SOUTHEND-ON-SEA
IS HIGHLY REGARDED AS one of the most endearing Essex-based coastal towns in
Britain. Apart from the vibrant sands of Southend Beach and the heavily
contemporary house designs spanning extreme lengths of landscape across the
seafront, there is absolutely much to offer in terms of music and local events.
The famed Cliffs Pavilion offers a huge assortment of variety acts, the
likenesses of music artists such as Oasis, The 1975 and Blur. But the
long-standing question behind all the racket and commotion of the typical music
festival follows: what if you were a relatively unknown musical
act who filled the footsteps of legendary artists performing live gigs in
venues across the UK and beyond? What if you, as a breakthrough
artist, were given the opportunity to headline leading music festivals in the
following months to come?
Hailing
from Southend-on-Sea, half-British, half-Egyptian 16-year-old female breakout
star and teenage athlete Shereen Raouf particularly has a veneered
self-interest in rock music and going out, much like the typical
music-orientated teenager. There is a subtle difference to that, however, as
she adopts the tomboyish nature of sporting a high-profile hairstyle and unique
rocker-inspired outfits which distinguish her from mainly patriarchal
mainstream rock bands existing today.
During
her free time, Shereen would ponder on a new music idea to bring whilst jogging
all the way from her residence in Shoeburyness to Southend Central town centre.
"It feels so strange having to manage a three-piece band while at the same
time keeping up with school work and community volunteering," she
expresses in her most unflattering and enthusiastic tone, "It's like
multitasking - but only in a more complex and engaging tone! Like I do at sixth
form, I frequently socialise with my band mates every now and then - but for
me, it's a new found opportunity to discover the inner singer in myself and the
potential passions that I behold."
In
October, reports of a new alternative rock band buzzed across the far reaches
of Southend. Some called them "a potential match to recent alt rockers
like Wolf Alice and Nothing But Thieves" and others "the next step to
influential success in progressive rock". Surprisingly, the new teenage
band Chasing Dragonflies from local school Southend High School
for Girls perfectly matched the above descriptions of innocent bystanders.
Following
the public buzz lately, Shereen was stoked to impress rock music fans alike
with her SHSG buddies Gabe Summers (guitarist) and Joseph "Joe"
Reeves (drummer). Gathering all of her band-related loudspeakers, electric and
bass guitars, drums and microphones, she directed the newly formed trio in a
new musical direction, which then became her positive brand towards audiences.
"When
all the commotion about our upcoming fame was gossiped about in school, I felt
quite nervous to begin with!" Raouf says. "But hearing about the
positive music performances we played at school talent shows and local gigs at
Chinneries, led me and my band mates to achieve community stardom. It was a
total success! Gabe was like, 'We definitely need to produce an extended
play,' and my response to his view was, 'I feel like that is a much-necessary
idea!'.
"Just
that single thought that occurred to me sparked the further idea of signing
famous record labels and help produce various albums with a music producer
under that trademark," she finishes. With Chasing Dragonflies having
become the newest English rock band fresh out of the furnace, a relatively
small independent fanbase was established following digital downloads of early
song covers and original song demos. Band promotion was limited but worked
spectacularly to their advantage. They were proclaimed a triumphant entrance to
the much-adorned 21st century punk rock scene.
IN HER SOLO CAREER, Shereen thrives on watching live music gigs and
singing in her music poster-laden bedroom. As such, a typical day all to
herself involves recording videos of herself singing along to her favourite
songs, watching movies on Netflix, and spending at least two hours on social
media, on her touch-based phone. Flicking back and forth between the Internet
and Facebook, she sometimes catches intriguing music articles that involve
indie and mainstream bands in the media. These ideas allow her to follow the
ambition and pastoral glory that are the byproducts of Chasing Dragonflies'
success. With her sense of motivation, progressively melodic voice and
unhindered enthusiasm, Shereen has since looked forward to recording new,
exquisite songs for her upcoming band EP, "The Chasing Dragonflies
EP", and the eventual solo album "Unhinged Land", both due for
release in 2016.
On
being asked about her future compositions, Shereen thought very hard about her
commitment to both her solo career and life as Chasing Dragonflies' lead
singer. It's obvious now that her organisation skills are paramount; a life
skill required to progress forward in every singer's lifetimes. "I think
most people looking forward to future content from myself as a singer at this
moment in time," she says. "It's just... incredible. From the moment
of musical success I've always wanted to commit myself to singing because it
was my passion since my school life in Greensward Academy, which was the
secondary school I formerly attended.
"For
the past three months since current education, I had always considered releasing
solo content on Soundcloud and not just straight to iTunes or any digital
downloading system there is," she says with honesty. "As a highly
dedicated musician, I could easily attract audiences by posting new material
online and on YouTube. I love that people enjoy watching and listening to me
sing in my most glorified, coercive voice. It makes me feel so much better
hearing positive feedback. By taking this into account, I would expect everyone
to anticipate for future musical content from me.
Shereen
Raouf, in turn, has learned many things from his long and winding newfound
musical career. "This is only just my prologue - the whole world will be
aware of my justified exposure."
<<Every single detail posted is my double page spread article/copy. Not all of the cover story may be present due to excess information or lack of space for DPS photographs courtesy of my two photoshoots shot during my own time.>>
No comments:
Post a Comment