Shereen Abdo

Shereen Abdo is a young Egyptian vocalist and a key figure in the country's emerging folk music movement. She possesses a dual vision that is simultaneously conservative regarding traditional folk and yet able to embrace diverse and progressive ways of producing sound. Abdo is forging new ground for contemporary Egyptian music by breaking taboos and reinventing folk music.

Since first being invited on stage by chance a few years ago, Shereen has proved to be a versatile and ambitious singer. Largely self-taught, she has moved from a career in media and music management to working with internationally renowned musicians such as Sheikh Zein and Fathy Salama and touring with bands like Habaybna. A recent jazzy, semi-improvised cover of 'Il-Esar' by Said Darwich for Ahmed Nazmy’s album 'Ethbet Hala' was her first recorded single. She has worked with music styles as varied as folk, electronic, jazz, progressive rock and metal. Shereen has also been involved in various performances in public spaces since the 2011 Egyptian revolution, such as at Fan al-Midan and with the prestigious Al-Warsha troupe.

In 2012 she was a finalist in Rolling Stone Middle East’s 'Street to Stage' competition. In August 2014 she was chosen by Lebanese composer Ziad Rahbani to join his tour through Lebanon. In October 2014 she took part in the the OneBeat 2014 residency in the USA.
She recently started writing articles on music in the Middle East for the UK-based newspaper Al Araby.