Performing at Coachella on the lower end of the bill has its benefits - it gives you something to aim for.
This realisation hit Bayou when he shared the stage as a guest of Palestinian-American artist Saint Levant last year. The Egyptian describes performing their duet Maghreb as exhilarating, with the crowd's enthusiastic response confirming a hunger for fresh sounds from the Arab world - as also evidenced by Palestinian-Chilean singer Elyanna's star-making Coachella set in 2023.
"First of all I have nothing but gratitude for Saint Levant for inviting me and giving me that opportunity," he recalls. "It was definitely a turning point for me in terms of how I approached my career. You get exposed to what being an artist at the top of their game looks like - from Saint Levant to those like Tyler the Creator and many more and its definitely inspiring."
Bayou, whose real name is Adham Bayoumi, recently wrapped up a well-received set at Riyadh’s Soundstorm festival, and has just released his new EP, Never at Home.
Born in Jeddah, Bayou moved to Dubai with his family at the age of one, where he lived for 17 years before relocating to Boston for his studies. He returned to Cairo last year to reconnect with his roots. Never at Home, a six-track bilingual Arabic-English collection, is the result of this journey and offers a distinct interpretation of Egyptian pop, shaped through the lens of a self-described “third-culture kid.”
Opener Neshar Belel has a sprightly guitar riff and playful electro-synth lines, as Bayou's relaxed vocals sing of summer evenings and all its possibilities. Lamouni is more brooding. A muted cello loop weaves through his conversational Egyptian lyrics about a turbulent relationship, all floating over stuttering trap-hiphop beats and sparse keyboard arrangements.
It is all part of a burgeoning wave of Egyptian pop - carried by artists like Tul8te and Mousv – drawing more from the present than the past. Bayou also describes his approach as a natural result of creating music back in Cairo after years abroad.
"I found that my songs were gradually becoming more Egyptian, and people connected with those elements - especially how I represented them through a diaspora lens," says tells The National. "I felt drawn to it too. My family was enjoying it, I was enjoying it, so I decided to dive deeper."
Bayou's evolution doesn’t only draw directly from Egypt’s rich musical traditions, but also the influence of regional cultural figures. An example is Haifa Wehbe, a song named after the Lebanese singer and actress who commands a large fanbase in Egypt.
A regional TikTok hit last summer, Bayou’s lyrics pays homage to Wehbe, while secretly harbouring slim hopes of being her next beau. And in classic third-culture kid fashion, Bayou says the track was inspired by a formula prevalent in western pop music.
“It's like how in the West they have songs referencing cultural icons like Monica Lewinsky by [Guyanese-American rapper] Saint Jhn, I wanted to do something similar in our context," he says. "When you think about Arab pop culture icons, especially for my generation, Haifa Wehbe stands at the top. I wanted to approach it from that angle - who's the Arab 'it girl'? Plus, a lot of women really connect with Haifa, so I wanted to acknowledge that too and tell them that I also see you.”
Bayou notes that being a songwriter primarily from the Arab diaspora doesn't necessarily provide a “wider perspective” on creating Arabic pop - just a different one. "I do have a clear vision in that as an RnB artist I wanted to blend my sound with romantic Egyptian music and emphasising the African elements within that” he says.
It's on trend with what’s happening in greater Arabic popular culture today, he adds.
“I love the localisation of everything happening in the region, from music and fashion to all kinds of visual arts. It's an amazing development and the growth of the music and culture scene in the region is definitely a testament to that."
Although headlining his own set at the Coachella festival may still be a relatively distant goal, Bayou is content to carve his path to the main stage from wherever he chooses to call home.
"Right now, I feel at home in Cairo, where my grandmother lives. And, of course, there’s Dubai, where I grew up, and Boston, where I spent many great years,” he says. “For now, I’m happy living life on the go, while staying consistent with playing many shows and releasing music… 2025 is my year of giving.”
French business
France has organised a delegation of leading businesses to travel to Syria. The group was led by French shipping giant CMA CGM, which struck a 30-year contract in May with the Syrian government to develop and run Latakia port. Also present were water and waste management company Suez, defence multinational Thales, and Ellipse Group, which is currently looking into rehabilitating Syrian hospitals.
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
Islamophobia definition
A widely accepted definition was made by the All Party Parliamentary Group on British Muslims in 2019: “Islamophobia is rooted in racism and is a type of racism that targets expressions of Muslimness or perceived Muslimness.” It further defines it as “inciting hatred or violence against Muslims”.
The specs
Engine: Dual 180kW and 300kW front and rear motors
Power: 480kW
Torque: 850Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh359,900 ($98,000)
On sale: Now
The Bio
Name: Lynn Davison
Profession: History teacher at Al Yasmina Academy, Abu Dhabi
Children: She has one son, Casey, 28
Hometown: Pontefract, West Yorkshire in the UK
Favourite book: The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
Favourite Author: CJ Sansom
Favourite holiday destination: Bali
Favourite food: A Sunday roast
FORSPOKEN
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Starfield
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How to wear a kandura
Dos
- Wear the right fabric for the right season and occasion
- Always ask for the dress code if you don’t know
- Wear a white kandura, white ghutra / shemagh (headwear) and black shoes for work
- Wear 100 per cent cotton under the kandura as most fabrics are polyester
Don’ts
- Wear hamdania for work, always wear a ghutra and agal
- Buy a kandura only based on how it feels; ask questions about the fabric and understand what you are buying
THREE
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Jetour T1 specs
Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
Power: 254hp
Torque: 390Nm
Price: From Dh126,000
Available: Now
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The five pillars of Islam
Ibrahim's play list
Completed an electrical diploma at the Adnoc Technical Institute
Works as a public relations officer with Adnoc
Apart from the piano, he plays the accordion, oud and guitar
His favourite composer is Johann Sebastian Bach
Also enjoys listening to Mozart
Likes all genres of music including Arabic music and jazz
Enjoys rock groups Scorpions and Metallica
Other musicians he likes are Syrian-American pianist Malek Jandali and Lebanese oud player Rabih Abou Khalil
Labour dispute
The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law
David Haye record
Total fights: 32
Wins: 28
Wins by KO: 26
Losses: 4
Key findings of Jenkins report
- Founder of the Muslim Brotherhood, Hassan al Banna, "accepted the political utility of violence"
- Views of key Muslim Brotherhood ideologue, Sayyid Qutb, have “consistently been understood” as permitting “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” and “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
- Muslim Brotherhood at all levels has repeatedly defended Hamas attacks against Israel, including the use of suicide bombers and the killing of civilians.
- Laying out the report in the House of Commons, David Cameron told MPs: "The main findings of the review support the conclusion that membership of, association with, or influence by the Muslim Brotherhood should be considered as a possible indicator of extremism."
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre V8 twin-turbocharged and three electric motors
Power: Combined output 920hp
Torque: 730Nm at 4,000-7,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch automatic
Fuel consumption: 11.2L/100km
On sale: Now, deliveries expected later in 2025
Price: expected to start at Dh1,432,000
What are the influencer academy modules?
- Mastery of audio-visual content creation.
- Cinematography, shots and movement.
- All aspects of post-production.
- Emerging technologies and VFX with AI and CGI.
- Understanding of marketing objectives and audience engagement.
- Tourism industry knowledge.
- Professional ethics.
The bio
Favourite food: Japanese
Favourite car: Lamborghini
Favourite hobby: Football
Favourite quote: If your dreams don’t scare you, they are not big enough
Favourite country: UAE
Who is Tim-Berners Lee?
Sir Tim Berners-Lee was born in London in a household of mathematicians and computer scientists. Both his mother, Mary Lee, and father, Conway, were early computer scientists who worked on the Ferranti 1 - the world's first commercially-available, general purpose digital computer. Sir Tim studied Physics at the University of Oxford and held a series of roles developing code and building software before moving to Switzerland to work for Cern, the European Particle Physics laboratory. He developed the worldwide web code as a side project in 1989 as a global information-sharing system. After releasing the first web code in 1991, Cern made it open and free for all to use. Sir Tim now campaigns for initiatives to make sure the web remains open and accessible to all.
CHATGPT%20ENTERPRISE%20FEATURES
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Our legal columnist
Name: Yousef Al Bahar
Advocate at Al Bahar & Associate Advocates and Legal Consultants, established in 1994
Education: Mr Al Bahar was born in 1979 and graduated in 2008 from the Judicial Institute. He took after his father, who was one of the first Emirati lawyers
RESULT
Arsenal 1 Chelsea 2
Arsenal: Aubameyang (13')
Chelsea: Jorginho (83'), Abraham (87')
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
UAE rugby in numbers
5 - Year sponsorship deal between Hesco and Jebel Ali Dragons
700 - Dubai Hurricanes had more than 700 playing members last season between their mini and youth, men's and women's teams
Dh600,000 - Dubai Exiles' budget for pitch and court hire next season, for their rugby, netball and cricket teams
Dh1.8m - Dubai Hurricanes' overall budget for next season
Dh2.8m - Dubai Exiles’ overall budget for next season
MATCH INFO
South Africa 66 (Tries: De Allende, Nkosi, Reinach (3), Gelant, Steyn, Brits, Willemse; Cons: Jantjies 8)
Canada 7 (Tries: Heaton; Cons: Nelson)
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
PROFILE OF INVYGO
Started: 2018
Founders: Eslam Hussein and Pulkit Ganjoo
Based: Dubai
Sector: Transport
Size: 9 employees
Investment: $1,275,000
Investors: Class 5 Global, Equitrust, Gulf Islamic Investments, Kairos K50 and William Zeqiri
NINE WINLESS GAMES
Arsenal 2-2 Crystal Palace (Oct 27, PL)
Liverpool 5-5 Arsenal (Oct 30, EFL)
Arsenal 1-1 Wolves (Nov 02, PL)
Vitoria Guimaraes 1-1 Arsenal (Nov 6, Europa)
Leicester 2-0 Arsenal (Nov 9, PL)
Arsenal 2-2 Southampton (Nov 23, PL)
Arsenal 1-2 Eintracht Frankfurt (Nov 28, Europa)
Norwich 2-2 Arsenal (Dec 01, PL)
Arsenal 1-2 Brighton (Dec 05, PL)
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