Album Spotlight: Maii Waleed - Nemow

Alexandrian artist Maii Waleed has solidified her place in the region's alternative music scene through collaborations with pioneering groups and producers like Zaed Naes and Zeid Hamdan (with the group Maii and Zeid). However, at this point in her career, the singer-songwriter has realised that her body of work should stand on its own, and that the time has come for her solo project to blossom.

Taking this leap in her career, Maii released her latest EP, ‘Nemow’, in which she doubles down on her signature train-of-thought lyrical style, rich with personal storytelling and colourful imagery, this time around, focusing on themes of nature and growth. Maii’s vision for this EP was to remain as organic as possible, even taking to live recording the entire tracklist simultaneously with her band, consisting of guitarist Omar Foda, bassist Ahmed Salah and drummer Maged Faltas.

In this interview, Maii discusses her early interest in music, recalling how she would sing her thoughts aloud as a child while playing at home and with friends. Her love of music grew as she joined her school choir and recited musical poetry, eventually leading her to write her own lyrics and record herself in her bedroom.

Maii also shares her experiences in China and Thailand, where she practised Kung Fu, Thai medicine, and massage therapy. Reflecting on her journey, Waleed believes that her Kung Fu training might have given her the courage to release her solo work, moving beyond the “comforting safety” of collaborating with others.

Catch Maii playing an exclusive performance of two unreleased tracks, ‘Fashi’ (previously released as a demo on SoundCloud) and ‘Assad’, both set for release later this year.