I am so lucky to say that I’ve been the first person to interview the lead singer of Meei, an incredible band from Spain. With Maria, we have talked about so many things. Continue to read and you’ll find out more!
Hello Maria! How are you doing?
Hello, I can’t complain. The weather is warm, but not as hot as it was one week ago.
What’s the meaning behind the name “Meei“?
Meei is a Coptic word; Coptic was the language which was spoken in Egypt before the Muslims conquered it. Muslims conquered many countries, and that’s why Arabic is spoken in so many places. Coptic was the language that was closely related to the language the pharaoh spoke, the original language of Egypt, so to speak. Now it is still used, but only by the Christians of Egypt. They use it only for liturgical purposes; in everyday life, they speak Arabic, but when they go to church, they use Coptic. So it’s great because that language doesn’t die completely. “Meei” means justice and truth; it’s beautiful, and it means a lot to us.
That is so interesting! How would you describe your music and your sound to someone who wants to enter Meei’s world?
If I have to put it in a very simple way, I’d say that it’s folk metal, or oriental Mediterranean folk metal, even though sometimes it also sounds like symphonic metal.
After listening to the demo you released, I can’t but wonder what you have in store for us next?
The new single will be coming out this week.
Who are your main artistic influences?
I’m inspired by everything, not only metal; I also listen to dark wave mostly. When I was a teenager, my main artistic influence was Lacrimosa, and I still love that band because it meant a lot to me when I was growing up. As well as Epica, Turisas and Ensiferum.
Amazing choices! Do you have any “rituals” before going on stage?
Not really, I don’t do anything; but I might develop a ritual because I have many rituals. But I don’t have a reason for this; I had many rituals for things I wanted to stop doing. If I’m not going to eat sweets for a month, then I have to do a ritual to stop eating sweets. But sometimes you don’t know when you’re doing something for the last time. There is a poem by Emily Dickinson that goes: “We never know we go—when we are going / We jest and shut the door.” I have rituals when I’m still doing things, but maybe I’ll develop a ritual before going on stage. I have many rituals; I love rituals.
What is your least favorite part of being an artist?
The art you create is never finished; you can always improve it. So you need to stop at some point and say, “That’s the best I could do” otherwise you would never release anything. Also, you’re in the spotlight when you’re a singer. If you play the drums, you’re far back! But the singer is in the front.
The music industry is not an easy place to survive in, and much less for women. Do you think there are still disadvantages between the two sexes?
As a man, you’re less likely to be criticized for everything. As a woman, if you don’t show too much, you will be criticized, and if you show too much, you’ll be criticized. It’s not only about what you wear; it’s about many other things. Women will be criticized if they become pregnant, but men don’t have these problems. Women will be criticized if they are not hot as they used to be, whereas men won’t. It’s really, really bad if you cry as a man because you’ll be called gay, but if you cry as a woman (people don’t think about this that much), you also get mocked because they don’t take you seriously. Women cry for everything, so people laugh, even on the street. This happened to me; one time, I was on the street, and a group of men said, “She’s crying because she doesn’t have a boyfriend anymore.” Also, you have to be careful with what you write; I mean, I don’t care if my songs are depressing or if I get mocked.
That is awful! I am so sorry this happened to you. Let’s play a little game: if you had a superpower of your choosing, which one would it be?
Healing power. I’d like to heal any disease. I’m a healer in World of Warcraft!
Thank you so much for taking the time to do this interview! Would you like to add anything to FemMetal readers?
I mean, thank you for reading the interview and this website because they do a great job, and it’s necessary!
Hi! My name is Benedetta, I’m 29 and I live in Northern Italy. My passion has always been music: I started taking guitar lessons when I was 6. Now I work as a sales representative, but in my free time I interview talented people, I spread the word about my favorite band (MoonSun), and I go to concerts or travel around Europe.
I am a huge collector of anything Tolkien-related, autographs, merchandise, and CDs. I am quite an original person and don’t mind being the voice outside of the choir (even though I play in the church’s choir!).
