JEDDAH: Adham Bayoumi, who goes by the artist name Bayou, is carving out a distinctive space in the music scene. Bayoumi is Egyptian, but was born in Jeddah. While he was still young his family relocated to the UAE, and although he still has family ties in Saudi Arabia — his father currently works in Riyadh — he has few memories of the Kingdom.
“I don’t have much recollection of my time there,” he tells Arab News. “My connection to Saudi has been purely through music.” He is currently signed to a Saudi label, MDLBEAST Records, and plans to perform in the Kingdom this year.
He’s excited to explore his Saudi connections further. His association with MDLBEAST began a little over a year ago. “They reached out to me, and it felt like a perfect match,” he says, adding that the partnership has influenced his sound.
Bayoumi’s music journey has been an eclectic one, ranging from the UAE to the US, where he attended university, and involving numerous collaborations. “My main producer, Motif Alumni, was in New York but has recently moved to Massachusetts, which impacted our creative workflow,” he says. As his music has evolved, Bayoumi has incorporated more Egyptian and Arabic influences.
Bayoumi grew up in Dubai, where he absorbed a wide variety of musical influences. “I listened to everything — especially pop hits on Virgin Radio,” he recalls. His mother’s taste in music included artists like Muhammad Munir and Andrea Bocelli.
This diversity shaped hi.