Meet Oman's Dynamic R&B Duo

Originally for Y-Magazine, published in October of 2019 

Firas Al Bakri has been producing music since he was 19. Last year, a few hours before his 26th birthday he found himself reflecting on his life.

“ 4 years ago, I thought I’d be somewhere by now,” he shared. “ Going to LA, living over there … having a house.. a network.. Making a living off as a musician.. now it has hit me hard”.

Fast forward to a few days after his birthday this year, he sat across from me alongside 24-year-old singer Akram Masruri. Together, they are known as Akram Virgo. An upcoming R&B duo making big waves in the local music scene. Over the previous year, they have released an album, a few singles, opened for international artists such as Sean Paul, gained a substantial following and a dedicated fan base. However, little do people know that they are also two individuals who decided to take on the challenge of creating an album within a few days of meeting each other.

“ I met him [Akram] at an EP listening party hosted by another Omani singer Adam Nabeel,” said Viirgo. “ At the time I was with a band and I wanted to collaborate with an Omani artist. I just came back from Dubai after living there for 5 years and I did not know anyone”. Originally, he was planning on featuring a local artist on an album he was creating himself. However, after inviting Akram to his studio they decided to try creating an album together in three months.

The pair bonded over their work ethic and their respect for each other’s craft. “With his beats, the inspiration would come to me easily. I wanted to reflect the beats that I was listening to. It was easy to write to” stated Akram. “ However I still wanted to make sure that I pushed myself into writing the best I can” he added.

Viirgo, on the other hand, was impressed with Akram’s songwriting abilities and his commitment to his craft. He noted the challenges he faced previously while working with other artists, most notably the struggles of songwriting. “ We were able to finish 2 songs within a few days of meeting each other. Whereas it would take other artists I have worked with a month to finish one song”.

When it came to naming their album, the duo searched for terms that “described things you didn't know had a name”, and after a long google search, the term Avenoir resonated with the pair. “ It is the desire to relive the past and reminisce” which made sense because we treated the album as a therapy session,” said Akram.

And anyone who listens to the album can attest to that. Vulnerability is a major theme behind AkramxViirgo’s work. Each track on the Avenoir album tells a different story. The album showcases a wide range of emotions including heartbreak, grief, regret, and the weirdly specific roller coaster of emotions you experience when interacting with a crush on social media.

Nonetheless, I found myself gravitating heavily towards the pair’s honesty and asked what vulnerability meant to them. Not just as artists but as men living in the middle east.

They both agreed on the importance of dismantling outdated gender stereotypes regarding men expressing their emotions. “ We always take being vulnerable as a weakness and that you shouldn’t show your emotions,” said Akram. “ I see vulnerability as a strength rather than a weakness” added Viirgo.

“As artists, we tend to be very emotional and sensitive… Any creative has to be in touch with their feelings to be able to create. That’s why it’s important to be vulnerable” stated Akram.

“We live in this world, where the music industry is like a facade,” said Viirgo. “ It’s like yeah I got the bling… I got the money, but there’s no relatability.”

The pair also emphasized the importance of owning your truth and setting your narrative. “ I always take the final scene of the 8 miles movie where Eminmen just shares all his weaknesses and his opponent couldn’t use it against him,” said Viirgo. " I feel like it allows you to take the power back because I am putting myself out there. I have control over my narrative and what I have to say," said Akram.

However, I wondered if their honesty had any implications in real life. When asked, both guys laughed and Viirgo signaled Akram to answer the question since he was responsible for the lyrics.

“ A lot of my close friends were freaking out when they heard the songs because they knew everything. [However] the names themselves were not real names, but were close [to the real ones] or nicknames.”

“It’s funny because some people were flattered and some were completely offended, but they eventually came around and I’d like to believe that they too found it faltering”.

The duo credits their environment and the local art community as a huge influence on their album. “While we were creating

Avenoir, the environment we were in [Cure8] exposed us to many artists coming in and out”. Said Akram

Cure8, for those unfamiliar, was an art-house and the location of AkramxViirgo’s studio. According to one of the founding members, Aysha Al Bakry,“ it was mainly a space for artists to commune and share ideas and collaborate on projects' '.

“ We were secluded in our studio, but not really at the same time. Our album was heavily inspired by that artistic vibe and probably subconsciously influenced by all the artists we met coming in and

out.” Continued Akram. “ One of those artists was Ali Al Sharji who listened to a couple of our tracks and wanted to be involved. He ended up helping us shoot for Hinda’s Exit music video “.

“ A lot of the community wanted to be involved in our project. So that was very motivating for us, that pushed morale.”

An interesting thing about the duo is the notable female presence in their work. Their music videos contain strong and unconventional female leads. In the “Reasons” music video the female lead is first seen as a sweet malleable girl who ends up being a murderer.

“ I’d like to say that we are trying to break the taboo of what’s expected from women and men in music. There’s no such thing as music for men or music for women” stated Akram. The duo emphasizes the importance of breaking the video vixen stereotype. 

“ Girls can be in a music video without covering their hair or twerking. Everything can be done tastefully. Hopefully, we will see more of that in the music scene.”

Also, they highlighted the importance of working with female creatives.

“ The Hinda’s Exit video was directed by Fatma Al Bakry, and we are currently collaborating with a female scriptwriter for a new project”. However, they would like to make it clear that it is not just a diversity hire .” It’s not like we cast you because you are a woman, it’s because you are talented and we want to work with you.”

I asked the duo about their future goals, and before answering they stressed the importance of enjoying the journey. “ When we reach our end goal, the thing that we will look back at are our memories along the way,” said Viirgo. “However, for me as a human being my end goal is just leaving a legacy and helping other people and paving the way for other artists”.

“ It’s similar to what my vision is. For me, of course, I want to share our music on a global scale, but also on a local scale I really want us to open the door and break the taboo of what it means to be a musician in Oman and normalize it,” said Akram.

To learn more you can find the duo on all social media platforms @akramviirgo , and to learn more about their album-making process you can watch their documentary on their Youtube channel.