Whenever Fahad Al Arif drives past the Abu Dhabi Corniche, he is overwhelmed with nostalgia.
After all, it was there, on a large, beachside stage, that he announced his arrival as an exciting new Emirati music talent.
The crowd at the 2019 Mother of the Nation Festival were all too receptive, as they clapped and sang along to his hit, Khasirny, which has amassed more than 70 million YouTube streams.
With the onset of the pandemic, that momentous gig remains his most recent performance. Therefore, you can understand Al Arif’s enthusiasm to get back on stage on Saturday, August 29, to close The Fridge concert series at Dubai’s Alserkal Avenue.
"You can't imagine how long I have been waiting for this moment, he tells The National. "A lot of the plans we had for shows and other opportunities this year changed because of the situation, but everything happens for a reason."
“Sometimes I would drive to Abu Dhabi for a break and seeing the Corniche again brings back those great memories.”
Taking it back to basics
The period he spent off stage wasn’t all in vain, however.
Al Arif used the time to co-write and release a number of new tracks such as Heel Feeny and Walle.
Hearing his growing body of work, you begin to realise why Al Arif is garnering a large and youthful fan base in the Gulf. From his direct lyrics to razor-sharp hooks, his appeal lies in stripping songs down to their essentials.
This is a far cry from today’s standard Khaleeji pop songs, which are often burdened with long-winded instrumental passages and syrupy strings sections.
"I wanted to move away from that, not only to be different but also because there is simply no need for all that extra production," he says. "I mean, I love the strings and if done properly it can really elevate a song, but I just like the idea of keeping it simple and allowing the hooks and melody to carry the song. This is why Khasirny did so well for me."
As well as the streamlined songwriting approach, what propelled Khasirny's impressive streaming numbers is its understated blues and funk flavours. The tempo changes are graceful, while the zippy keyboard riffs coast over bluesy guitar grooves.
Best of all is Al Arif’s husky voice, which is powerful yet elegantly restrained to allow the song’s hooks to shine.
That minimalism, he says, comes down to his eclectic taste. Born in Dubai to music-loving parents, Al Arif recalls a household full of the yearning notes of classic singers Umm Kulthum and Abdel Halim Hafez.
Since beginning his career in 2014, Al Arif gradually incorporated more western elements into his craft, thanks to his expanding musical tastes, which include instrumental jazz and the blues wunderkind, Christone "Kingfish" Ingram.
“It really made me approach my singing and songwriting from a new way,” he says. “Of course, I am singing Khaleeji songs but you can also do different kinds of things with them.”
What the UAE music industry needs
It is a lack of experimentation, Al Arif says, that has caused the Khaleeji music genre to lose some of its vitality over the years.
“The challenge is in the production and the songwriting,” he says. “I just feel that it is not as strong or as fresh as it used to be.”
That problem is even more pronounced in the Emirati music industry.
With the scene as small and tight-knit as it is competitive, Al Arif says it is no wonder that the “same big names” have been dominating the genre.
“First of all, I need to be clear that we younger local musicians have nothing but love and respect for these elder artists who have paved the way for us and taught us so much,” he says. “But at the same time, we also have to develop the next generation.”
For that to happen, Al Arif says everyone in the local industry needs to be on song.
“We need the bigger artists, producers and event organisers to also look at young Emirati singers and give them a chance because there is lot of talent out there,” he says.
“I am not saying give us a whole concert, but even a small appearance. This is how all the major stars began, with someone extending the opportunity. Hopefully, we can continue this with the next generation and beyond.”
In the meantime, Al Arif’s advice to fellow local talents is to keep learning and grafting.
“I haven’t performed for a year but I can tell you that I have been busy,” he says. “I have been reading, learning and playing new instruments. Making it in the industry requires some luck, but that doesn’t come without the hard work. The key is to not give up.”
Fahad Al Arif performs on Saturday, August 29 at The Fridge, Alserkal Avenue, Dubai. 7.30pm. Tickets are Dh80 at dubai.platinumlist.net
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
ESSENTIALS
The flights
Emirates flies from Dubai to Phnom Penh via Yangon from Dh2,700 return including taxes. Cambodia Bayon Airlines and Cambodia Angkor Air offer return flights from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap from Dh250 return including taxes. The flight takes about 45 minutes.
The hotels
Rooms at the Raffles Le Royal in Phnom Penh cost from $225 (Dh826) per night including taxes. Rooms at the Grand Hotel d'Angkor cost from $261 (Dh960) per night including taxes.
The tours
A cyclo architecture tour of Phnom Penh costs from $20 (Dh75) per person for about three hours, with Khmer Architecture Tours. Tailor-made tours of all of Cambodia, or sites like Angkor alone, can be arranged by About Asia Travel. Emirates Holidays also offers packages.
Dunki
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The five pillars of Islam
US households add $601bn of debt in 2019
American households borrowed another $601 billion (Dh2.2bn) in 2019, the largest yearly gain since 2007, just before the global financial crisis, according to February data from the New York Federal Reserve Bank.
Fuelled by rising mortgage debt as homebuyers continued to take advantage of low interest rates, the increase last year brought total household debt to a record high, surpassing the previous peak reached in 2008 just before the market crash, according to the report.
Following the 22nd straight quarter of growth, American household debt swelled to $14.15 trillion by the end of 2019, the New York Fed said in its quarterly report.
In the final three months of the year, new home loans jumped to their highest volume since the fourth quarter of 2005, while credit cards and auto loans also added to the increase.
The bad debt load is taking its toll on some households, and the New York Fed warned that more and more credit card borrowers — particularly young people — were falling behind on their payments.
"Younger borrowers, who are disproportionately likely to have credit cards and student loans as their primary form of debt, struggle more than others with on-time repayment," New York Fed researchers said.
The Limehouse Golem
Director: Juan Carlos Medina
Cast: Olivia Cooke, Bill Nighy, Douglas Booth
Three stars
Coal Black Mornings
Brett Anderson
Little Brown Book Group
If you go
- The nearest international airport to the start of the Chuysky Trakt is in Novosibirsk. Emirates (www.emirates.com) offer codeshare flights with S7 Airlines (www.s7.ru) via Moscow for US$5,300 (Dh19,467) return including taxes. Cheaper flights are available on Flydubai and Air Astana or Aeroflot combination, flying via Astana in Kazakhstan or Moscow. Economy class tickets are available for US$650 (Dh2,400).
- The Double Tree by Hilton in Novosibirsk ( 7 383 2230100,) has double rooms from US$60 (Dh220). You can rent cabins at camp grounds or rooms in guesthouses in the towns for around US$25 (Dh90).
- The transport Minibuses run along the Chuysky Trakt but if you want to stop for sightseeing, hire a taxi from Gorno-Altaisk for about US$100 (Dh360) a day. Take a Russian phrasebook or download a translation app. Tour companies such as Altair-Tour ( 7 383 2125115 ) offer hiking and adventure packages.
Jetour T1 specs
Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
Power: 254hp
Torque: 390Nm
Price: From Dh126,000
Available: Now
MATCH INFO
Barcelona 2
Suarez (10'), Messi (52')
Real Madrid 2
Ronaldo (14'), Bale (72')
Western Region Asia Cup T20 Qualifier
Sun Feb 23 – Thu Feb 27, Al Amerat, Oman
The two finalists advance to the Asia qualifier in Malaysia in August
Group A
Bahrain, Maldives, Oman, Qatar
Group B
UAE, Iran, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia
UAE group fixtures
Sunday Feb 23, 9.30am, v Iran
Monday Feb 25, 1pm, v Kuwait
Tuesday Feb 26, 9.30am, v Saudi
UAE squad
Ahmed Raza, Rohan Mustafa, Alishan Sharafu, Ansh Tandon, Vriitya Aravind, Junaid Siddique, Waheed Ahmed, Karthik Meiyappan, Basil Hameed, Mohammed Usman, Mohammed Ayaz, Zahoor Khan, Chirag Suri, Sultan Ahmed
ENGLAND TEAM
Alastair Cook, Mark Stoneman, James Vince, Joe Root (captain), Dawid Malan, Jonny Bairstow, Moeen Ali, Chris Woakes, Craig Overton, Stuart Broad, James Anderson
The Perfect Couple
Starring: Nicole Kidman, Liev Schreiber, Jack Reynor
Creator: Jenna Lamia
Rating: 3/5
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Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week
What is Diwali?
The Hindu festival is at once a celebration of the autumn harvest and the triumph of good over evil, as outlined in the Ramayana.
According to the Sanskrit epic, penned by the sage Valmiki, Diwali marks the time that the exiled king Rama – a mortal with superhuman powers – returned home to the city of Ayodhya with his wife Sita and brother Lakshman, after vanquishing the 10-headed demon Ravana and conquering his kingdom of Lanka. The people of Ayodhya are believed to have lit thousands of earthen lamps to illuminate the city and to guide the royal family home.
In its current iteration, Diwali is celebrated with a puja to welcome the goodness of prosperity Lakshmi (an incarnation of Sita) into the home, which is decorated with diyas (oil lamps) or fairy lights and rangoli designs with coloured powder. Fireworks light up the sky in some parts of the word, and sweetmeats are made (or bought) by most households. It is customary to get new clothes stitched, and visit friends and family to exchange gifts and greetings.
