The Definitive Guide to Living in the Capital , Cairo , Egypt

Cairokee has grown to become one of the biggest bands in the Middle East. On March 27th, 2019 Cairokee released their newest album. Titled “The Ugly Duckling”, the album saw a kind of success that is a bit different from the previous one, “Noaata Beida”, which was released back in 2017. Indeed, The Ugly Duckling is a real emotional rollercoaster (in a good way, of course) with each song taking you on a unique journey. The album explores a complex set of sentiments; fear, loss, anger, and so much more.

Additionally, the album’s name is quite distinct; The Ugly Duckling is originally a fairy tale by Danish poet and author Hans Christian Andersen. The famous book takes as its primary subject a little duckling who, due to his appearance, suffers abuse and bullying from others, until one day he blossoms into a beautiful swan.

Cairokee took this concept and transformed it into a musical product, suitable for the 21st-century consumer; it seems that Cairokee wanted to take a critical look at the world of social media, and the specific phenomena of Influencers. Cairokee successfully communicated the message that this world can be quite deceiving, and that it is difficult to figure out whether or not this world is laughing with you or at you.

The album consists of 9 songs, and our favourite has to be “Hatlena bel Ba’y Leban”. As for Kan Lak Ma’aya, the song has been receiving some backlash due to the fact that it contains a remixed version of a famous Umm Khalthom verse. Critics are claiming that remixing Umm Khalthom in such a manner is offensive to her incredible musical legacy, while supporters are arguing that the remix respectfully pays homage to Khalthom in a manner that makes her music much more accessible to younger audiences (who may not otherwise be fans of her music, or consider listening to it).

Controversy aside, Cairokee’s new album is number one on iTunes, number one on Spotify, and number one on Anghami (across the MENA region). Moreover, the album has garnered more than 18 million views on YouTube and is among the most searched items on Google. As previously mentioned, the album was released at the end of March, meaning that all these achievements have come only after three weeks of the album’s initial launch.

So there you have it folks, whether you love them or hate them, you really can’t deny Cairokee’s success.

P.S. You can catch Cairokee live tonight at Cairo Jazz Club 610!