The up-and-coming Bahraini indie band Mission to the Moon (MTTM) has been making waves in the regional music scene over the past few years. The dynamic 22-year-old trio – lead vocalist Nour Boujacli, bassist Ayesha Tyabji and guitarist Mohamed Abdulla (Mojay) – are definitely ones to watch!

Apple Sharma caught up with the young musicians to get the backstory on their rapid rise, their breakout hit single and their upcoming gig.

fact: What’s the story behind your band’s name and how did MTTM come together?
MTTM: In January 2021, during the height of COVID-19, I [Nour] got a DM on TikTok from a then stranger – Ayesha, who complimented me on my covers and asked to jam together. Starved from social interaction at the time, we immediately met and hit it off. COVID did this strange thing to people, where if anything was actually happening, you ironically needed to share the dopamine hit and bring people into the fold. As it so happened, Ayesha and Mojay were already mutually acquainted, so they scheduled their next meetup together in Distorted Studios Riffa. Now armed with all the equipment needed to make music, we got to it. The name was an afterthought – something we needed to title a WhatsApp group chat, but it also needed to sound good. We basically iterated through a random name generator over a hundred times until we found something that was pleasing to our ears.

fact: For someone hearing you for the first time, how would you describe your sound and music genre, and which artists have influenced you most?
MTTM: The simplest category to put us in is indie pop, but our DNA is closer to bedroom pop with dream pop and shoegaze elements sprinkled in. Our sound has changed over the years and will most likely continue to do so; our first single, Loop, is a classic, clean-cut indie song, while our latest released EP, Into Blue, is an ode to our shared love for pop, folk and ‘alt’ music. We each have our own distinct influences, and we feel like those come through on our records. While the list is non-exhaustive, I [Nour] am big on Clairo, Alvvays and Faye Webster; Ayesha on The Cure, The Beatles and Wolf Alice; and Mojay on Prince, D’Angelo and Yellow Magic Orchestra.

fact: Pears was a breakout hit and landed you on Spotify Arabia’s Fresh Finds playlist. How did that feel, and why do you think it connects with listeners?
MTTM: During the recording process of Pears, we all realised that the song was shaping to be something bigger than whatever came before. There was so much intention with the structure, harmonies and lyrical material – more so than with Loop or Purple Lemonade – that it felt as complete of a song as we could’ve written at the time. Reception on release was greater than we could’ve ever expected, and the Spotify Fresh Finds inclusion made us feel like we were onto something big. Fresh Finds gave us a taste of big milestones and we’re super eager to push for more. A large reason as to why we think the song resonated with so many people, aside from the sonic aspects, is that the lyrical content reflected a time in life everyone has lived at least once before. The song must’ve served as some sort of portal to a parallel dimension in which those days are cast in a novel and fun light.

fact: What does your creative process look like when you’re writing music? What’s one thing each of you brings to the process?
MTTM: Writing has never been formulaic for us, but just like any song, they don’t get made in a vacuum. It always starts with a seed of some sorts, whether that be a vocal melody, a lyric, a chord progression or even listening to a song and saying, “We want THAT.” One thing we’ve figured out for certain is that we have to be in the same room as each other when we write, or else the result is detached from any shared experience and never progresses. Ayesha and I [Nour] have an uncanny ability to bounce words off of each other to form great sounding verses and hooks, and Mojay adds his own distinct flavour to the instrumentation. We all share responsibility for song structure and any ear candy or elements that fill the empty gaps, whether it’s adding an organ to On the Edge or dissecting the ending harmonies in See You in Court, trying to make it seem like the world is dissolving in real-time.

fact: You’ve played packed shows in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia. What does it mean to represent Bahrain on regional stages, especially as a young band?
MTTM: Playing packed shows in Bahrain and Saudi is the best feeling as a local band. Growing up here in Bahrain, you’re always told that “There’s no music scene here” or “People won’t care enough about local acts” or that you “Have to leave the country to pursue your passion”, and that brand of pessimism has never sat right with us. We intuitively knew that those words were projections of doom and gloom internal realities that don’t exist in the real, human world of music. People yearn for experiences that aren’t viewed through a six-inch vertical screen, experiences that they can connect with as people. Whenever we get on stage, we feel immense pride that we can represent and satisfy that yearning from, to and through our people of Bahrain. We keep at it because people, including us, love music and deserve to be surrounded by it if they so choose to, and we hope to inspire more young and upcoming artists like us to follow suit and shoot their own shots at expressing themselves.

fact: If you could collaborate with any regional or international artist, who would be at the top of your wish list?
MTTM: The top spot on that list is different for each of us. For me [Nour], it would be Clairo – ever since I discovered her song Sis and her cover of Duet by Frankie Cosmos and seeing pieces of myself in Clairo’s music. Ayesha’s pick is Alice Phoebe Lou. While Alice is a big inspiration to Ayesha as a songwriter, she’d like to talk to Alice in the context of musical conversation, jam sessions and artistic growth. Mojay would choose Mk.gee and, much like Ayesha, pick his brain about technical elements of songwriting and production, in the hope of having Mk.gee’s immense and otherworldly songwriting energy rub off on him.

fact: What advice would you give to a Bahraini teenager writing songs in their bedroom right now?
MTTM: Don’t hold yourself back with negativity – your haters will do that for you. No matter what you put out, there will be a vocal subgroup of people who disagree with you and judge you, so don’t sacrifice any artistic integrity trying to satisfy anyone but yourselves; be yourself and have fun. Music is a beautiful thing, so always be grateful that you surround yourself with it. If you’re ever stuck and in need of more advice, reach out to us. We love all our peers and would love to give serious advice to people with genuine concerns about their future in music.

fact: What’s next on your calendar? Can you share any details about upcoming gigs or releases fans can look forward to?
MTTM: We’re really excited about what’s coming up. On April 3, we’re playing at Under the Palms Indie Festival – A Good Neighbour x Artology event bringing together a lineup of indie acts from across Bahrain and Saudi. It’s happening at Artology [in Saar], and it feels special to be part of a space that genuinely supports local artists and alternative music. We’re also working on some new material in parallel. So, if you’re there, you might hear something before the rest of the world does ‘wink wink‘. ✤

GO: FOLLOW @MISSIONTOTHEMOONMUSIC ON INSTAGRAM FOR MORE INFORMATION.