When DJ Bliss steps up to the booth at Dubai's Coca-Cola Arena on Sunday, it will hopefully be a giant leap for the UAE music industry.
Nearly four years after the City Walk venue launched with a sold-out concert by Maroon 5, the hip-hop spinner and star of Netflix reality series Dubai Bling is set to be the first Emirati act to headline the venue who isn't a pop act.
The concert is also set to be a celebration of the region’s hip-hop scene. Guest artists include Egypt’s DJ Kaboo, who has fashioned his own sound blending Arabic pop with trap hip-hop beats, as well as Kuwaiti and Bahraini rappers Daffy and Flipperachi.
Speaking to The National ahead of "the biggest show" of his life, Bliss, real name Marwan Al Awadhi, stresses that while the Netflix series certainly boosted his profile, the Coca-Cola Arena show will fulfil a long-held career goal.
“I have been DJing for nearly 20 years and that aspect of my life never stopped. Whether Dubai Bling came or not, I would have always found a way to do this show," he says.
"I still have notes on my phone from seven years ago which have my goals and one of them was to do a big show."
Making it happen
Also on that list was to cover a car in stickers, which he also ticked off this month by transforming a van into a mobile billboard emblazoned with his image and concert details.
He describes the experience of driving around Dubai plugging his concert as reminiscent of his early career days.
"I wish I had CDs and flyers to pass around to make it even more super-old school," he chuckles. "But this is something not new to me. I am so used to planning and organising my own shows from A to Z."
While Bliss welcomes the grind, is it disconcerting to still be a one-man promotion team despite the career success?
"That's a good question and that's something we should talk about,” he says. "Throughout my career, I did have people shut doors on me and locally based artists like myself because they want us to feel like we are only good enough to be at a certain level.
“They do that by making you believe that no matter how hard you work, you can only be a support act for other artists, or only be the warm-up DJ, sometimes not even getting paid.
“So for me, and I say this honestly, the arena show is bigger than just me. It's about doing something really big and breaking some of these boundaries and showing other kids who have these dreams that they can also make it happen."
Not everyone was initially sold on that grand vision.
"Some did not immediately jump on board for this show, starting with the venue,” Bliss says. “But once we had some great discussions, they came back even more supportive than I expected.
"It was the same with radio stations who eventually sponsored the show and then we had brands, friends and just regular people who wanted to show support.”
A new way of doing things
DJ Bliss, whose concert will feature a selection of original tracks including Hala Walla and Yalla Africa, says such an organic and community-focused approach could open new options for major event promoters.
He believes there is demand for large-scale events featuring UAE artists provided the promotion and execution are right.
“As someone involved in running events, I understand the situation. The fact is clubs, for example, need to get a big artist to play or they may struggle to fill the venue,” he says.
“For example, they may spend Dh1 million and end up making a Dh200,000 profit from that night. But perhaps these organisers can also make that same profit without spending all that money on booking big artists and go with local DJs instead, if you create the right kind of event.
“What I am trying to show, I hope, is a new way of doing things that people haven't really thought about yet.”
Bliss also confirms reports that shooting is under way for the second season of Dubai Bling, although he did not reveal if his concert will feature in the new episodes.
He does add, however, that the show’s international success is the ideal platform for ticking off another goal mentioned in those fateful phone notes.
"I do believe I can get to that stage where I can tour internationally and it is something I want to explore post-Ramadan," he says.
"I have this great memory of going to the US last year to run the New York Marathon when the show just came out on Netflix.
“I was running somewhere near the Bronx when this lady looked at me and said: 'Are you that guy from Dubai Bling?' That's when I knew this show was going to be something big.”
DJ Bliss performs at Coca-Cola Arena on Sunday at 7pm. Tickets, priced from Dh125, are available at www.coca-cola-arena.com
Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm
Price: From Dh1,700,000
Available: Now
RESULT
Valencia 3
Kevin Gameiro 21', 51'
Ferran Torres 67'
Atlanta 4
Josip Llicic 3' (P), 43' (P), 71', 82'
Sholto Byrnes on Myanmar politics
COMPANY PROFILE
Initial investment: Undisclosed
Investment stage: Series A
Investors: Core42
Current number of staff: 47
ARM%20IPO%20DETAILS
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Company%20profile
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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
World%20Food%20Day%20
%3Cp%3ECelebrated%20on%20October%2016%2C%20to%20coincide%20with%20the%20founding%20date%20of%20the%20United%20Nations%20Food%20and%20Agriculture%20Organisation%2C%20World%20Food%20Day%20aims%20to%20tackle%20issues%20such%20as%20hunger%2C%20food%20security%2C%20food%20waste%20and%20the%20environmental%20impact%20of%20food%20production.%20%0D%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request
Company%C2%A0profile
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
ALRAWABI%20SCHOOL%20FOR%20GIRLS
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Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Honeymoonish
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Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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United States
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China
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UAE
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Japan
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Norway
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Hydrogen: Market potential
Hydrogen has an estimated $11 trillion market potential, according to Bank of America Securities and is expected to generate $2.5tn in direct revenues and $11tn of indirect infrastructure by 2050 as its production increases six-fold.
"We believe we are reaching the point of harnessing the element that comprises 90 per cent of the universe, effectively and economically,” the bank said in a recent report.
Falling costs of renewable energy and electrolysers used in green hydrogen production is one of the main catalysts for the increasingly bullish sentiment over the element.
The cost of electrolysers used in green hydrogen production has halved over the last five years and will fall to 60 to 90 per cent by the end of the decade, acceding to Haim Israel, equity strategist at Merrill Lynch. A global focus on decarbonisation and sustainability is also a big driver in its development.
CONFIRMED%20LINE-UP
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Turning%20waste%20into%20fuel
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Prop idols
Girls full-contact rugby may be in its infancy in the Middle East, but there are already a number of role models for players to look up to.
Sophie Shams (Dubai Exiles mini, England sevens international)
An Emirati student who is blazing a trail in rugby. She first learnt the game at Dubai Exiles and captained her JESS Primary school team. After going to study geophysics at university in the UK, she scored a sensational try in a cup final at Twickenham. She has played for England sevens, and is now contracted to top Premiership club Saracens.
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Seren Gough-Walters (Sharjah Wanderers mini, Wales rugby league international)
Few players anywhere will have taken a more circuitous route to playing rugby on Sky Sports. Gough-Walters was born in Al Wasl Hospital in Dubai, raised in Sharjah, did not take up rugby seriously till she was 15, has a master’s in global governance and ethics, and once worked as an immigration officer at the British Embassy in Abu Dhabi. In the summer of 2021 she played for Wales against England in rugby league, in a match that was broadcast live on TV.
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Erin King (Dubai Hurricanes mini, Ireland sevens international)
Aged five, Australia-born King went to Dubai Hurricanes training at The Sevens with her brothers. She immediately struck up a deep affection for rugby. She returned to the city at the end of last year to play at the Dubai Rugby Sevens in the colours of Ireland in the Women’s World Series tournament on Pitch 1.
What is a black hole?
1. Black holes are objects whose gravity is so strong not even light can escape their pull
2. They can be created when massive stars collapse under their own weight
3. Large black holes can also be formed when smaller ones collide and merge
4. The biggest black holes lurk at the centre of many galaxies, including our own
5. Astronomers believe that when the universe was very young, black holes affected how galaxies formed
What is dialysis?
Dialysis is a way of cleaning your blood when your kidneys fail and can no longer do the job.
It gets rid of your body's wastes, extra salt and water, and helps to control your blood pressure. The main cause of kidney failure is diabetes and hypertension.
There are two kinds of dialysis — haemodialysis and peritoneal.
In haemodialysis, blood is pumped out of your body to an artificial kidney machine that filter your blood and returns it to your body by tubes.
In peritoneal dialysis, the inside lining of your own belly acts as a natural filter. Wastes are taken out by means of a cleansing fluid which is washed in and out of your belly in cycles.
It isn’t an option for everyone but if eligible, can be done at home by the patient or caregiver. This, as opposed to home haemodialysis, is covered by insurance in the UAE.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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