pin-nopin=\"true\" data-slice-image=\"true\" \/><figcaption><span class=\"caption-credit__caption\">Haya<\/span><span class=\"caption-credit__credit\">(Image credit: Seera)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p><button class=\"image-cont__expand\" data-testid=\"expandButton\" data-analytics-id=\"gallery-expand-image\"><\/button><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"width:100%;flex-shrink:0;overflow:auto\" aria-hidden=\"true\" data-swipeable=\"true\">\n<div class=\"items__item\">\n<div class=\"item__image-cont\">\n<div class=\"image-cont__image\">\n<figure><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Seera\" class=\"image-wrapped__image image__image lazyload\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/yXErBWQjErwdXBiwj8JuAn.jpg\" data-original-mos=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/yXErBWQjErwdXBiwj8JuAn.jpg\" data-pin-media=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/yXErBWQjErwdXBiwj8JuAn.jpg\" data-pin-nopin=\"true\" data-slice-image=\"true\" \/><figcaption><span class=\"caption-credit__caption\">Meesh<\/span><span class=\"caption-credit__credit\">(Image credit: Seera)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p><button class=\"image-cont__expand\" data-testid=\"expandButton\" data-analytics-id=\"gallery-expand-image\"><\/button><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s what&#8217;s in my blood; it comes out even though it\u2019s not conscious. There are segments where we do engage in monophonic music. That\u2019s very typical of Arabic music too, where we all play the same melody line.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Meesh \u2013 nicknamed the Locrian <a data-analytics-id=\"inline-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.guitarworld.com\/tag\/queen\" data-auto-tag-linker=\"true\" data-before-rewrite-localise=\"https:\/\/www.guitarworld.com\/tag\/queen\">Queen<\/a> due to her penchant for the mode \u2013 found more freedom with a fretless bass, used for the first time on the album. It allowed her to fully experiment with microtones, another element prevalent in Arabic music.<\/p>\n<p>Haya\u2019s gear choices were carefully curated to add a psychedelic and unashamedly rock flavor. \u201cI\u2019ve always played the <a data-analytics-id=\"inline-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.guitarworld.com\/features\/best-stratocasters-top-fender-stratocasters-for-every-budget\" data-before-rewrite-localise=\"https:\/\/www.guitarworld.com\/features\/best-stratocasters-top-fender-stratocasters-for-every-budget\">Strat<\/a> because I was very much influenced by <a data-analytics-id=\"inline-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.guitarworld.com\/tag\/eric-clapton\" data-auto-tag-linker=\"true\" data-before-rewrite-localise=\"https:\/\/www.guitarworld.com\/tag\/eric-clapton\">Eric Clapton<\/a> and <a data-analytics-id=\"inline-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.guitarworld.com\/tag\/jimi-hendrix\" data-auto-tag-linker=\"true\" data-before-rewrite-localise=\"https:\/\/www.guitarworld.com\/tag\/jimi-hendrix\">Jimi Hendrix<\/a>,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThen I got an Epiphone Flying V because I really like the <a data-analytics-id=\"inline-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.guitarworld.com\/features\/best-humbucker-pickups\" data-before-rewrite-localise=\"https:\/\/www.guitarworld.com\/features\/best-humbucker-pickups\">humbuckers<\/a>. I recently started playing a Mustang because it\u2019s more ergonomic. But I don\u2019t like the pickups, because they\u2019re single-coil. For me, the ideal would be to bridge the Strat and the Flying V into a Mustang with humbuckers.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"youtube-video youtube-facade\" data-nosnippet=\"\">\n<div class=\"video-aspect-box\">\n<div class=\"watch-on-iframe-7k1ETk56wYg\" data-yt-video-token=\"7k1ETk56wYg\" title=\"Seera - Wahm Al Qimmah (Illusion of the Summit) Official Music Video - YouTube\"><span class=\"youtube-video-title\">Seera &#8211; Wahm Al Qimmah (Illusion of the Summit) Official Music Video &#8211; YouTube<\/span><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" data-src=\"https:\/\/img.youtube.com\/vi\/7k1ETk56wYg\/maxresdefault.jpg\" alt=\"Seera - Wahm Al Qimmah (Illusion of the Summit) Official Music Video - YouTube\" data-aspect-ratio=\"16\/9\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"lazyload\" \/><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a class=\"watch-on-youtube-7k1ETk56wYg\" href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/7k1ETk56wYg\" target=\"_blank\" data-url=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/7k1ETk56wYg\" data-hl-processed=\"none\">Watch On <\/a><\/div>\n<p>Additional key ingredients include an <a data-analytics-id=\"inline-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.guitarworld.com\/tag\/mxr\" data-auto-tag-linker=\"true\" data-before-rewrite-localise=\"https:\/\/www.guitarworld.com\/tag\/mxr\">MXR<\/a> Carbon Delay, Old Blood Noise Endeavors Sunlight Reverb and Z.Vex <a data-analytics-id=\"inline-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.guitarworld.com\/gear\/best-fuzz-pedals\" data-before-rewrite-localise=\"https:\/\/www.guitarworld.com\/gear\/best-fuzz-pedals\">Fuzz<\/a> Factory 7 USA; and for Meesh, Old Blood Noise Endeavors\u2019 Black Fountain Stereo delay.<\/p>\n<p>Seera are about to explore the international touring circuit, with shows in Sweden, Germany and Switzerland. Regardless of where they play, their mission statement is simple. \u201cWe want people to leave feeling like they had the time of their lives,\u201d says Haya.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd we want younger people to leave thinking, \u2018Okay, I\u2019m going to go to the music store and pick up an instrument.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Some band names start as a joke, while others are carefully considered. In the case of Saudi Arabian four-piece Seera, it\u2019s the latter \u2013 cementing their ethos via a word that means \u201cstory\u201d or \u201cjourney\u201d in Arabic. With debut album Al Mojallad Al Awal (Volume 1) Seera started weaving a tantalizing story with a psychedelic [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":23828,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-23827","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-events"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/guitarmadrid.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23827","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/guitarmadrid.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/guitarmadrid.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/guitarmadrid.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=23827"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/guitarmadrid.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23827\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":23829,"href":"https:\/\/guitarmadrid.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23827\/revisions\/23829"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/guitarmadrid.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/23828"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/guitarmadrid.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=23827"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/guitarmadrid.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=23827"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/guitarmadrid.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=23827"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}