There have been many memorable characters in the literary canon of alter-egos: Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde; Wonder Woman and Diana Prince; Gollum and Smeagol. The list continues, not least with authors themselves, including Lewis Carroll and George Eliot.
Unfortunately, the formula hasn't worked so well in the music industry. Only a few artists have used an alternative personality and got away with it. Pop fans might remember Ziggy Stardust and Slim Shady, but few are likely to recall Garth Brooks's Chris Gaines, or Paul McCartney's Fireman.
The latest siren to succumb to the call of identity crisis is Beyoncé Knowles, whose latest "self-titled" CD, I Am... Sasha Fierce, debuts a new persona, one which the singer has said is "the fun, more sensual, more aggressive, more outspoken side and more glamorous side" that comes out when she's on stage.
Beyoncé drives the point home with a two-disc album, the first containing songs by and images of "Beyoncé", the latter with high-octane tracks by and snaps of "Sasha Fierce".
The problem with this package is not that it is unconvincing; it is just something that we already know. There is nothing revelatory about a superstar who confesses to a privately shy, yet publicly brash personality. Michael Jackson laid claim to that years before the former Destiny's Child singer was even born.
And while Beyoncé has laboured for well over a year to produce a new CD to showcase this new side to herself, the content seems to have taken a step backwards. No new collaborations or musical influences dent the steady stream of ballads on disc one. If I Were a Boy and Broken-Hearted Girl lament the downside of love, while Halo basks in the warmth of it, but the lush arrangements and strong vocals create nothing spectacular.
Likewise, while disc two revs up the energy with tracks made for the dance floor, there's not much that deviates from her past work. Diva makes plain what is already known ("I'm a diva/I'm a, I'm a, a, diva," goes the chorus).
On Video Phone, meanwhile, the singer taunts gawkers to record her image in the street. However, on Single Ladies (Put a Ring On It), she gets it just right.
Thanks to Beyoncé's impeccable moves and the song's catchy rhythm, which recalls the infectious vibe of Crazy in Love and Déjà Vu, the Bob Fossey-inspired video that accompanied the release of the song has now had over 20,000,000 views on YouTube. In fact, the fever for the video became so pronounced that even Justin Timberlake got into it, appearing in a parody sketch on the US comedy show Saturday Night Live as one of Beyonce's backing dancers.
She has pop stars satirising her and enjoys single-name status similar to such icons as Madonna and Cher. She gives her tours names like The Beyoncé Experience and walks around with a metal glove on one hand. That Beyoncé is a diva we already know. One just wishes she was less conscious of it. Most avatars are created to free people from their confines. With this alter-ego transformation, however, Beyoncé seems to have just boxed herself in.
mmetallidis@thenational.ae
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
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
The bio
His favourite book - 1984 by George Orwell
His favourite quote - 'If you think education is expensive, try ignorance' by Derek Bok, Former President of Harvard
Favourite place to travel to - Peloponnese, Southern Greece
Favourite movie - The Last Emperor
Favourite personality from history - Alexander the Great
Role Model - My father, Yiannis Davos
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
Company profile
Date started: Founded in May 2017 and operational since April 2018
Founders: co-founder and chief executive, Doaa Aref; Dr Rasha Rady, co-founder and chief operating officer.
Based: Cairo, Egypt
Sector: Health-tech
Size: 22 employees
Funding: Seed funding
Investors: Flat6labs, 500 Falcons, three angel investors
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
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
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Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
Getting there
The flights
Flydubai operates up to seven flights a week to Helsinki. Return fares to Helsinki from Dubai start from Dh1,545 in Economy and Dh7,560 in Business Class.
The stay
Golden Crown Igloos in Levi offer stays from Dh1,215 per person per night for a superior igloo; www.leviniglut.net
Panorama Hotel in Levi is conveniently located at the top of Levi fell, a short walk from the gondola. Stays start from Dh292 per night based on two people sharing; www. golevi.fi/en/accommodation/hotel-levi-panorama
Arctic Treehouse Hotel in Rovaniemi offers stays from Dh1,379 per night based on two people sharing; www.arctictreehousehotel.com
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At a glance
Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.
Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year
Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month
Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30
Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse
Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth
Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances
