After having to cancel a number of gigs (much to their fans' dismay), Cairo giants Cairokee returned back in February at Wasla Alternative Arabic Music Festival in
Dubai.
Their newest album, Noaata Beida was released in July of 2017, becoming the No1. bestselling album on iTunes Egypt and No. 2 on the Middle East charts. That said, the album did not achieve success without hardship, having been banned by the Egyptian censorship authorities, which doesn't seem to have affected their success. Nevertheless, the band were instructed to not perform four songs out of the album (Noata Beida, Dinosaur, Akher Oghneya, Hodna, and El Sekka Shemal f Shemal).
Cairokee's commitment to their music remains stronger than ever. After a brief hiatus, the band were finally able to perform at Wasla in February where we made sure to catch up with them. Framed by a backdrop of the Dubai skyline, immensely popular Egyptian band reflect on their success, the importance of festivals in culture and money, in an interview that is definitely not devoid of laughter.
Find out what Wasla's headliners had to say to SceneNoise below.