Diandra Interviews Hegazy: Sisters With A Social Message

Leila and Omnia Hegazy are talented and mindful sisters whom are trying to set their own path in this music industry. Now, more than ever, is the time to be creative because the old “work hard, get more” routes have seemingly closed. Thus, this duo has decided to unite achieve their own path of happiness through music, and, in essence, sing for you to find yours. While their songs confront political, social, and spiritual oppression, they prove you only face the bad so that you can become the face of good.

Diandra: Your music is, essentially, about the struggle to be/ feel like an “adult” when you are still young and figuring yourself out. Do you think “adulting” is harder for this rising generation?

Hegazy: Definitely. Our generation owes thousands of dollars in student debt, and this makes the transition to adulthood way harder than it was for our parents. A college degree has become the new high school diploma, so in order to set yourself apart you have to either continue going to school, compete to find a job in your field (against others who have the same degree as you), or abandon the system completely. The odds are stacked against you, and the jobs very often aren’t there. You can start your own business but that might require taking out more loans, which is hard to do when you already owe so much money. On the bright side, if you’re a creative this might just be the time for you. The system that you’ve been sold since you were little isn’t really working out for most people your age. But dreams do cost money, so you still need to figure out a way to finance your idea/art, etc. all while figuring out how to pay for basic things like rent, food, etc.

Diandra: Your music is surprisingly light-hearted when, in contrast, it is based on constantly trying to survive enough to live your dreams. What was one, specific moment that made you decide to follow a dream, and what was the best advice you received or can give from it?

Leila: While working in retail post-college I remember realizing that juggling music and sales was never going to happen for me. I had stopped writing songs, and my whole life had become about how much money I could make (I sold designer handbags on commission). It was at that moment that I realized I needed my time back, because I was never going to be creative as long as I worked there. Truthfully I still had to relearn the time > money lesson again after leaving that job, but that moment of clarity really stayed me, and made me careful about what else I took on.

Omnia: I was working in the music business from 10-6 full time, and was coming home exhausted after a long commute with very little time or energy to make music. It occurred to me that my life was not my own, and that I needed a change, even though I was what society would consider “successful”. I went to university and got a cool job in my field, like everyone said I should, but I was so deeply unhappy not having time to be creative. It took me three years to leave the security of that job and take the plunge into pursuing music full time, but that was a defining moment for me and I’m so glad that I did it. Our first single “Alive” was written about this experience. 

Diandra: Describe the moment you both decided, and knew you would be a duo?

Hegazy: We had been heading in the duo direction for a while before it officially happened. A few years after college, both of us had hit a wall as solo artists, both creatively and professionally. Being an indie artist can be very draining financially and emotionally, and both of us started to feel tired from going it alone. We were already sharing an apartment and writing songs in adjacent rooms, so our musical styles had begun to sound more alike (we met in the soul/pop world, as Leila wrote R&B and Omnia wrote pop/rock). There was a point where collaborating naturally made sense. We started by co-billing together on shows, then playing entire sets together, and eventually contributing to each other’s songs. Our dad had always insisted that we were stronger as a duo than we were alone, and when he passed away “Hegazy” basically formed itself. We used his/our last name to honor his memory.

Diandra: Your music appears very inquisitive. Like you are asking listeners, “What are you doing to make yourself happy?”. What is the last thing you have done to make yourself happy, and what is the next thing you plan?

Leila: I went on a super last minute yoga retreat by myself last weekend, and it was just what I needed. But the biggest thing I’m realizing is that happiness = how you spend your time. I get to make music and/or do all the little things that build our band, and that reality makes me happy. I can practice yoga (I’m a yoga teacher and I’ve practiced yoga for half my life) right at home and feel peace/bliss without ever having to leave my apartment. If you’re already doing things on a daily basis to make yourself happy, you don’t even have to plan for your happiness. You just get to live it every day.

Omnia: I went to London! It was a for a gig (non-Hegazy related), but I had a decent amount of time to explore the city on my own. Traveling always helps me to see life back home more clearly and get out of the funk of daily routines. I also do my best to meditate daily – it’s a life-changing thing when you do it consistently.

Diandra: What do you hope your music prompts in listeners in terms of life’s lesson and societal questions?

Hegazy: We hope our music will make our listeners feel good first and foremost, but we also hope it inspires them pursue their own happiness and to seek their own truth, whatever this means for them (it’s different for everyone and that’s a good thing)!

Diandra: You have been defined as DIY musicians. What is it about being on your own, and having each other as creative partners that you feel gives you an advantage as fosterers of music? What do you feel you bring out as artists in each other? 


Hegazy: Being DIY artists has helped us to hone our sound and figure out what we’re trying to say with our music, without any outside forces telling us what we should be, who we should sound like, etc. We both come from different musical backgrounds, so our perspectives are pretty different. Both of us have had to learn that the way we do things isn’t the only way, and it’s made us both more open-minded creatively. At the same time, everything we write has to go through two filters now, which means that the quality of the music is greater. And having a teammate in this crazy business certainly helps.

Diandra: You have been very open on the difficulty of being women, especially strong ones, in the music industry. With the current, political climate, what do you hope the future brings for ladies in the industry? How would you define women’s empowerment and equality?

Hegazy: Equality in this context means living in a time when we don’t even have to discuss sexism in the music industry, because it’s a non-issue. It means not having to discuss women’s empowerment, because women are already on equal footing with men and aren’t being held down by anything they need to be lifted up from. In order for this to happen, the music industry needs to be less male-dominated, and quite like our male-dominated government does, we need more women in decision-making positions. The only reason sexism has persisted in these institutions is because men have been running the show for far too long.

Diandra: Going on the last question, the political climate feels fraught with tension. Being a now duo, but also a pair of solo artists that have always been social commentators, how do you feel the past year has changed you as artists, individuals, and participants in society?

Hegazy: This past year has made it pretty much impossible for us to write music that doesn’t contain some kind of social/political commentary. Even our most feel-good songs or love songs provide a little glimpse into the times that we’re living in. This music we’ve created as a duo is how we’ve made sense of all the crazy things that have happened, and are still happening. Let’s just say that instead of sharing our opinions on Facebook we’ve decided to make art, because art has the power to affect change and sway public opinion. In addition to good old-fashioned protesting, it’s the best way to express yourself.

Diandra: Which genres and topics do you hope to approach in upcoming music?

This first EP has been very soulful, and that’s something that we’ll probably maintain throughout our evolution as a band. But we have other songs recorded that are a little more pop and rock in their approach. We can definitely say that future music will be even more unapologetic and feminism will be a larger topic of conversation.

Hegazy will being playing Pianos NYC on December 15. For More Information on this duo of stars Click Here.