DHAHRAN: Although he lives in Los Angeles, Saudi-American songwriter and producer Reef Loretto traces the roots of his sound back to Dhahran, where he spent his childhood surrounded by extended family, hazy radio frequencies from across the causeway in Bahrain, and the early digital tools that would quietly shape his path.
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“My mom was from Dammam. My dad was from New York State. I grew up in Dhahran — my whole childhood was there,” Loretto tells Arab News. “I grew up around a lot of family and got involved in music at a pretty young age. My earliest introduction was piano lessons around first grade. I had two teachers in particular that helped a lot with getting started.”
Reef Loretto (R) performing with Kackey (L) and Faisal Alqarni in Osaka at Expo 2025. (Supplied)
Outside the classroom, his cousins formed an informal band of their own. “A lot of my cousins got into playing music at a pretty young age. All of us would practice on our own and then we would meet up and jam.”
