UAE IS A FAB MELTING POT OF TUNES AND HARMONIES
REJECTION, FAILURE, AND TOUGH COMPETITION ARE PART AND PARCEL, BUT HOW DIFFICULT IS IT REALLY TO BREAK INTO THE MUSIC SCENE IN THE UAE?
Breaking into the music scene requires effort and results in sleepless nights whilst producing music. You will have to understand who’re the right people to get in touch with and come to terms with the fact that not everyone becomes a fan at the first go. There’s always going to be negativity and criticism. — DJ Aayush
Anyone with a good voice and a guitar can make it big in the music industry in the UAE. However, sustaining that position is the tricky part. Artists and bands break in and out of the music scene every other day in the UAE, but there are only a few who are consistent and here to stay. — Srinath KR, lead singer, DHRUV
When British singer Tanya Wells jammed to a popular Sindhi Sufi song, Dama Dam Mast Qalandar, music transcended language and culture on the streets of Dubai. The video, of course, went viral. To commemorate the 46th UAE National Day, four musicians of diverse nationalities (with regular day jobs) presented their rendition of A.R. Rahman’s internationally recognised and Oscar winning track, Jai Ho. Waleed Ali, a UAE citizen, was recently in the spotlight; his interest in Indian music prompted him to learn and sing in Malayalam and Hindi. Bollywood songs regularly journey to the Middle East to get doused with an Arabian flavour with songs like Arabic Fan Anthem, Dhoom Machale Dhoom, Radio, Telagena (Gerua), and most recently, Swag Se Swagat.
Party songs, that otherwise force you to leave your seat and shake a leg, have undergone creative makeovers with unplugged and acoustic versions to become your perfect companions on a rainy day. Rehashing old classics to bridge a generation gap and cash in on nostalgia has become a common practice. Today, the ideal weekend isn’t spent only frequenting malls or beaches — people often find themselves flocking to a popular artist’s concert. In fact, an eatery is almost incomplete without music — in the form of a live performance or blaring popular tracks that set the tone for your meal. “I’ve seen many changes since I started at Maharlika Club at President Hotel. I’ve been behind the scenes, managing the club for 18 years now, and I’ve noticed a change in music preferences from Jazz to R&B and Rap Music. We feature bands that entertain customer requests with a variety of Tagalog, English, Hindi and Arabic songs,” says Danny Vera, manager of the club.
The music scene was particularly great in 2017 — with Coldplay ringing in the New Year on a musical note. Other noteworthy performances throughout the year have been by Ed Sheeran, Jennifer Lopez, Mika Singh, Ayushmann Khurrana, Ali Zafar, Elton John, and Justin Bieber.
Music festivals such as RedFest DXB and Dubai Jazz Fest act as platforms to gather music enthusiasts from across the region. Local artists, both up-and-comers and the bigwigs who’ve devoted their heart to the art, frequent open mic events to test their material on varied audiences. Have you tapped your bathroom singer potential? You may just become the next big thing!
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