Habib Elyasi is busy spreading the Eid cheer. After a performance at the Al Ain Municipality Theatre last night, the singer dubbed The Nightingale of the UAE brings his blend of traditional and regional-flavoured pop to the du Forum tonight as part of the Abu Dhabi Summer Season festival. Fans will also get a chance to hear his latest single, the Emirati-Turkish fusion Hikaya. "It will be exciting," he says. "It is a new style and it's something you don't hear a lot of on the radio."
How big a deal is it for an Arab artist to perform during Eid?
It is definitely something to look forward to, obviously as Eid is a very special occasion. There is normally such a great atmosphere at these shows and everyone is happy. For any artist it is a great feeling, because it is a chance to perform on these blessed days in front of your fans.
You will be performing your new single, Hikaya, tonight. It’s really interesting in that you mix both Turkish and Emirati music styles together. How did the concept come about?
The idea for the song came two months ago. The lyrics were written with Murhad Al Hess and I wrote the melodies. What I wanted to do was try to blend Emirati and Turkish music together. Once we did that, I found we created this really new, fresh sound. Both are percussive forms and can be of a high tempo. The song is danceable and is definitely one for the youths.
Is the song indicative of your new album, which is out later in the year?
In a way, yes, because the album will be of a totally different style than my normal work. This time around, I am working on songs that have different Arab styles ranging from Lebanese to Egyptian and Moroccan. The goal of this album is to reach out to as many people from the Arab world as I can.
You are doing quite well singing Khaleeji pop. What made you switch things up for the next album?
It comes from wanting to explore new avenues. You know, I have been doing this now for about 15 years and through my career I did songs here and there in different styles and accents. Now, with this new album, it will be totally dedicated to new styles and it will be a new challenge for me. I am really looking forward to it.
You are also renowned for your Emirati folk songs. How important is that to you?
That will always be part of my work. I do this because I am following what the father of the nation, the late Sheikh Zayed, said to future generations of Emiratis. He said that we have to honour and remember our traditions, from poetry to songs. I feel that it is my responsibility as an Emirati artist to contribute to that in whatever way I can.
Do you sometimes worry that the significance of these songs will be lost by future generations?
Not at all, because these songs are close to us. They are from our communities and our neighbourhoods. We know the songs intimately, so there is always going to be a positive response to them.
Veteran singer Hussain Al Jassmi proved there is a big market for Emirati songs in the Arab world. Why is it that we have not seen another Emirati artist, from this generation, reach his superstar stature?
I can’t point to one direct reason, all I can say is that it is really up to the artist themselves. You have to work hard and keep developing yourself. There are some artists out there who pop up each year with a new song. Even if it’s popular, that is not enough to sustain a career. You have to always keep working and be careful of falling into laziness.
More than a year ago you were dubbed The Nightingale of the UAE by the famed Emirati poet Rashid Sharar. How do you feel about such a show name?
That was a great feeling and now that name has become my official title. I am very proud of it, but at the same time I am very aware of the responsibility that it entails. I think about that in terms of how I steer my career and the songs and projects that I embark on.
• Habib Elyasi performs tonight at the du Forum, Yas Island at 8pm. Tickets start at Dh75 from www.ticketmaster.ae. For more details on Abu Dhabi Summer Season shows, visit abudhabisummerseason.ae
sasaeed@thenational.ae
Tuesday's fixtures
Kyrgyzstan v Qatar, 5.45pm
Indoor Cricket World Cup Dubai 2017
Venue Insportz, Dubai; Admission Free
Fixtures - Open Men 2pm: India v New Zealand, Malaysia v UAE, Singapore v South Africa, Sri Lanka v England; 8pm: Australia v Singapore, India v Sri Lanka, England v Malaysia, New Zealand v South Africa
Fixtures - Open Women Noon: New Zealand v England, UAE v Australia; 6pm: England v South Africa, New Zealand v Australia
How green is the expo nursery?
Some 400,000 shrubs and 13,000 trees in the on-site nursery
An additional 450,000 shrubs and 4,000 trees to be delivered in the months leading up to the expo
Ghaf, date palm, acacia arabica, acacia tortilis, vitex or sage, techoma and the salvadora are just some heat tolerant native plants in the nursery
Approximately 340 species of shrubs and trees selected for diverse landscape
The nursery team works exclusively with organic fertilisers and pesticides
All shrubs and trees supplied by Dubai Municipality
Most sourced from farms, nurseries across the country
Plants and trees are re-potted when they arrive at nursery to give them room to grow
Some mature trees are in open areas or planted within the expo site
Green waste is recycled as compost
Treated sewage effluent supplied by Dubai Municipality is used to meet the majority of the nursery’s irrigation needs
Construction workforce peaked at 40,000 workers
About 65,000 people have signed up to volunteer
Main themes of expo is ‘Connecting Minds, Creating the Future’ and three subthemes of opportunity, mobility and sustainability.
Expo 2020 Dubai to open in October 2020 and run for six months
COMPANY%20PROFILE
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Revibe%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202022%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Hamza%20Iraqui%20and%20Abdessamad%20Ben%20Zakour%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20UAE%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EIndustry%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Refurbished%20electronics%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFunds%20raised%20so%20far%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20%2410m%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFlat6Labs%2C%20Resonance%20and%20various%20others%0D%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
SERIE A FIXTURES
Saturday
AC Milan v Sampdoria (2.30pm kick-off UAE)
Atalanta v Udinese (5pm)
Benevento v Parma (5pm)
Cagliari v Hellas Verona (5pm)
Genoa v Fiorentina (5pm)
Lazio v Spezia (5pm)
Napoli v Crotone (5pm)
Sassuolo v Roma (5pm)
Torino v Juventus (8pm)
Bologna v Inter Milan (10.45pm)
Which honey takes your fancy?
Al Ghaf Honey
The Al Ghaf tree is a local desert tree which bears the harsh summers with drought and high temperatures. From the rich flowers, bees that pollinate this tree can produce delicious red colour honey in June and July each year
Sidr Honey
The Sidr tree is an evergreen tree with long and strong forked branches. The blossom from this tree is called Yabyab, which provides rich food for bees to produce honey in October and November. This honey is the most expensive, but tastiest
Samar Honey
The Samar tree trunk, leaves and blossom contains Barm which is the secret of healing. You can enjoy the best types of honey from this tree every year in May and June. It is an historical witness to the life of the Emirati nation which represents the harsh desert and mountain environments
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
The biog
Name: James Mullan
Nationality: Irish
Family: Wife, Pom; and daughters Kate, 18, and Ciara, 13, who attend Jumeirah English Speaking School (JESS)
Favourite book or author: “That’s a really difficult question. I’m a big fan of Donna Tartt, The Secret History. I’d recommend that, go and have a read of that.”
Dream: “It would be to continue to have fun and to work with really interesting people, which I have been very fortunate to do for a lot of my life. I just enjoy working with very smart, fun people.”
LIVING IN...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
Tank warfare
Lt Gen Erik Petersen, deputy chief of programs, US Army, has argued it took a “three decade holiday” on modernising tanks.
“There clearly remains a significant armoured heavy ground manoeuvre threat in this world and maintaining a world class armoured force is absolutely vital,” the general said in London last week.
“We are developing next generation capabilities to compete with and deter adversaries to prevent opportunism or miscalculation, and, if necessary, defeat any foe decisively.”
Ms Yang's top tips for parents new to the UAE
- Join parent networks
- Look beyond school fees
- Keep an open mind
