Saudi Press

Saudi Arabia and the world
Thursday, Oct 02, 2025

Saudi youth jamming to the sounds of rock and roll 

Saudi youth jamming to the sounds of rock and roll 

Young Saudis are increasingly interested in music’s rock and roll genre.

Influenced by hits from the 1970s to the early 2000s, several young people are jamming at local clubs such as Jeddah’s Makan Music Center.

Sixteen-year-old guitarist Firas Abualula said his father always liked classic rock and listened to music from the 1970s through to the 1990s.

“He really liked ‘The Police’ … my older brothers inherited his taste in music, and we used to listen to them together until we eventually discovered metal and its sub-genres,” he told Arab News.

Abualula’s music idol is British-American musician and lead guitarist of Guns ’N Roses Saul Hudson, famously known as “Slash,” who inspired him to become a guitarist.

“What I love about this musician is that I’ve never seen any other guitarist play the way he does. It is his unique way of playing … and speed,” he said. “It is also the way he dresses … the iconic hat and sunglasses.”

Abualula feels music helps him connect with himself. “I’m a very calm person, not the type that talks much. I like listening to music all the time. I listen to music everywhere, it’s what makes me happy, relaxed, feel like myself, until it made me a musician,” he said.

Eight-year-old drummer Mohammed Obaid has been practicing the drums for almost a year. His father, Ahmed Obaid, who is also a musician, enrolled him in drumming classes.

“Me and my brothers watch my father’s band practice all the time. He asked if there was any instrument I would like to play, and I told him I wanted to learn drumming, and he enrolled me at the music center right away,” he said.

“I would like to learn how to play the electric guitar one day too,” he added.


Ahmed Obaid, musician and father of eight-year-old drummer Mohammed.

Mohammed’s favorite local bands are Wasted Land, who play melodic death metal, and Outlive, an alternative rock outfit. He likes international groups Green Day and Metallica.

Ahmed, who has been a guitarist for Outlive since 2006, said music was always important in their household.

“Growing up, my dad used to play the Oud, he used to take me to all the parties with his friends, and I used to enjoy watching him play music with his friends. So I wanted to share that with my son,” he told Arab News.

“I play keyboard, guitar, drums, Oud … not at an expert (level) but I can manage. So I wanted to pass this experience down to my son. He can play with us; he can enjoy the music. It is fun.”

Newsletter

Related Articles

Saudi Press
0:00
0:00
Close
Altman Says GPT-5 Already Outpaces Him, Warns AI Could Automate 40% of Work
Trump Organization Teams with Saudi Developer on $1 Billion Trump Plaza in Jeddah
Electronic Arts to Be Taken Private in Historic $55 Billion Buyout
Colombian President Petro Vows to Mobilize Volunteers for Gaza and Joins List of Fighters
Nvidia and Abu Dhabi’s TII Launch First AI-&-Robotics Lab in the Middle East
UK, Canada, and Australia Officially Recognise Palestine in Historic Shift
New Eye Drops Show Promise in Replacing Reading Glasses for Presbyopia
Dubai Property Boom Shows Strain as Flippers Get Buyer’s Remorse
Top AI Researchers Are Heading Back to China as U.S. Struggles to Keep Pace
JWST Data Brings TRAPPIST-1e Closer to Earth-Like Habitability
UAE-US Stargate Project Poised to Make Abu Dhabi a Global AI Powerhouse
Trump and Starmer Clash Over UK Recognition of Palestinian State Amid State Visit
Saudi Arabia cracks down on music ‘lounges’ after conservative backlash
Saudi Arabia Signs ‘Strategic Mutual Defence’ Pact with Pakistan, Marking First Arab State to Gain Indirect Access to Nuclear Strike Capabilities in the Region
Sam Altman sells the 'Wedding Estate' in Hawaii for 49 million dollars
Turkish car manufacturer Togg Enters German Market with 5-Star Electric Sedan and SUV to Challenge European EV Brands
World’s Longest Direct Flight China Eastern to Launch 29-Hour Shanghai–Buenos Aires Direct Flight via Auckland in December
New OpenAI Study Finds Majority of ChatGPT Use Is Personal, Not Professional
Kuwait opens bidding for construction of three cities to ease housing crunch.
This Week in AI: Meta’s Superintelligence Push, xAI’s Ten Billion-Dollar Raise, Genesis AI’s Robotics Ambitions, Microsoft Restructuring, Amazon’s Million-Robot Milestone, and Google’s AlphaGenome Update
Indian Student Engineers Propose “Project REBIRTH” to Protect Aircraft from Crashes Using AI, Airbags and Smart Materials
Could AI Nursing Robots Help Healthcare Staffing Shortages?
Turkish authorities seize leading broadcaster amid fraud and tax investigation
Qatari prime minister says Netanyahu ‘killed any hope’ for Israeli hostages
Apple Introduces Ultra-Thin iPhone Air, Enhanced 17 Series and New Health-Focused Wearables
Big Oil Slashes Jobs and Investments Amid Prolonged Low Crude Prices
Social Media Access Curtailed in Turkey After CHP Calls for Rallies Following Police Blockade of Istanbul Headquarters
Did the Houthis disrupt the internet in the Middle East? Submarine cables cut in the Red Sea
Gold Could Reach Nearly $5,000 if Fed Independence Is Undermined, Goldman Sachs Warns
Uruguay, Colombia and Paraguay Secure Places at 2026 World Cup
Trump Administration Advances Plans to Rebrand Pentagon as Department of War Instead of the Fake Term Department of Defense
Tether Expands into Gold Sector with Profit-Driven Diversification
Trump’s New War – and the ‘Drug Tyrant’ Fearing Invasion: ‘1,200 Missiles Aimed at Us’
At the Parade in China: Laser Weapons, 'Eagle Strike,' and a Missile Capable of 'Striking Anywhere in the World'
Information Warfare in the Age of AI: How Language Models Become Targets and Tools
Israeli Airstrike in Yemen Kills Houthi Prime Minister
After the Shock of Defeat, Iranians Yearn for Change
YouTube Altered Content by Artificial Intelligence – Without Permission
Iran Faces Escalating Water Crisis as Protests Spread
More Than Half a Million Evacuated as Typhoon Kajiki Heads for Vietnam
HSBC Switzerland Ends Relationships with Over 1,000 Clients from Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Qatar, and Egypt
Sharia Law Made Legally Binding in Austria Despite Warnings Over 'Incompatible' Values
Dogfights in the Skies: Airbus on Track to Overtake Boeing and Claim Aviation Supremacy
Tim Cook Promises an AI Revolution at Apple: "One of the Most Significant Technologies of Our Generation"
Are AI Data Centres the Infrastructure of the Future or the Next Crisis?
Miles Worth Billions: How Airlines Generate Huge Profits
Zelenskyy Returns to White House Flanked by European Allies as Trump Pressures Land-Swap Deal with Putin
Beijing is moving into gold and other assets, diversifying away from the dollar
Cristiano Ronaldo Makes Surprise Stop at New Hong Kong Museum
Zelenskyy to Visit Washington after Trump–Putin Summit Yields No Agreement
×