The UAE always rewards the industrious.
This was something Mahdi Baccouch realised not long after arriving in Dubai in 2013.
After being reunited with his father, who was busy working in a range of Arabic restaurants, the aspiring Tunisian singer seized the opportunity to forward his career by performing in some of these venues.
Word of his talent spread around the emirate and, before long, Baccouch began singing at private events and weddings. Some of those murmurings eventually reached the office of Dubai’s Universal Music Mena, who went on to sign the artist in 2018.
It was not long after that that The National first caught up with Baccouch, who was brimming with the confidence that comes with major label backing.
At the time, he had just released the single Bethadaki, which came with a flashy video shot on a luxury yacht anchored in Dubai Marina. Back then, the dream was to expand his musical horizons by singing in various regional dialects.
Speaking to Baccouch again this week from his part-time base in Tunisia, his goals are clearly bigger.
Eyes on the prize
The plan now is to go global, he says.
The first shot in that direction is his latest track, Skeletons. A collaboration with English EDM singer Tara McDonald, the track is a hybrid of RnB, trap music and dance styles, with the singers trading verses in English and Arabic.
“I always wanted to at least try and present my music within an international context,” Baccouch says. “So when the opportunity came to do this project with the lovely Tara McDonald, I did not hesitate. I always take my chances.”
And that means learning on the job. This was Baccouch’s first time singing in a western pop music production, and he admits it took some time to be on the same page as McDonald.
“The rhythms of this track are not something that I am used to,” he says. “I had to work hard to really nail it. I gave it my best shot and I am happy with the result.”
That open mind comes as part of an increasingly frenetic lifestyle that veers between recording and touring.
Baccouch now divides his time between Dubai and Tunis in order to maximise his touring opportunities. He has also released a steady stream of well-received Arabic songs ranging from ballads to mid-tempo pop. While pleased with his progression, he maintains that the grind is real.
“It is hard work. This is not something that surprised me but in this industry you have to keep pushing and creating,” he says. “You have goals, you reach them, and then you aim higher or adjust them.”
Has Covid-19 created a humble music landscape?
The present pandemic, however, has required a serious case of adjustment.
As we enter the summer months, this would have been a time where Baccouch would be touring the region. Instead, he finds himself in the midst of semi-lockdown in Tunisia, with all future gigs scrapped.
But, true to his nature, he grabbed the next opportunity and began delivering impromptu live performances on Instagram.
The whole experience remains a revelation, Baccouch says – not because of the performances, but in how social media and the pandemic have acted as great leveller for the Arabic music industry.
A fiercely competitive landscape with no shortage of egos, Baccouch marvels at how fans are now watching some of their favourite stars stripped of their glamorous lifestyles.
“You realise that we are all experiencing the same thing,” he says. “Before you see all these Instagram images of people in beautiful places, first class on planes, doing amazing shopping and things of that nature, but now we are all stuck at home. That was really interesting.”
Baccouch hopes that humbleness continues to echo throughout the industry, post-pandemic.
“I am seeing all these great artists that I admire going on TikTok dancing and just enjoying themselves. This is really what it should be,” he says. “I think we, as artists, need to show that side more. It will definitely bring us closer to our fans.”
As for his supporters, Baccouch tells them to get ready for more new music.
“I am working with some interesting songwriters and producers, so I am excited about the future,” he says. “It is always good to just keep working. I always feel I have things I want to achieve.”
If you go
The flights
There are direct flights from Dubai to Sofia with FlyDubai (www.flydubai.com) and Wizz Air (www.wizzair.com), from Dh1,164 and Dh822 return including taxes, respectively.
The trip
Plovdiv is 150km from Sofia, with an hourly bus service taking around 2 hours and costing $16 (Dh58). The Rhodopes can be reached from Sofia in between 2-4hours.
The trip was organised by Bulguides (www.bulguides.com), which organises guided trips throughout Bulgaria. Guiding, accommodation, food and transfers from Plovdiv to the mountains and back costs around 170 USD for a four-day, three-night trip.
COMPANY PROFILE
● Company: Bidzi
● Started: 2024
● Founders: Akshay Dosaj and Asif Rashid
● Based: Dubai, UAE
● Industry: M&A
● Funding size: Bootstrapped
● No of employees: Nine
The specs: 2018 Renault Megane
Price, base / as tested Dh52,900 / Dh59,200
Engine 1.6L in-line four-cylinder
Transmission Continuously variable transmission
Power 115hp @ 5,500rpm
Torque 156Nm @ 4,000rpm
Fuel economy, combined 6.6L / 100km
Match info
Uefa Champions League Group H
Juventus v Valencia, Tuesday, midnight (UAE)
Zayed Sustainability Prize
Mobile phone packages comparison
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
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.
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
A Bad Moms Christmas
Dir: John Lucas and Scott Moore
Starring: Mila Kunis, Kathryn Hahn, Kristen Bell, Susan Sarandon, Christine Baranski, Cheryl Hines
Two stars
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A list of the animal rescue organisations in the UAE
CREW
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What can you do?
Document everything immediately; including dates, times, locations and witnesses
Seek professional advice from a legal expert
You can report an incident to HR or an immediate supervisor
You can use the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation’s dedicated hotline
In criminal cases, you can contact the police for additional support
Company%20Profile
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Sholto Byrnes on Myanmar politics
Squads
Sri Lanka Tharanga (c), Mathews, Dickwella (wk), Gunathilaka, Mendis, Kapugedera, Siriwardana, Pushpakumara, Dananjaya, Sandakan, Perera, Hasaranga, Malinga, Chameera, Fernando.
India Kohli (c), Dhawan, Rohit, Rahul, Pandey, Rahane, Jadhav, Dhoni (wk), Pandya, Axar, Kuldeep, Chahal, Bumrah, Bhuvneshwar, Thakur.
Muslim Council of Elders condemns terrorism on religious sites
The Muslim Council of Elders has strongly condemned the criminal attacks on religious sites in Britain.
It firmly rejected “acts of terrorism, which constitute a flagrant violation of the sanctity of houses of worship”.
“Attacking places of worship is a form of terrorism and extremism that threatens peace and stability within societies,” it said.
The council also warned against the rise of hate speech, racism, extremism and Islamophobia. It urged the international community to join efforts to promote tolerance and peaceful coexistence.
Ant-Man and the Wasp
Director: Peyton Reed
Starring: Paul Rudd, Evangeline Lilly, Michael Douglas
Three stars
Al Jazira's foreign quartet for 2017/18
Romarinho, Brazil
Lassana Diarra, France
Sardor Rashidov, Uzbekistan
Mbark Boussoufa, Morocco
RESULT
Esperance de Tunis 1 Guadalajara 1
(Esperance won 6-5 on penalties)
Esperance: Belaili 38’
Guadalajara: Sandoval 5’
Company%20Profile
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
What is a robo-adviser?
Robo-advisers use an online sign-up process to gauge an investor’s risk tolerance by feeding information such as their age, income, saving goals and investment history into an algorithm, which then assigns them an investment portfolio, ranging from more conservative to higher risk ones.
These portfolios are made up of exchange traded funds (ETFs) with exposure to indices such as US and global equities, fixed-income products like bonds, though exposure to real estate, commodity ETFs or gold is also possible.
Investing in ETFs allows robo-advisers to offer fees far lower than traditional investments, such as actively managed mutual funds bought through a bank or broker. Investors can buy ETFs directly via a brokerage, but with robo-advisers they benefit from investment portfolios matched to their risk tolerance as well as being user friendly.
Many robo-advisers charge what are called wrap fees, meaning there are no additional fees such as subscription or withdrawal fees, success fees or fees for rebalancing.
TEAMS
US Team
Dustin Johnson, Jordan Spieth
Justin Thomas, Daniel Berger
Brooks Koepka, Rickie Fowler
Kevin Kisner, Patrick Reed
Matt Kuchar, Kevin Chappell
Charley Hoffman*, Phil Mickelson*
International Team
Hideki Matsuyama, Jason Day
Adam Scott, Louis Oosthuizen
Marc Leishman, Charl Schwartzel
Branden Grace, Si Woo Kim
Jhonattan Vegas, Adam Hadwin
Emiliano Grillo*, Anirban Lahiri*
* denotes captain's picks
