Egyptian Indie Solo Artists You Should Have on Your Radar

Egypt’s indie scene has always been defined by bands, but a new wave of solo artists is starting to make its mark.

Their music thrives on intimacy, whether through stripped-back guitar, dreamy synths, or fluid shifts between Arabic and English, and it carries a diaristic edge that feels personal and immediate.

Here are some of the emerging Egyptian indie solo artists worth adding to your playlists.

Pink Seasalt

With songs that feel lifted from an ’80s summer road-trip mixtape, Pink Seasalt – the stage name of Cairo singer-songwriter Mahmoud Hafez – blends nostalgic psychedelia with modern alt rock, and lately, Arabic lyrics too. His sound unravels in rich layers of guitars, melodic retro synths, and harmonised vocals, conjuring the dusty textures and vibrant colours of a treasured cassette tape.

As its name suggests, his Arabic debut, 'Shereet Kharban', spins like a cassette worn thin from rewinding, its replay factor proof of the catchy songwriting he carries into '3ala Toul' and 'Matgily Tany'.

Randa Shoukry

Randa Shoukry is a long-time-in-the-making musician, one of the newest voices to step into the scene. Her debut single, 'Hayaty Mestaneyany', makes clear how overdue this was, its chorus an ode to a life held on pause for things never as vital to her as music. It’s the perfect soundtrack to a drastic shift, the opening chapter of a life now wrapped in lush pads and shimmering guitar riffs.

As a rising indie singer-songwriter, Randa shows the skill all true indie artists must possess; one that never comes easy: turning tragedies into melodies, and folding inner monologues into song.

AQL

Tapping into sombre guitar tones, Marwan AQL is a songwriter whose lyrics are steeped in his blues and a singer whose guitar always seems attuned to his emotions, drawing listeners in with an unpretentious, introspective sound that feels like an invitation to sit with him inside his very thoughts. 

FHMY

Collabing with AQL on the confessional letter of a song, ‘My Blue Heaven’, off his debut LP ‘The World You Grew Up in No Longer Exists’, experimental musician FHMY has built a trademark style of writing songs like notes on the back of postcards sent to the past – sometimes realist-bitter, sometimes homesick-nostalgic.

His compositions weave samples from anime, videogames, old films, and books from his childhood and adolescence, their imprint mixing with his nuanced sonic palette of math rock, emo and shoegaze. 

Nadine Eldeib

With her soulful voice layered over head-bopping instrumentation and playful production, Nadine Eldeib sings about love and heartbreak with a candour that makes them uniquely hers. Since her debut single, ‘Two Stones', she has delved into the complexities of emotional connection and miscommunication, turning them into deeply personal bangers. 

Ali Arafa

Ali Arafa is a rising artist who moves effortlessly between Arabic and English on his debut EP 'Amel Eh?', weaving together a spectrum of influences. From the bouncy indie synths of Trapped to the groovy guitars of 'WHY?', and the R&B and hip-hop textures of 'Matesaalneesh', Ali Arafa’s sound thrives on fluidity. 

Reem Amr

Reem Amr, lead singer of Tame Impala’s tribute night, is a young aspiring singer/songwriter with the enthusiasm and vocal range to match. Still on the journey of shaping her signature sound, she’s already beginning to show her potential – most recently in her collaboration with Ali Arafa on ‘Unbothered’ – hinting at the artist she is steadily becoming as she finds her footing in the scene. 

Kiiko

Somewhere between raw reflection and danceable energy, singer/songwriter Kiiko captivates with stripped-back and reverbed vocals flowing into up-beat pop instrumentation while holding onto a shoegaze feel. Heavy on storytelling, Kiiko turns lived experience into lyrics drenched in poeticism and crafts a sonic space where he can disclose his vulnerabilities. 

Nouran

Owning diaristic songwriting, Nouran is a rising indie artist processing her world and emotions through pop music with a pastel coming-of-age texture and disarming charm. Her online presence feels instantly relatable to any singer/songwriter coping with their feelings through – naturally – turning them into song. 

Zein-Al Arfeen

Re-introducing the poeticism of classical Arabic, Zein Elarfeen puts out songs like a time capsule, with a voice that belongs to an older world, carrying that cadence into the contemporary scene.