EMQ’s With SRAI
EMQ’s With SRAI
Hi everyone! Welcome to another EMQs interview, this time with Kuwaiti Rock band, SRAI. Huge thanks to Vocalist/ Guitarist, Abzy, for taking part.
What is your name, what do you play and can you tell us a little bit about the history of the band?
My name is Abzy. I sing and play guitar and I am the founder of the SRAI band. SRAI was created in January 2022, so basically Nawaf (the drummer) and I played in a couple of bands before. We’ve known each other from 2007 and that’s when we had our first band, we met Ahmad Ani (lead guitarist) around 2017/2018 and that’s when we all started jamming and playing music together, we had a good chemistry playing music together, so I decided to get them with me in SRAI.
How did you come up with your band name?
I was looking for a traditional Kuwaiti name that has a good meaning and a good story behind it so while I was streaming live on Twitch I was taking suggestions then a friend mentioned the name SRAI and it means the guiding light. In the past, Kuwaitis used very simple means of lighting based on oil fuels or some oil derivatives imported from abroad, taking different forms and names such as (Al-Kandari, Saray Al-Zahawi, Al-Lala and Saray Al-Lux) to dispel the darkness that was camped on homes, roads, and shops in the past.
What Country / Region are you from and what is the Metal / Rock scene like there?
We are from Kuwait Middle East, the Metal scene in Kuwait isn’t at its best and that involves how uneducated the society is about rock and metal, thinking it’s evil and noisy. Also, it’s very hard to get a place to or venues to play gigs because of the complicated system, but out of Kuwait it’s pretty good especially in Saudia Arabia, Dubai, Bahrain, Qatar.
What is your latest release?
‘Faith’ is our latest single and we made a music video for it.
Who have been your greatest influences?
Many modern bands, like Bad Omens, Sleep Token, Silent Planet, and many more.
What first got you into music?
A tough childhood, and how great music can make you feel.
If you could collaborate with a current band or musician who would it be?
Bad Omens, Bring Me The Horizon and Sleep Token.
If you could play any festival in the world, which would you choose and why?
Rock Am Ring, grow up watching those big crowds and big bands playing there was amazing.
What’s the weirdest gift you have ever received from a fan?
Never had a weird gift always been a cool one like drowning lots of them.
If you had one message for your fans, what would it be?
Thank you for listening and believing in us and you are part of the band as much as we are.
If you could bring one rock star back from the dead, who would it be?
Mitch Lucker.
What do you enjoy the most about being a musician? And what do you hate?
Love the fact people can relate to what we make and hate how hard it is to play gigs in Kuwait.
If you could change one thing about the music industry, what would it be?
More international exposure especially in the Middle East we have great talents around the region.
Name one of your all-time favourite albums?
“Sempiternal” by Bring Me The Horizon and Linkin park “Meteora”.
What’s the best gig that you have played to date?
Haven’t played a SRAI gig yet.
If you weren’t a musician, what else would you be doing?
That’s hard to think about, ‘cause I think that’s everything I’ve known since I was a teen.
Which five people would you invite to a dinner party?
Corey Taylor, Mitch Lucker, Chester Bennington, Kurt Cobain, Oli Sykes.
What’s next for the band?
Making more music and music video, and play live shows.
What Social Media / Website links do you use to get your music out to people?
In this link you can find all the platforms you need for our band
Time for a very British question now. As an alternative to the humble sandwich, is the correct name for a round piece of bread common in the UK either a Bap, a Barm (or Barm Cake), a Batch, a Bun, a Cob, a Muffin, a Roll or a Tea Cake?
Not really familiar with that since we are from the other side ha ha.
Thank you for your time. Is there anything else that you would like to add?
We would like to thank you and thank everyone who is always been there for us from the start.
Disclaimer: This interview is solely the property of Ever Metal. It is strictly forbidden to copy any part of this review, unless you have the strict permission of both parties. Failure to adhere to this will be treated as plagiarism and will be reported to the relevant authorities.
