BeatRaid
Beirut, Beyrouth, Lebanon | SELF
Music
Press
Dary's impressive set of vocal chords are reason enough for a second glance, surprisingly their huge fanbase - of nearly 70,000 Facebook 'likers', no less - is so far all on the merit of only a handful of singles. Add to that slick production and clever compositions, and we think this is one band worth keeping an eye on. - Natalie Shooter - Time Out Beirut
Appearances can be deceiving, and the oodles of smoke in their music video isn't enough to mask their golden glow under those moody expressions. BeatRaid's music is more for those who like their rock clean inoffensive: Satan-worshippers and hardcore head-bangers stay clear. - Natalie Shooter - Time Out Beirut
Our sound reflects our feelings, mood and thoughts,' Says Michel, which if we take a look at their singles we might conclude as confusion ('How did I get here in the first place?'), melancholia ('I keep on asking myself what went wrong') and general moodiness, unless you caught their light-hearted Christmas music video 'Scent of Christmas' which was a beaming ray of joy. Michel tells us, 'We don't try to guide a certain song to a specific genre; each song has its own atmosphere'. But if - just for fun - we wanted to genre-pigeonhole them, BeatRaid would happily fit in the pensive rock band category. - Natalie Shooter - Time Out Beirut
Female vocalist Dary, disillusioned and disappointed with the oriental music scene, was on the edge of quitting before linking with music teacher Michel Nehme and lyricist Sammy Elie soon after. The trio released their first single 'If I Die' back in 2010 and haven't looked back since... - Natalie Shooter - Time Out Beirut
Discography
If I Die
If I Die (Acoustic Version)
When All Looks Fake
Scent of Christmas
Silent Night
Photos
Bio
Being a practiced musician, Michel Nehme decided to start a band back in 2007. A common friend recommended Dary as the vocalist. Having the same taste and passion for music they joined together with other friends of Michel to form the first line up of BeatRaid. They played covers for a while then they (Michel and Dary) decided to make their own songs together.
Sammy Elie, also a common friend that was inspired by Michel’s composing skills and Dary’s vocal abilities, wrote a song and handed it to Michel who composed the melody on the same night. The song instantly caught Dary's ears and was captivated by its oriental feel that was "unintentional and spontaneous" as Michel has said.
The other band members at the time did not show any faith or interest in working on new material. Disturbed by this lack of commitment and faith, and by the overall situation in Lebanon at that time, Sammy Elie wrote a second song "If I Die". Inspired by the lyrics again, Michel composed a melody with a guitar intro that is "enchantingly addictive" as Dary likes to put it.
This common faith and perception between Dary, Michel, and Sammy led to the new lineup of BeatRaid. Together they worked on their first album and decided to release "If I Die" as the first single. They resumed work on the song's arrangement, while fellow sensational guitarist Nadim Hitti added his touches on the acoustic guitar and the solo. Nadim has introduced the multi-talented Anthony Hamawi to the band who joined for a while and later decided to quit due to creative differences.
In 2010, exactly three years since the first meeting between Dary and Michel Nehme, BeatRaid released their first single "If I Die" along with a music video that Nadim Hitti and Anthony hamawi had a special appearance in.
"If I Die" was then chosen to be released in a compilation CD named "Building Bridges" with rising artists from around the world. The album will have two volumes, Volume 1 was released in August 2010. The proceeds of volume 1 will be donated to charities around the world.
On Sunday, October 24, 2010, "Building Bridges" was officially released in Lebanon along with an exclusive CD containing an "acoustic version" of "If I Die", it also marked the official launch of BeatRaid.
On Wednesday, December 22, 2010, BeatRaid Released their rendition of "Silent Night" as a free download for Christmas.
On Thursday, November 3, 2011, BeatRaid Released “When All Looks Fake” after reaching 50,000 fans on facebook.
On Friday, December 16, 2011, BeatRaid Released "Scent of Christmas" along with its music video as a special single for Christmas.
Links
