E.Mo.Tion
Carly Rae Jepsen
(Interscope)
Four stars
It is perhaps too early to call it a trend, but Carly Rae Jepsen is the second big pop star to go in an all-out 1980s-pop direction. Whether a coincidence or not, her new collection, E.Mo.Tion, is also the best pop-music release since Taylor Swift's similar-sounding 1989 came out in October last year. Vintage-Madonna fans should enjoy the hit lead single I Really Like You – it's a pure 1980s blast from the past, with juddering bass lines, a warm wall of synths and Jepsen's confident vocals. The joyous chorus is pure Madge, recalling the carefree vibes of Cherish. In Boy Problems, Jepsen gets all funky, with shimmying Nile Rodgers-esque riffs, while LA Hallucination is a production triumph, featuring a dense mix of whirring synths and a stalking beat. Not everything is totally retro and sun-kissed, though – Warm Blood (co-written by Vampire Weekend's Rostam Batmanglij) is a contemporary slow-burner, with distorted vocals and an almost spoken-word bridge. With more hits sure to follow, E.Mo.Tion should play a part in helping to usher in a soon-to-come 1980s pop revival – which is not necessarily a bad thing.
sasaeed@thenational.ae
The biog
Alwyn Stephen says much of his success is a result of taking an educated chance on business decisions.
His advice to anyone starting out in business is to have no fear as life is about taking on challenges.
“If you have the ambition and dream of something, follow that dream, be positive, determined and set goals.
"Nothing and no-one can stop you from succeeding with the right work application, and a little bit of luck along the way.”
Mr Stephen sells his luxury fragrances at selected perfumeries around the UAE, including the House of Niche Boutique in Al Seef.
He relaxes by spending time with his family at home, and enjoying his wife’s India cooking.
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
The biog
Age: 19
Profession: medical student at UAE university
Favourite book: The Ocean at The End of The Lane by Neil Gaiman
Role model: Parents, followed by Fazza (Shiekh Hamdan bin Mohammed)
Favourite poet: Edger Allen Poe
