As the Israeli military's bombardments of Gaza intensified in October 2023, Syrian singer Ghaliaa Chaker got on a plane and headed to the Jordanian capital Amman. There, she gathered with two dozen of her peers across the Arab world in a studio to record Rajieen, a Palestinian solidarity anthem and plaintive call for peace.
“That was the fastest project I’ve ever worked on,” she tells The National. “I got the call from [Jordanian music producer] Nasir Al Bashir and when he explained the concept, I was like ‘yes, I am all in'.”
Featuring an eclectic array of artists, from Egyptian hip-hop heavyweights Afroto and Marwan Pablo to Jordanian viral sensation Issam Alnajjar, Ghaliaa, who is more popularly known by her first name, remembers not knowing everyone in the room. Not that it mattered, because it was all about the collective spirit for a worthy cause.
“We were 25 people, just listening, giving ideas. We seriously crafted this whole thing in two days," she recalls. "We filmed for almost 26 hours in this huge warehouse, and we were all sitting, eating and sleeping in the same place because we just wanted to finish the song and put it out.”
That same instinct and conviction has shaped Ghaliaa’s rise from a little-known singer-songwriter in Al Ain to a regional favourite. Her Saturday concert at the Dubai World Trade Centre will be followed by a headline slot at Beirut’s Aley Festival on July 18.
Born to Syrian parents, she recalls a childhood in Al Ain, dubbed the UAE’s Garden City, where music inspired and was practiced.
“My dad just loved everything about music. He specifically loved Umm Kulthum and he would play her songs every night before we went to sleep,” Ghaliaa says. “He would bring home different instruments, from drums to violin and even a saxophone. These were my toys, literally.”
Her mother, a fan of western pop such as The Beach Boys and The Beatles, preferred Ghaliaa’s music passion to remain a hobby and take up a more "secure career" as a psychologist.
While she may have graduated with a degree in communications, the real education came at home. She built her own bedroom studio and signed up for online masterclasses by producer Timbaland and singer Charlie Puth. “I was a nerd. I spent so much time on the laptop. I consumed a lot of information. I studied a lot, watched a lot of videos. I signed up for a bunch of courses. I just kept going.”
The move to Dubai to pursue a full-time music career, including appearing in many of the city’s open-mic nights, had an inauspicious start. “I visited all the labels that were in Dubai at the time and there weren’t many,” she says. “It was a very hopeless situation for me and I remember thinking: 'Am I even in the right place? Should I fly somewhere else to do this, or should I just stick to mass comm?'”
Her early singles, such as 2019’s Why, were written in English, built around minimal and atmospheric production and emotionally direct lyrics that would go on to define her craft. However, what caught people’s attention wasn’t the material, but her image.
“I think me being this songwriter, who happened to wear a hijab was super new to them,” she says. “While I felt the music was easy to relate to, once people started putting a face to the song, that’s when the shock came.”
Criticism and ill advice followed from the industry and the internet. “Sometimes it would be about the way I wear my hijab. Sometimes I’d hear that maybe I should cover my tattoos or show more skin. It was always: 'how about you do this, how about you try that',” she says.
“And you know what, it’s so freaking tempting to say yes ‘I can do that’ because these people in the industry know exactly what to say to make you say yes.”
It was enough for Ghaliaa to retreat to her own circle of friends and collaborators and double down on her approach. As a result, her confidence grew to meld her evocative songwriting with Arabic lyricism. The results were a string of winning tracks such as A’bali and Elak w Bass that would eventually get the attention of US record label Empire, who Ghaliaa says encouraged her to be herself.
Even with her new release Orchestra Sessions, a collection of original works lavishly reimagined by the all-female Firdaus Orchestra, Ghaliaa says she is still drawn towards the stripped-back sounds found in some of the UAE’s smaller music venues.
“I still go to these open mics and look forward to the feeling of being surprised,” she says. “I am telling you there is still so much talent out there who are working hard for the opportunity to be found.”
Ghaliaa will perform at Dubai World Trade Centre on Saturday as part of the Beat the Heat DXB concert series. Show starts at 6pm; tickets cost from Dh105
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Know before you go
- Jebel Akhdar is a two-hour drive from Muscat airport or a six-hour drive from Dubai. It’s impossible to visit by car unless you have a 4x4. Phone ahead to the hotel to arrange a transfer.
- If you’re driving, make sure your insurance covers Oman.
- By air: Budget airlines Air Arabia, Flydubai and SalamAir offer direct routes to Muscat from the UAE.
- Tourists from the Emirates (UAE nationals not included) must apply for an Omani visa online before arrival at evisa.rop.gov.om. The process typically takes several days.
- Flash floods are probable due to the terrain and a lack of drainage. Always check the weather before venturing into any canyons or other remote areas and identify a plan of escape that includes high ground, shelter and parking where your car won’t be overtaken by sudden downpours.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
German intelligence warnings
- 2002: "Hezbollah supporters feared becoming a target of security services because of the effects of [9/11] ... discussions on Hezbollah policy moved from mosques into smaller circles in private homes." Supporters in Germany: 800
- 2013: "Financial and logistical support from Germany for Hezbollah in Lebanon supports the armed struggle against Israel ... Hezbollah supporters in Germany hold back from actions that would gain publicity." Supporters in Germany: 950
- 2023: "It must be reckoned with that Hezbollah will continue to plan terrorist actions outside the Middle East against Israel or Israeli interests." Supporters in Germany: 1,250
Source: Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League quarter-final, second leg (first-leg score):
Manchester City (0) v Tottenham Hotspur (1), Wednesday, 11pm UAE
Match is on BeIN Sports
The rules on fostering in the UAE
A foster couple or family must:
- be Muslim, Emirati and be residing in the UAE
- not be younger than 25 years old
- not have been convicted of offences or crimes involving moral turpitude
- be free of infectious diseases or psychological and mental disorders
- have the ability to support its members and the foster child financially
- undertake to treat and raise the child in a proper manner and take care of his or her health and well-being
- A single, divorced or widowed Muslim Emirati female, residing in the UAE may apply to foster a child if she is at least 30 years old and able to support the child financially
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
ELIO
Starring: Yonas Kibreab, Zoe Saldana, Brad Garrett
Directors: Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, Adrian Molina
Rating: 4/5
Sweet%20Tooth
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Padmaavat
Director: Sanjay Leela Bhansali
Starring: Ranveer Singh, Deepika Padukone, Shahid Kapoor, Jim Sarbh
3.5/5
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
MATCH INFO
Serie A
Juventus v Fiorentina, Saturday, 8pm (UAE)
Match is on BeIN Sports
Gothia Cup 2025
4,872 matches
1,942 teams
116 pitches
76 nations
26 UAE teams
15 Lebanese teams
2 Kuwaiti teams
Ballon d’Or shortlists
Men
Sadio Mane (Senegal/Liverpool), Sergio Aguero (Aregentina/Manchester City), Frenkie de Jong (Netherlans/Barcelona), Hugo Lloris (France/Tottenham), Dusan Tadic (Serbia/Ajax), Kylian Mbappe (France/PSG), Trent Alexander-Arnold (England/Liverpool), Donny van de Beek (Netherlands/Ajax), Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (Gabon/Arsenal), Marc-Andre ter Stegen (Germany/Barcelona), Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal/Juventus), Alisson (Brazil/Liverpool), Matthijs de Ligt (Netherlands/Juventus), Karim Benzema (France/Real Madrid), Georginio Wijnaldum (Netherlands/Liverpool), Virgil van Dijk (Netherlands/Liverpool), Bernardo Silva (Portugal/Manchester City), Son Heung-min (South Korea/Tottenham), Robert Lewandowski (Poland/Bayern Munich), Roberto Firmino (Brazil/Liverpool), Lionel Messi (Argentina/Barcelona), Riyad Mahrez (Algeria/Manchester City), Kevin De Bruyne (Belgium/Manchester City), Kalidou Koulibaly (Senegal/Napoli), Antoine Griezmann (France/Barcelona), Mohamed Salah (Egypt/Liverpool), Eden Hazard (BEL/Real Madrid), Marquinhos (Brazil/Paris-SG), Raheem Sterling (Eengland/Manchester City), Joao Félix(Portugal/Atletico Madrid)
Women
Sam Kerr (Austria/Chelsea), Ellen White (England/Manchester City), Nilla Fischer (Sweden/Linkopings), Amandine Henry (France/Lyon), Lucy Bronze(England/Lyon), Alex Morgan (USA/Orlando Pride), Vivianne Miedema (Netherlands/Arsenal), Dzsenifer Marozsan (Germany/Lyon), Pernille Harder (Denmark/Wolfsburg), Sarah Bouhaddi (France/Lyon), Megan Rapinoe (USA/Reign FC), Lieke Martens (Netherlands/Barcelona), Sari van Veenendal (Netherlands/Atletico Madrid), Wendie Renard (France/Lyon), Rose Lavelle(USA/Washington Spirit), Marta (Brazil/Orlando Pride), Ada Hegerberg (Norway/Lyon), Kosovare Asllani (Sweden/CD Tacon), Sofia Jakobsson (Sweden/CD Tacon), Tobin Heath (USA/Portland Thorns)
The specs
Engine: 5.2-litre V10
Power: 640hp at 8,000rpm
Torque: 565Nm at 6,500rpm
Transmission: 7-speed dual-clutch auto
Price: From Dh1 million
On sale: Q3 or Q4 2022
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Disclaimer
Director: Alfonso Cuaron
Stars: Cate Blanchett, Kevin Kline, Lesley Manville
Rating: 4/5
Dates for the diary
To mark Bodytree’s 10th anniversary, the coming season will be filled with celebratory activities:
- September 21 Anyone interested in becoming a certified yoga instructor can sign up for a 250-hour course in Yoga Teacher Training with Jacquelene Sadek. It begins on September 21 and will take place over the course of six weekends.
- October 18 to 21 International yoga instructor, Yogi Nora, will be visiting Bodytree and offering classes.
- October 26 to November 4 International pilates instructor Courtney Miller will be on hand at the studio, offering classes.
- November 9 Bodytree is hosting a party to celebrate turning 10, and everyone is invited. Expect a day full of free classes on the grounds of the studio.
- December 11 Yogeswari, an advanced certified Jivamukti teacher, will be visiting the studio.
- February 2, 2018 Bodytree will host its 4th annual yoga market.
How to watch Ireland v Pakistan in UAE
When: The one-off Test starts on Friday, May 11
What time: Each day’s play is scheduled to start at 2pm UAE time.
TV: The match will be broadcast on OSN Sports Cricket HD. Subscribers to the channel can also stream the action live on OSN Play.
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88 Video's most popular rentals
Avengers 3: Infinity War: an American superhero film released in 2018 and based on the Marvel Comics story.
Sholay: a 1975 Indian action-adventure film. It follows the adventures of two criminals hired by police to catch a vagabond. The film was panned on release but is now considered a classic.
Lucifer: is a 2019 Malayalam-language action film. It dives into the gritty world of Kerala’s politics and has become one of the highest-grossing Malayalam films of all time.
THE SPECS
Engine: 1.5-litre
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
Power: 110 horsepower
Torque: 147Nm
Price: From Dh59,700
On sale: now
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
