Born in Alexandria and raised between Baheira & Cairo, Menna Dief is on a mission to bring Egypt to the world with Live Nation. At just 26 years old the talent promoter has been named by Scene Plus as one of the ‘Top 100 Pioneers for 2023,’ curating and booking over 30 shows in the past year alone. This was a year of many firsts as she toured Egyptian artist Wegz around North America and Europe selling out 9 out of 12 venues; planned the Travis Scott album drop at the pyramids; organized the first-ever mahraganat performance in Europe, as well as the first-ever WIRELESS and BRED festivals to happen in the region— bringing major international names in music to the Middle East & North Africa while simultaneously highlighting local talent.

Sitting in Pop Art Space nestled in Cairo’s leafy, creative district of Zamalek, Menna chatted with Cosmo ME and told us all about her trailblazing last year and what’s next for Live Nation.  

Read our interview with Menna Dief below!

Cosmo ME: Mabrook on a year of many firsts and accomplishments! What inspired you to get into the industry of live music?

Menna: I’ve always known what I wanted to do since I was 7 years old— putting together concerts. Every time I went somewhere related to music, hafla, or something, I wasn’t interested in the artist, I was always like ‘What’s happening backstage?’ I wanted to know how they got here and I used to cosplay when I was younger as if I was talking with someone on the phone like ‘Hey I wanna do this concert for you,’ and this passion just grew in me. But, I didn’t know how to make it happen, I didn’t know this job existed— a talent promoter. I don’t think we are all educated on jobs in live music, I think we are more educated on label heads and industry management. Everyone wants to be an artist promoter because that is all we know, but there’s a lot more happening behind the scenes than it may seem.

Cosmo ME: What were you doing before working with LiveNation?

Menna: Before Live Nation I was freelancing doing management, A&R, records, etc for Arab artists. I spent a lot of money and time building connections— I invested in myself for two years. When I joined Live Nation, I already had strong connections with artists, so it made it easier for me to make deals with upcoming artists because I was literally sitting on a couch with them a couple of months ago— it’s not like corporate to an artist. I’d freelanced with Wegz before I worked for Live Nation— I put together his first-ever show in London, selling out the O2 Sheperd’s Bush in 10 days. I originally reached out to him via Instagram DM a week after he dropped ‘Dorak Gai,’ while I was still in uni finishing my MBA. We threw around ideas for two years, then eventually did the London show.

Cosmo ME: You have shattered a lot of barriers by touring Arab artists globally and bringing major music festivals to the region— what is your vision when it comes to curating shows and booking artists?

Menna: While everyone was trying to get Coldplay and A$AP Rocky, I was pitching local people that Live Nation had never even heard of. It is part of my job to defy the industry status quo and convince Live Nation that all of this is for a bigger purpose— rather than just tickets sold. 

I am very passionate and because I am Egyptian and I work in something international that has a powerful impact, I always want to put Egypt on the map. Every time I book something I have in the back of my head, where are the local people, where are the Middle Eastern people, where are our people on the lineup? If I am added to any booking of any festival that is always where I think I can add value. International artists will come anyway, that is the fact of it. But where are our people? We need our artists to benefit as well. There is nothing special about doing festivals in the Middle East if everyone who is performing is international. 

Cosmo ME: What defines success for you in the events you’ve organised this year?

Menna: Success, for me, isn’t confined to a single tour or concert. It’s about connecting the diaspora with their cultural roots— allowing people who haven’t been in touch with their language or culture to enjoy their music and a simple night out with other people who come from the same background.  

I don’t think a tour or show is a success because artists will always tour with or without me. My main success is that I brought Arab artists out to these audiences, who weren’t traditionally going to these venues, creating more access. We are making local Arab talent accessible for the diaspora. It is part of our journey and our mission as a company to provide an experience for those who can’t take flights to the region to listen to their favorite Arab artists.

There were a lot of instances on the Wegz tour that almost made me cry, from seeing 9-year-old kids to older people in their 50s and 60s, embracing Arabic music in the West, I’m like okay we are doing something that is more important than just building a show or a tour. To see those in the diaspora who had no choice but to leave their homelands, now for the first time embracing their roots through live music was very emotional for me. 

The Wegz tour paved the way for a lot of Arab artists who were scared to do shows outside of their home country. Many were very reserved about touring and now everyone wants to tour. It’s at the point where people are reaching out and are trying to get on tour next week. 

Cosmo ME: The MENA region is currently the fastest-growing music region in the world. In recent years we have seen music from different parts of the world go global, do you think Arabic music is next?

Menna: I think Arabic music has the potential to go bigger than Latin music, Afrobeats, or K-Pop, just because we are an untapped market, and we are very relatable to a lot of minority groups— so our sound resonates with many regions. We’re going to be big— we just need to stick together. Morocco is producing a lot of talent that is going international. We just need to unite as MENA artists and push each other forward instead of dissing each other in tracks.

Cosmo ME: Who are some of your favourite Arab artists right now?

Menna: Probably Cheb Khaled and Hamid El-Shaeri. El-Shaeri is one person I hope I can work with in the future. My love for them has a lot to do with nostalgia. When you step out of the world you work in you realize you stream a lot of artists, not necessarily the ones you are working with.

Cosmo ME: Who do you think is up and coming and could potentially break Arabic music into the global mainstream? 

Menna: It is not going to be just one person, but I think three influential people who are already breaking us out are Elyanna, Dystinct, and Saint Levant (who will be performing at Coachella this April.) Dystinct is being streamed like crazy in Africa right now, we’ve never had an Arab artist stream like that. Mishaal Tamer is also a breakthrough, he was just on tour with One Republic. Live Nation is working closely with these artists’ teams right now. I have also recently been interested in the artists who don’t just sing in Arabic, but those who have Arab heritage, like Snoh Aalegra, Tamino, all of these people who are embracing their roots, but are making music in English and embracing different genres. In terms of Egypt, I think Marwan Pablo has a lot of potential to go international, we’re currently working on something big for him!

Cosmo ME: What’s next for Live Nation?

Menna: We are working with Live Nation France to tour ElGrandeToto. Without giving away too much, I am also working on a couple of festivals as well— I think they will greatly appeal to the MENA audience in Europe…

Interview by Sara Ibrahim (@iibrahim.sara)