When Seera formed in Riyadh two years ago, their mission was straightforward: create rock songs blending the influences of their members. All material would be composed in Arabic and, most importantly, no covers. Once achieved, they reasoned, the gigs would eventually follow.
That blueprint is working. Not only are the quartet one of the most distinctive groups emerging from the Arabic indie-rock scene, but they are also set to play their biggest show yet on the last day of Saudi Arabia’s mammoth Soundstorm festival on Saturday.
Located on the outskirts of Riyadh and set to be headlined by Eminem and Linkin Park, the three-day event will welcome more than 100,000 people daily, according to organisers, with more than 100 artists performing across seven stages. Set to play on the Down Beast stage, ahead of Thirty Seconds to Mars and the Roots, Seera's singer and keyboardist Nora attributes their growing acclaim to a mix of well-laid plans and the kingdom’s surging music and live events sector.
“It is really great to be a musician in Saudi Arabia right now,” she says. “And I do feel that our band are very much reflective of the changes that you are seeing here as part of Vision 2030.
"The tide is definitely turning, and we started the band when all of this was happening. When you see that, you can’t help but feel motivated because there were plenty of other groups before us who followed their dreams under more challenging circumstances. We are doing it in a time that, let’s just say, is more fertile.”
All members of Seera go by their first names, except for their masked drummer, who is identified as the Thing. Guitarist Haya points out that Seera is not the first all-female rock band from Saudi Arabia. That honour, she says, goes to the Accolade, who formed in Jeddah in 2008. “I consider them pioneers when it comes to what we are doing,” she says. “We need to acknowledge them and give them their due respect because of the work that they have done.”
Seera’s progress is more apparent because they are riding the wave of cultural changes at home. This includes being invited to join Spotify’s Fresh Finds Saudi: Class 2k24, a five-day residency programme held last month in Riyadh. There, they received industry mentorship on topics ranging from songwriting and production to tour planning and awareness of their music rights.
These strands come together on their debut album, Al Mojallad Al Al Awal (Volume 1), an intoxicating nine-song collection in tune with Saudi Arabia’s bold new music landscape. Abrasive and dissonant guitar riffs slice through whizzing psychedelic organs, all of which are propped up by a nimble rhythm section.
Meanwhile, Nora's lyrics draw inspiration from both modern and ancient stories. Wahm Al Qimmah (Illusion of the Summit), a meditation on ambition and resilience, takes its cues from Sisyphus, a king from Greek mythology. In contrast, Share3 Al Buhturi, with its off-kilter keyboard flourishes recalling the work of The Doors' Ray Manzarek, speaks from the perspective of someone living with mental health challenges, blending honesty and humour.
“A lot of the time these songs come from us playing together, whether at home or in places in Riyadh,” says Haya. “One of us would come up with certain melodies, riffs or basslines that are in our heads, and we play it out and see where the song goes. It's not really a conversation initially about the music; we instead just follow each other and see what we come up with.”
That free-flowing approach, Nora adds, allows the band to explore different sonic textures and melodies. “That way, the music actually creates the story,” she says. “There is a song on the album where, when I heard the bassline, I immediately imagined I was in a forest and, lyrically speaking, I took off from that point.”
Most of the Arabic lyrics are delivered in the Saudi Najdi dialect, primarily spoken in the central region of Saudi Arabia in cities like Riyadh, Qassim and Unaizah.
Bassist Meesh explains the choice is a way to differentiate the group from the pack. “We felt it was important for us to spread our Saudi dialect because there are a lot of bands who sing in Arabic, particularly from Lebanon, with their own dialect, and we felt we should do the same," she adds.
The Najdi dialect in particular, Nora states, offers a wider berth when it comes to crafting her lyrics. “I did start out singing songs in standard Arabic, but when I really dug into the Najdi dialect, which represents us in Riyadh, it really gave me space to try different things,” she says. “I love the idea of people listening to our music and hearing how we speak, with all the interesting phrases that are unique to the area that we come from.”
Now it is time to spread that message far and wide. “We already have our tour planned, and that will have us playing shows here in Saudi before extending it to the Mena region,” she says. “Hopefully, there will also be some international shows next summer.”
Wherever the location, whether it’s a festival or a tiny club, Nora says the band will be ready to amplify as well as break misconceptions surrounding the Saudi music scene.“We are motivated, and we are ready,” she says. “We know this means a lot to us, so we want to play everywhere and not miss out on anything.”
