Cairokee

Cairokee is an Egyptian rock band that was officially launched in 2003 but came to prominence with its revolutionary music following the Egyptian Revolution of 2011 due to its politically-inspired lyrics and protest songs released following the uprising. Their signature song "Ya El Midan", featuring Aida el Ayoubi, who had retired in the 1990s, ranked number one on Facebook worldwide for downloads and number eight on YouTube. ==Background== thumb|Cairokee's Official Logo - Circa. 2018 The band consists of Amir Eid (lead vocalist), Sherif Hawary (lead guitarist), Tamer Hashem (drummer), Sherif Mostafa (keyboardist), and Adam el-Alfy (bass guitarist). The initial band members were friends ever since their school days, and Tamer was already a drummer back then. In 2003, Eid and Hawary had started an English band initially called Black Star. They started playing covers of English songs, with only one Egyptian song called "Ghariba" that was highly admired by their audiences. They later decided to continue making Egyptian songs because they felt it was shameful to keep playing English music as it wasn't their mother tongue. They were mainly influenced by the works of Pink Floyd and The Beatles and regard Pink Floyd's music as an inspiration for their own musical career.

==Career== Following the 2011 revolution, Cairokee released their first major hit, "Sout El Horeya" (The Voice of Freedom), a powerful anthem made in collaboration with Hany Adel of the band Wust El-Balad. The song's music video, filmed in Tahrir Square, became a viral phenomenon, reportedly breaking world records for its millions of views in a short period of time. They continued to capture the revolutionary spirit with "Ya El Midan" (Oh, The Square), which marked the return of veteran singer Aida El Ayoubi after a 20-year hiatus. The song personified Tahrir Square as a fellow protester, and its music video subtly documented the revolution from a protester's home, showing items used to combat tear gas and other protest-related gear, addressing and personifying it as another living and breathing member of the opposition, and its video clip documented the latest protests in an indirect way as the camera was apparently filming inside a protester's house and it roamed over clothes riddled with bullet holes, medical white coats, onions and types vinegar (substances that defuse the effects of teargas). Cairokee's momentum culminated in their first album, Matloob Zaeem (Leader Wanted), released in June 2011. The title track was a massive hit, serving as a social commentary on the qualities the next leader of the country should possess. A year later, on the revolution's anniversary, they released "Ethbat Makanak" (Hold Your Ground), featuring prominent satirist Bassem Youssef. The collaboration was a show of support for independent media voices who were under attack by the military government. The band's role in the public sphere continued through the 2013 protests. They performed in front of hundreds of thousands of people who were protesting against then-President Mohamed Morsi. The crowd sang along with them, turning the performance into a powerful display of unity and opposition.