An avalanche of Christmas-themed ditties is almost upon us. Mariah Carey is reportedly gearing up for a blockbuster campaign celebrating the 30th anniversary of her seasonal hit All I Want for Christmas Is You, while reissues of Christmas-themed classic albums by Frank Sinatra and Rod Stewart are also due this month.
Returning to the fray this year is Lea Salonga. The Filipino-American singer and stage actress unveiled her holiday album Sounding Joy this week, featuring reinterpretations of festive favourites, including Carey’s blockbuster hit and Bing Crosby’s Silent Night/What Child Is This?
This is Salonga’s first holiday album in two decades, and she describes it as a genre that stirs up powerful emotions, and not always happy ones.
“It is challenging because, in one sense, it is actually a safe kind of music that you can't really do anything sacrilegious with,” she tells The National ahead of her Sunday concert at Dubai's Coca-Cola Arena. “But at the same time, there are plenty of songs within that music that explore the various emotions one can feel during the holidays.
“It's not always going to be festive. We all know someone who’s lost a loved one, and it is during these times that they really lean into those melancholy feelings.”
She points to her reworking of 1963’s Christmas (Baby, Please Come Home) as an example of that fluid emotional terrain. Originally sung by US R&B singer Darlene Love, its chirpy and upbeat melodies mask lovelorn lyrics that hint at sadness and the betrayal of a broken relationship.
Salonga also questions, albeit cheekily, the real message behind All I Want for Christmas Is You, which Carey wrote with composer Walter Afanasieff.
“That song is tinged with so much sadness. When I heard this song, it made me wonder what Mariah Carey was thinking and how come she made it so happy that it can be played in the malls?” she says. “But that’s the thing about being a great singer or actor – you read the words and perform them in a way that you feel is right.”
Salonga has been perfecting that craft for over three decades on stage and screen. While her most mainstream success has been singing voices for two landmark animated productions – 1992's Aladdin, as Princess Jasmine, and the title singing role for the 1996 film Mulan – Salonga's biggest legacy lies in widening the ethnic representation in the theatre industry.
Born in Manila, she was already recognised as a burgeoning local talent – with lead roles in productions of The King and I, Annie and Fiddler on the Roof – when English stage impresario Cameron Mackintosh rolled into town in 1988, looking for a starlet. Unable to find a sufficiently talented South-east Asian singer in Europe to play the hostess Kim in his upcoming West End production of Miss Saigon, Mackintosh held auditions in Manila, where a 19-year-old Salonga nabbed the part.
The musical – charting the love affair between Kim and American soldier Chris (played by British stage actor Simon Bowman) – was criticised by some reviewers for its superficial portrayal of Asian women. Salonga’s addition to the nearly all-white cast was also deemed tokenistic.
Salonga disagrees with some of the commentary. Not only did she earn her role, she notes, but the successful production allowed her to push more boundaries by getting her noticed by the producers behind Aladdin and Mulan.
“Here is the thing, you can have representation, but if the person hired doesn’t have the goods, then we’ve got a problem,” she says. “Then it feels like a cheap stunt without any great thought behind it.
“But if you hire someone – even after some initial misgivings – because they are the best person that auditioned that day, then it feels natural and makes absolute sense. I’d like to think that there is still a common-sense approach in that the people who have talent are the ones getting hired.”
That's as much reflection as Salonga is willing to do. As a veteran of the industry, she knows she is only as good as her next show. “I am a workhorse in that I do the gig and don't think about its significance or consequences until later. I mean, there will be folks who consider me a pioneer in certain ways, but I feel like I am just a lucky duck that got to do some pretty amazing stuff,” she says.
“As a Filipino, I also feel that responsibility to still represent people from my country whenever I go anywhere to perform, and it’s something that I take seriously. It’s definitely something that I’ve carried probably since doing Miss Saigon for the first time in London and trying to always be a good representative for Filipinos everywhere.”
Lea Salonga performs on Sunday at Coca-Cola Arena, Dubai. Showtime is 7.30pm; tickets start at Dh150
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F1 The Movie
Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Rating: 4/5
RESULTS
6.30pm: Al Maktoum Challenge Round-1 Group 1 (PA) Dh119,373 (Dirt) 1,600m
Winner: Brraq, Adrie de Vries (jockey), Jean-Claude Pecout (trainer)
7.05pm: Handicap (TB) Dh102,500 (D) 1,200m
Winner: Taamol, Connor Beasley, Ali Rashid Al Raihe.
7.40pm: Handicap (TB) Dh105,000 (Turf) 1,800m
Winner: Eqtiraan, Connor Beasley, Ali Rashid Al Raihe.
8.15pm: UAE 1000 Guineas Trial (TB) Dh183,650 (D) 1,400m
Winner: Soft Whisper, Pat Cosgrave, Saeed bin Suroor.
9.50pm: Handicap (TB) Dh105,000 (D) 1,600m
Winner: Hypothetical, Mickael Barzalona, Salem bin Ghadayer.
9.25pm: Handicap (TB) Dh95,000 (T) 1,000m
Winner: Etisalat, Sando Paiva, Ali Rashid Al Raihe
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
List of alleged parties
- May 15 2020: Boris Johnson is said to have attended a Downing Street pizza party
- 27 Nov 2020: PM gives speech at leaving do for his staff
- Dec 10 2020: Staff party held by then-education secretary Gavin Williamson
- Dec 13 2020: Mr Johnson and his then-fiancee Carrie Symonds throw a flat party
- Dec 14 2020: Shaun Bailey holds staff party at Conservative Party headquarters
- Dec 15 2020: PM takes part in a staff quiz
- Dec 18 2020: Downing Street Christmas party
The burning issue
The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.
Read part four: an affection for classic cars lives on
Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins
Read part one: how cars came to the UAE
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
more from Janine di Giovanni
Results
5pm: Handicap (PA) Dh80,000 (Turf) 1,600m; Winner: Nadhra, Fabrice Veron (jockey), Eric Lemartinel (trainer)
5.30pm: Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 (T) 1,400m; Winner: AF Dars, Tadhg O’Shea, Ernst Oertel
6pm: Handicap (PA) Dh80,000 (T) 1,400m; Winner: AF Musannef, Tadhg O’Shea, Ernst Oertel
6.30pm: Handicap (PA) Dh80,000 (T) 1,200m; Winner: AF Taghzel, Malin Holmberg, Ernst Oertel
7pm: Wathba Stallions Cup Handicap (PA) Dh70,000 (T) 2,200m; Winner: M’Y Yaromoon, Khalifa Al Neyadi, Jesus Rosales
7.30pm: Handicap (TB) Dh100,000 (PA) 1,400m; Winner: Hakeem, Jim Crowley, Ali Rashid Al Raihe
Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request
Results for Stage 2
Stage 2 Yas Island to Abu Dhabi, 184 km, Road race
Overall leader: Primoz Roglic SLO (Team Jumbo - Visma)
Stage winners: 1. Fernando Gaviria COL (UAE Team Emirates) 2. Elia Viviani ITA (Deceuninck - Quick-Step) 3. Caleb Ewan AUS (Lotto - Soudal)
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
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
How tumultuous protests grew
- A fuel tax protest by French drivers appealed to wider anti-government sentiment
- Unlike previous French demonstrations there was no trade union or organised movement involved
- Demonstrators responded to online petitions and flooded squares to block traffic
- At its height there were almost 300,000 on the streets in support
- Named after the high visibility jackets that drivers must keep in cars
- Clashes soon turned violent as thousands fought with police at cordons
- An estimated two dozen people lost eyes and many others were admitted to hospital
ELIO
Starring: Yonas Kibreab, Zoe Saldana, Brad Garrett
Directors: Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, Adrian Molina
Rating: 4/5
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
At a glance
- 20,000 new jobs for Emiratis over three years
- Dh300 million set aside to train 18,000 jobseekers in new skills
- Managerial jobs in government restricted to Emiratis
- Emiratis to get priority for 160 types of job in private sector
- Portion of VAT revenues will fund more graduate programmes
- 8,000 Emirati graduates to do 6-12 month replacements in public or private sector on a Dh10,000 monthly wage - 40 per cent of which will be paid by government
Singham Again
Director: Rohit Shetty
Stars: Ajay Devgn, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Ranveer Singh, Akshay Kumar, Tiger Shroff, Deepika Padukone
Rating: 3/5
10 tips for entry-level job seekers
- Have an up-to-date, professional LinkedIn profile. If you don’t have a LinkedIn account, set one up today. Avoid poor-quality profile pictures with distracting backgrounds. Include a professional summary and begin to grow your network.
- Keep track of the job trends in your sector through the news. Apply for job alerts at your dream organisations and the types of jobs you want – LinkedIn uses AI to share similar relevant jobs based on your selections.
- Double check that you’ve highlighted relevant skills on your resume and LinkedIn profile.
- For most entry-level jobs, your resume will first be filtered by an applicant tracking system for keywords. Look closely at the description of the job you are applying for and mirror the language as much as possible (while being honest and accurate about your skills and experience).
- Keep your CV professional and in a simple format – make sure you tailor your cover letter and application to the company and role.
- Go online and look for details on job specifications for your target position. Make a list of skills required and set yourself some learning goals to tick off all the necessary skills one by one.
- Don’t be afraid to reach outside your immediate friends and family to other acquaintances and let them know you are looking for new opportunities.
- Make sure you’ve set your LinkedIn profile to signal that you are “open to opportunities”. Also be sure to use LinkedIn to search for people who are still actively hiring by searching for those that have the headline “I’m hiring” or “We’re hiring” in their profile.
- Prepare for online interviews using mock interview tools. Even before landing interviews, it can be useful to start practising.
- Be professional and patient. Always be professional with whoever you are interacting with throughout your search process, this will be remembered. You need to be patient, dedicated and not give up on your search. Candidates need to make sure they are following up appropriately for roles they have applied.
Arda Atalay, head of Mena private sector at LinkedIn Talent Solutions, Rudy Bier, managing partner of Kinetic Business Solutions and Ben Kinerman Daltrey, co-founder of KinFitz
