A Chat with Mebo (30.09.20)
Inspired by acts like Nirvana, Radiohead and The Lumineers, Mebo is a singer-songwriter with a powerful and passionate sound. Recently releasing his EP Supernova Love, this Saudi Arabia-based artist is sharing poignant and genuine indie-rock tracks. We spoke with Mebo about Supernova Love, music motivation and strange habits.
OSR: How did you choose the band name Mebo?
Mebo: *laughs* It’s not a band name, it’s my artist name. My real name is Mubarak and my friends used to call me Mebo as a nickname. Fun fact: my friend got that name from a pain relief cream; it’s weird, I know.
OSR: What is the backstory to your EP Supernova Love?
Mebo: Me and Frequency Creature (the producer of the EP) had been working on it for like a month and a half. It was supposed to be an album of 13 songs, but we just picked the best five. We’ve been friends for like a year and a half after meeting on Reddit. We never tried to make music together until this year. We were chatting, then we said, “what about making music together?”. We both agreed. I showed him my demos, it was like 40 demos, and we worked on 13 then picked five for the EP.
OSR: Which of the tracks on the EP is your favourite and why?
Mebo: ‘Beneath The Ocean’. It was the last track we’ve made and means a lot to me. I wrote it after a mental breakdown; I was so messed up. I remember I was talking to one of my friends and I started saying weird things like, “oh God no, I don’t want to remember this!”. Then, I picked up my guitar to express myself, as usual. I didn’t even recognise that I was writing a song, it was so weird. I sent the demo to Frequency Creature and he loved it, then we started working on it.
OSR: What about your least favourite track?
Mebo: Probably ‘In The Front’. It’s kind of hard to listen to for me. I wrote this song about the first date I went to with my ex-girlfriend. I wrote the lyrics and the melody before we broke up, then I recorded the vocals for it after the break-up; it was a bittersweet feeling. ‘In The Front’ and ‘Smile’ talks about our first date and I wrote both of them before we broke up.
OSR: If you could change one thing about the EP what would it be and why?
Mebo: Honestly, I wouldn’t change anything. I’m so proud of it.
OSR: What motivates you to make music?
Mebo: That’s a great question, man. A lot of things: the people around me motivates me, also my idols motivate me, damn a lot of things! Mostly, it’s my emotions. I’m a sensitive person and I don’t think being sensitive is wrong. I have a big heart and whenever I have heavy emotions in my chest I pick up my guitar and turn them into art. That’s the most beautiful thing about music, it’s so magical. To know how someone feels and even relating to them without knowing them personally.
OSR: How would you define your music?
Mebo: A diary of a messed up guy? *laughs*
I don’t know man, I just write about whatever I feel whether it’s good feelings or bad ones. I’ll always stay real in my music ’til the end.
OSR: What is the worst piece of advice you have ever received?
Mebo: “Don’t you ever try Hawaiian pizza”. It was probably the worst advice I’ve ever received. Like, I don’t get it, it’s good! Not all restaurants know how to balance it; you have to look up for a good one.
OSR: What is your earliest memory?
Mebo: Looking at the sky at 6am and asking my father “why is the moon visible in the morning?”. I was a curious child and admired astronomy since my first breath. Now I’m studying Aerospace Engineering and making music, I’m living my childhood dream.
OSR: What is the strangest habit you have?
Mebo: Sometimes I talk to myself in my head, like I imagine some situation happening and I try to make up a solution before it happens. I swear to God, I’m not crazy. It’s fun. Sometimes I imagine myself in the 15th Century suburbs alone living in a small cottage with a guitar or I imagine myself floating in space. It’s also inspired me to write songs, a lot of songs. I wrote them from these little imaginations and try to find a connection between my fantasy and my real life then turn it into a song. It’s fun, isn’t it?
OSR: Do you have a message for our readers?
Mebo: Stay safe guys, and always follow your dreams. Keep fighting for what you want to be and always, always be yourself. I love all of you and thanks for this chance.
Thanks to Mebo for speaking with us! To find out more about him check out his Twitter, Instagram and Spotify.
