Sherif AbdelMeged

Today on our Hot seat we have Sherif AbdelMeged. He is an Egyptian Guitarist, Singer and Songwriter. He’s known for his Blues Guitar singing and electrifying Riffs. has collaborated with many musicians & bands and has supported big Scenes.

In spite of a short eight years career, he is widely considered one of the most Blues influential electric guitarists in Middle East, he also one of the most important figures in the revival of Blues in Egypt.

Let’s have conversation with him.

Twist Online : First Tell us a little about the starting of your music career.

Sherif AbdelMeged : I started many years ago as a regular player, playing at home then took my music to a whole different level and I started to search for bands to play out for few events and live performance. I had a great opportunity to play with many young talented musicians, doing shows around the middle east. Then i started to write my own songs and produce my first combination of Blues with Egyptian lyrics. So, I decided to involve myself more in the music field. At the beginning, family and friends supported me. and now I’m surrounded by many fans and lovers of my music who I care about the most as they accompany me on my music journey.

Twist Online : How much effect 8 years of experience has brought in your music?

Sherif AbdelMeged : Actually I grew up listening to all kind of music, eastern to western, instrumental classic to nowadays modern electronic music or what they call it EDM. But after all, the Blues is what makes my heart beating fast. I became addicted to many Blues, Rock, and Jazz artists. Over years i trained myself to play that feeling and i finally found my resting tone.

Twist Online : You recently released your album “Insan Ghareb”. do tell us more about that?

Sherif AbdelMeged : Yea, the Album “Insan Ghareb” is an EP project i was working on, for the last five months. It’s kinda mix between the Egyptian Culture where i originally came from, and the Blues music.And I guess it’s the first experiment that will affect many producers to that kind of new blood. I hope all listeners will like the Album and give me their feedback to improve my future work.

Twist Online : Out of 5 tracks in the album which one is your favorite?

Sherif AbdelMeged : That’s a very good question and so hard the same time, I really like the song “Insan Ghareb” that’s why we named the Album after this song. but, the nearest one to my heart is “Awham” Because it’s touching the reality of situation in Egypt.

Twist Online : Are you inspired by someone in music industry?

Sherif AbdelMeged : I think every musician has to be inspired by others, that’s how you push your feel toward one kind of music. in my case i got inspired by many Artists like Stevie ray Vaughan, Joe bonamassa, and Gary Clark Jr. and many more Egyptian bands.

Twist Online : You collaborated with many musicians & bands. What has been your best experience so far?

Sherif AbdelMeged : One of the best bands i played with, was “Bluestone” it was amazing experience and i learned so much being with them. we played many shows and event with an old Blues Vibe to our music.

Twist Online : You are one of those who are responsible for revival of Blues in Egypt. What inspired you to be a Blues influential electric guitarists?
Sherif AbdelMeged : That old Genre of music is no longer there. Despite the fact that Blues is the root of electric guitar. And I’ve been playing Blues since i got my hands on my fist electric guitar I bought. As I always say “Keep The Blues alive”

Twist Online : Are you on Social Media? Your fans would love to follow you.
Sherif AbdelMeged : Yes I spend good time on social media connecting with fans and lovers, they can find me on my Facebook page / SM3music
as well as Instagram/ Sherif AbdelMeged and here’s my Album link on iTunes
https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/insan-ghareb-ep/id1137581264 - twistonline

Sherif AbdelMeged is an Egyptian Guitarist, Singer and Songwriter based in Istanbul,Turkey. He is known for his Blues Guitar, singing and electrifying riffs. He has collaborated with many musicians & bands and has supported on big scenes. He is the ambassador for University of Rock, and endorsed by Moniker Guitars. In spite of a short eight-year career, he is widely considered one of the most influential electric Blues guitarists in the Middle East. He is also one of the most important figures in the revival of Blues in Egypt since 2008, where he conceived the very first Blues Band, inspired by famous Blues guitarists such Stevie ray, BB king, Eric Clapton, Buddy Guy and many others. His independent release “Released Care” is a First Album 2015 goes Worldwide for a great respect of Blues Alternative Music. 1 In Music met with the artist.

1inMusic: Hi Sherif, thank you for joining us. Let’s talk about your music and What is unique about it?

Sherif AbdelMeged (SA): I might say that i came from a very different culture, but I chose to play what I feel deep down my heart, that’s why I like to consider myself an old Blues guy because that’s the music I enjoy listening to, and makes me express my feelings.

1inMusic: So why Blues, what shaped your music to what it is now?

SA: I listen to all kind of music, from instrumental classic to modern electronic music. But I have to say that Blues music is where i land on at the end.I grew up listening to many artists of Blues, Rock and Jazz. My ears became addicted to that type of music and I felt the taste of the different tones. Within years, I had decided to involve myself more in the music field and start playing music. At the beginning, I got support from family and friends and now I’m surrounded by many fans and lovers of my music who I care about the most as they accompany me on my music journey.

1inmusic: When did you realise you were going to make music professionally?

SA: … after many years of being a mature player, playing in the room. I took my music to the next level and I started joining bands and playing out for events and venues. I had the chance to play with different groups, doing a good number of shows around the middle east. I guess it was the revival of the Blues. Then i started to make my own music and producing Albums.



1inmusic: Who, to you, is the most undervalued music artist?
SA: That’s a very good question, but to me, I can’t say that music or musicians are something we can put a value to. It’s all about how you can drive that passion of music.

1inmusic: How do you prepare for your performances?
SA: .Well, I play everyday to prepare myself and I focus more on playing my songs consistently well. To improve, I practice in a variety of environments and situations. I play standing, walking, in the dark, while talking, without looking at my guitar, etc. The key point is to practice playing consistently well in all those different scenarios so it will help my performances on the stage.

1inmusic: What get you writing songs?
SA: Yeah, it’s kind of firing memories to my head. At that time, everything comes from the heart and it’s an easy way to make pure music.

1inmusic: What do you do when you don’t do music and that you are passionate about?
SA: Well, it’s so hard to find time when you do music at a professional level, because I spend a lot of time between recording studios, shows, creating communication presence, and so on. But when I have a chance, I like doing some sports and hanging out with friends.

1inmusic: Success to you is…
SA: That is a hard thing to describe, but success is to deliver your feeling to the audience and make them really feel what you are trying to say with your music.

1inmusic: What do you wish you have been told when you started out and that you think would help anyone who starts out?
SA: Practice, practice, and practice. This is the key to improving yourself and your skills. Whatever the kind of music you do or love, keep going and never to look back. It’s never to late to achieve your dreams. Believe in yourself and you will make it.

1inmusic: Any upcoming projects?
SA: Yes, I’m working on my second Blues album. It will be ready by the end of April 2016. I hope that everyone likes it, and keep waiting for more and more. In the meantime, my first album is out on all digital stores, such as Itunes, Spotify, Amazon and Deezer. You can also check my website at - 1inmusic