Some 15 years after she first sowed the seeds of what was to become one of the most groundbreaking alternative music acts to come out of Egypt, Cherine Amr of Egyptian heavy metal band, Massive Scar Era, has turned a new page in her career – but one that hasn’t abandoned her metal roots completely.
Under the moniker Cheen, Amr has released her debut single on Universal MENA and though it’s a departure from the kind of melodic metal that she had developed with Massive Scar Era, ‘Esmi’ still bears the marks of her time with the band.
Though indie-pop has been the phrase used in press releases and promos, it doesn’t quite encapsulate what is a more complex sound. The track is informed by contemporary folk in the same way that Massive Scar Era’s metal was and there's a subtle, underlying beat that would easily work in a laidback trip-hop number.
The lyrics, meanwhile, reflect a reawakening and reimagining of her place in the world, triggered by a move to Vancouver, Canada where she has been based for the last five years. “In the song, I express how I want to be living somewhere where everything is healthy and attainable,” she explains. “The answer isn't in immigration, because once you leave where you come from, there are more invisible barriers. You'd still be confronted with cultural prejudice, racism, and stereotypes that's a part of the industry's journey wherever you go."
The video – filmed on a farm outside of Cairo and symbolic of Cheen’s return to her roots – doesn’t quite live up to the loftier concepts of the track. Director Mohamed Azab impressively filmed the whole video in one shot, but it feels unfinished and unpolished, neither visualising the overall sound of the track, nor providing an engaging visual contrast between the contemporary sounds that anchor the song and the more earthy, natural visuals.
‘Esmi’ is a bold new direction for Cheen, but one that will no doubt alienate much of the Massive Scar Era fanbase. But on repeat listen, it’s actually a much more sensical evolution of an artist that has been navigating her personal soundscape for 15 years. Is this the most mindblowing release for a solo career to kick on from? No. But it is the first of five releases with Universal MENA and if she continues to explore different sounds and push them even further than she has here, then there’s no reason that Cheen can’t be on the path of becoming another accomplished, alternative, female solo artist from Egypt, on the level of a Dina El Wedidi or a Youssra El Hawary.
