Mariam Nihal Saudi Gazette Born and raised in Jeddah, Hamza Hasawi, a.k.a Ayzee is Saudi's barometer of hip hop music. Ayzee said he never realized he wanted to be a singer. “It's the people around me who realized that for me." Ayzee has worked with big names in the Saudi music industry like Omar Basaad, Qusai and his J Fam crew. When it comes to life and pursuing what matters most, Ayzee knew his first love was integrated by music and his consciousness. Missing his mother, he remembers, “My mom was my biggest supporter." Studying at King Abdul Aziz, the young star has just released his first EP called “First Words." Ayzee plans to live his dreams and in the process achieve greater things for his family and country. Unhesitant and full of hope, the passionate vocalist admitted, “I want to learn the piano and the guitar." Ayzee said there are a lot of elements he is yet to discover and is not scared to say he is still searching for himself and finding a place for his music. In the meantime, his best times are spent in the studio where he recollects his thoughts and aims to record his vocals over music that makes a difference. When asked about his niche and which genre he fits into, Ayzee said, “I can't answer that, you know why? Because I am still experimenting. I am still looking for my voice, still looking for myself throughout music." He said if you hear the EP and of all its songs together, you are going to hear different flavors throughout the whole mixture. “I am still experimenting and mixing and will continue to experiment." With profound love for dancing, Ayzee used to be part of a crew and loved performing with his friends until the love of music and singing took over. He remembers the deep passion that initiated his interest in singing and recording music. He joked, “We started recording over songs, it sounded really bad." Then he started recording with his cousin over instrumentals, “I just wanted to record some music." Ayzee admitted his motivation was sparked by interest and support of people who heard his vocals. “I used to record songs and send them to close friends. That's what motivated me. Then people started hearing." Blessed, Ayzee feels a lot of opportunities arrived as studio owners opened doors for him and appreciated his inborn talent. Ayham, Ayzee's manager, is the executive producer of Ayzee's new EP. Unafraid to step out of his comfort zone, Ayzee has embarked upon projects and is always looking for adventure. “Theme of Life" brought international fame to Ayzee by placing his name among universal artists on iTunes. The track was produced by Saudi's youngest electronic dance music producer Omar Basaad. “I remember I got a message from Omar on Youtube. He just got in touch with my manager Ayham, in Dubai and it worked out." Speaking about the house track, “It was the first track I did that is out of what I actually do, which is RnB and HipHop. When I met Omar I thought it was a great opportunity. We sat together, he played the beat and it came out naturally. I had the lyrics in my mind already, it was really cool. We even performed it in Riyadh at ActionHa." Ayzee has performed in the Kingdom at events like “In the Century" with Moe Zein and his band “Disturb The Balance." He regularly performs with with regional talents at local events even at universities like Darul Hikmah. Ayzee has been on stage in Morocco with Saudi hip-hop artist Qusai and also worked on a track called “Everything About You" with DJ Bliss, aka Marwan in Dubai. He dreams to work with Timbaland, Ryan Leslie, Usher in the Middle East, along with Hamdan as well. The shy one admits growing up listening to Backstreet Boys and regards Ray Charles, Boyz 2 Men, Prince, Micheal Jackson, Al Green and Joe Thomas as his music influences. Asked if he belongs to a stereotype and his aspirations as a young star, he said, “You know when you listen to Michael Jackson, he does not sound like anybody. If I can do that, that's when I'll know. And that is when I can answer you." Ayzee firmly believes in individuality and strives to find his own place in the world music stage. “I don't want to sound like anybody. I want to be different. I am still trying to find my place." And in this case, it is easy to say the humble star has marked his niche in the skies that are accepting and illuminating, just like the sound of Ayzee.
