Today we’d like to introduce you to Emo Alaeddin.
Hi Emo, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I’ve been pursuing music as an independent musician since 2001 forming a rock band to promote my original material and performed extensively in Orange County and Los Angeles until 2009 when I decided to pursue my original music as an acoustic rock act by moving to my birthplace of Amman, Jordan. In 2010, my music video “Sunshine” made it on heavy rotation on MTV Arabia which helped put me on the map as a regional musician; shortly after I was feature in a two-page spread in Rolling Stone Middle East and made the cover of UMen magazine, a first for any local artist. During this time, I performed in Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, Dubai, Bahrain, Europe, and even China. In 2014, I decided to move back to Orange County to pursue music one more time as I approached my 40s. Having an American mother and a Palestinian father afforded me the privilege of being able to incorporate Arabic elements into my music, not only instrumentally but lyrically as well. Having developed my skills as a producer and engineer over the 15 years of pursuing music, I started producing, mixing and mastering my own music which afforded me the privilege of developing a new sub genre called angelic rock opera mixing rock, metal, pop and Middle Eastern elements to my music utilizing my high head voice range to play the parts of Angels as backing vocals which act as the main character’s conscious or guiding light. I’ve released two of the three album trilogy, one in 2019 and one in 2022 with the third being in pre production for 2026. I created The Kings of Queen in 2021 as an offshoot for a project I was hired to perform vocals for. A Queen tribute based in the East Coast hired me to provide the main vocals for their vocalist who would lip sync over my voice. Having completed the 22-song project, I decided start my own Queen tribute and put together The Kings of Queen.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Unless you’re extremely loaded or related to a rockstar, producer, label owner, or someone high up in the entertainment world, pursuing music is never a smooth road. A big reason is that you cannot do it alone, you need a team. Whether it’s a band, a producer, an agent, or a manager, a publicist, a marketing agency, or a publisher the only way to become a professional musician is to be surrounded by a solid team with your best interests in mind. The only way to compile any of the above is to either afford to onboard them or to earn it. A combination of both is what I had to strive to achieve over the last few years. I have invested heavily in vocal coaching to develop my voice into what it is today; an instrument that can perform 90 minute Queen sets multiple nights in a row with little to no fatigue. This skill has helped me earn the respect and trust of band members and agents that believe that the Kings of Queen is a force to be reckoned with. While launching The Kings of Queen, I paid my musicians handsomely at the expense of forgoing my own pay and took every show that came our way even if they were free and paid my band members out of pocket just to keep their commitment in keeping themselves available for any upcoming shows. I didn’t want to be that guy that would say “this is a great opportunity but the pay will come down the road”. Whether it was driving for Instacart or picking up solo acoustic gigs and small parties, I did everything I can to make sure my guys never felt the pain of launching a premier tribute band like The Kings of Queen. Few people recognize that a lot of funds go into the creation of a premier Queen tribute band. From replicas of the instruments like Brian May’s red special, to Freddie’s numerous iconic wardrobe pieces, professional photos, professional videos, flights, transportation, per diems, rooms, the list goes on and are non-negotiable when running a band and one has to be ready to no only cover the remaining cost but to also provide for a family. I’d been single my whole life until I married my wife with her three girls in 2022. Until this interview, I never really released all that is entailed in putting a band like this together to maintain an image that we were bigger and more established than we actually were during our first year. Looking back 4 years later, I honestly don’t know how in the world I pulled it off. In addition to my musical projects, I created a music networking organization called MNO which focuses on musicians sharing each other’s links on social media as a way to pool each others’ reach and fanbase to promote each other. My wife and I run MNO today as co-founders of the organization and have more than 40 chapters across the country all linked by the MNO Member App. MNO is very close to becoming a big player in a $300 million dollar a year business. When this happens, the music world will be changed for the better giving musicians a leg up on their management, labels, marketers, and publicists. Not to mention, the hope is my 10-piece angelic rock opera band named Alaeddin will finally have the funds it needs to perform across the US and the Globe independently.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
On the Alaeddin (my angelic rock opera band) front, I am the lead vocalist but one of 10 members that perform my rock opera story live. I write record mix and master the recorded material out of my home studio and have released two of the three albums from the story’s trilogy. The first album “A Whole New World” was released in 2019, with the follow up “Beneath the Mask” released in 2022. The third and final album of the trilogy is in pre production and will be released in Spring 2026. The four-year gap is due to my focus on The Kings of Queen. However, the music video “Where is the Light?” is out and is performed as part of The Kings of Queen’s nightly set receiving much praise from the Queen fans as one of their favorite songs they’d ever heard. There’s not other genre of music that utilizes multiple languages and vocal tones as characters to tell a story. The first album has the Arabic angels (high range head voice which I record) and the second album introduce the Arabic demons (using a different tone called the pharyngeal made popular by Axl Rose and Brian Johnson). The third album will introduce a new character using the mixed voice.
On the Kings of Queen front, I play the part of Freddie Mercury but also own and mange the band. We have successfully sold out theaters across the US having performed in 24 state and in 2024 alone we performed 103 shows in 80 cities. The 6-member band uses no tracks and is musically an exact replica of the studio versions of the hits that millions of Queen fans have grown to know and love. One venue posted “Alaeddin is Freddie Mercury reincarnated.” Despite being one of the newer Queen tribute bands out there, we’ve surpassed most in terms of regional coverage and tickets sold.
On the MNO front, I created the first of its kind music networking organization that brings musicians across all genres to band together to share each others music and show link on social media with just a couple of clicks using the patented MNO Member App. We have 40 chapters across 18 states and are all connected via the App. My wife and I have been running it together as co-founders of the organization. In addition to musicians, MNO welcomes professionals from all industries to join in sharing others’ links and pooling each others’ reach. The networking group industry generates roughly $300 million a year, and MNO is set to be a big player, especially with the release of our first of its kind networking AI, Lumino. It’s a game changer that will help musicians come up with great content to relate to their music and shows but also uncover ways to open new doors to new opportunities in terms of partnerships with other musicians.
How do you define success?
Success is the feeling of fulfillment. The feeling that you’ve given it your all while maintaining your integrity, your love for your craft, and the respect of the people you love most. It has nothing to do with money. It has everything to do with what you project and the people’s lives you touch. Success is not a goal or an end but it’s a medium to new doors and opportunities. Every success I’ve had has come off the back of another success. A favorite band of mine Avenged Sevenfold’s vocalist Matt Sanders (M Shadows) had a band called Successful Failure and it always resonated with me. Failures do contribute to one’s success and upon realizing this I don’t beat myself up over small or big failures anymore. I learn, adapt, and pivot. That in and of itself is a success.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.thekingsofqueen.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thekingsofqueentribute
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thekingsofqueentribute
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/emo-alaeddin-2b154620/
- Youtube: https://youtu.be/VNiZigHJtWY?si=otS0OOw5F9ZXPEJ1
- Other: https://alaeddin.rocks
Image Credits
Featured pic is David Locher. The studio shoot is John Haverstick
