It’s not just Egypt’s locally-based talent who are making noise, diaspora musicians too are fusing a new mix of local flavour with the sounds of places they’ve come to reside. Cherine Amr, aka Cheen - a woman who needs no introduction after being the first female musician to form a metal band in the country when she brought together Massive Scar Era - has released her new single ‘Estena’

Cheen, whose musical transition to pop music has been well documented, is no stranger to the local scene given she’s been a force here for almost two decades. The singer, songwriter, and guitarist, now based in Quebec city of Montréal, Canada, had been teasing the sounds of her new album in March’s release of ‘Kol Shi’ and continues to cement her pop sound with an extra dose of electronica in her upbeat new groove.‘Estana’, which literally translates to ‘wait’ - an instruction she apparently herself followed after recording the single during Covid confinement and holding onto it ever since, sees Cheen reflect on her migrant status and the internal battle between celebrating personal identities and letting go by embracing her integration into a new culture. Produced by Game Genie Sokolov, the track’s upbeat electro-pop beat is filled with synths, featuring a theremin solo by R41NBOW TRA$H. Appropriately sung in Arabic and French, ‘Estana’ speaks of being in a country where her own cultural roots are not exactly celebrated, and yet finding a sense of serenity within its environment.