Naser Mestarihi

Early life

Naser was born and raised in Doha, Qatar into a musical family, his paternal uncles are all professional musicians. His father is a Jordanian Arab while his mother is a Pakistani Pashtun. He states that his introduction to music came through his parents who gave him his first rock records. He also states that the album that inspired him to pursue a career in music was the Guns N' Roses debut album Appetite for Destruction. Although not formally trained, his mother enrolled him in a music school, however due to his lack of interest and constant complaints of the material being taught Naser quit and began teaching himself the guitar.

Career

Naser has been playing live shows professionally with several bands since 2004. He had minor international exposure at the age of 19 when he was featured on a Danmarks Radio documentary in 2006 which was broadcast in Denmark and other Scandinavian nations.

Naser began his solo career in 2007 performing a handful of shows in the United Arab Emirates as a solo artist and a session musician for other bands. His third and fourth shows as a solo musician with his official Doha touring band were held at the United States Military Base Camp As Siliyah in his hometown of Doha, where he performed on the 4 and 5 July with several other Qatar-based bands in 2008. He also made his radio debut on QBS Radio during the summer of 2009 when his acoustic rendition of The Who's "Pinball Wizard" was aired on QBS Radio. This was followed by the launch of the single "Salvation" in September 2009 also on QBS Radio.

He began recording his debut studio album in December 2009, although the album was set to be released between March and June 2010 it was marred by several delays due to production setbacks. The self-titled Naser Mestarihi EP was eventually released on 31 December 2010, making it the first official rock record ever to be released out of Qatar. Although the album has not had any commercial success it received critical acclaim from magazines including Rolling Stone Middle East who hailed it as "A huge sounding impressive debut" and Sur la Terre magazine who gave it 4/5 pearls. The EP was released on iTunes and several online stores.

Naser composes all his music and lyrics (including drums) and is known for his meticulous recording approach recording every instrument's track on his record with the exception of the drums.

Naser released his second album 1987 on 17 June 2013 worldwide and 2 August in Qatar. The album's first single "Exodus Highway" receiving a positive review in the May 2013 issue of Rolling Stone magazine prior to the album's release. The album itself received a positive review from "Rolling Stone" magazine.

He launched the album in Dubai at The Music Room with the support of fellow rockers Nikotin and Kicksound. Naser is currently planning to perform more shows throughout the year as well as organising a co-headlining international tour.

Influences

Naser has cited many bands as influences on his music, his favourite band is Guns N' Roses however he has also cited bands from 60's and 70's rock such as The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, Thin Lizzy, The Who & Queen as his main influences.

Other genres Naser states he enjoys listening to include new wave and punk. He cites Eddie Van Halen, Jimi Hendrix, Randy Rhoads, Michael Schenker, Jake E. Lee, Slash, Brian May and Pete Townshend among his favourite guitarists.

Personal life

Naser is a former student of Middlesex University and attained a degree in Public Relations, Journalism & Media. He suffers from Obsessive-compulsive disorder.

He is also an avid West Ham United fan.

Discography

Studio albums