To celebrate the release of the debut single from The 5 – the pan-Arab boyband who found fame on the 2015 season of the Arab version of X Factor – we sat down for a chat with each of the band members.
In the first of our exclusive five-part series of one-on-ones, we got to know 22-year-old Egyptian singer Ahmed Hassan.
The 5 chose to gather in Dubai to launch debut single El Donia Shabab, and we hear you're all staying in town.
We are – we’ve been here about two weeks and will stay about another three weeks. It’s the place to be in the Arab world right now. Why? It’s the most safe place – I’m from Egypt, and the situation in Egypt right now isn’t very safe.
The response to the song has been phenomenal. How nervous were you before it was released?
Very nervous. In the Middle East a lot of singers have been on all these programmes – X Factor, The Voice, Star Academy, Arab Idol, Arabs Got Talent – and after they finish, no one knows them, they disappear. Their songs are nothing. I was so nervous that I didn't sleep for two days. We're so surprised – we woke [on the day after the song's release, September 16] to find our song was on the top of the charts in all the Arab countries.
Considering how much attention you guys have attracted, are you disappointed you missed out on winning the X Factor?
Hey, come on, [24-year-old Saudi winner] Hamza [Hawsawi] is the best, and he deserves it. It doesn’t matter about who wins, it’s who’s going to work afterwards. He won a record contract – now we have a record contract. The real prize is just the money, and now we make our money.
One year ago, could you have imagined you’d be where you are today?
I had a dream when I was seven or eight years old that I would be famous. One year ago I stopped the music life, cancelled everything, and started work and study. X Factor, for me, was luck. I didn't apply for it, I didn't expect it when they called me – but I left my job, left everything to be one of the thousands entries ... and now I'm in The 5.
How are you finding the fame? Is it too much?
When I went back to my country, I found hundreds of people waiting for me in the airport, the same in Morocco, the same in Algeria. It’s an amazing feeling. But now it’s too much. After the song, I know it’s going to be too much for us.
Who would you say is the laziest member of the band?
DNB. If he was sleeping, and there was an loud bang next to him, he would not wake up.
And the most charming?
Adil [Echbiy]. All the time, he’s flirting with girls.
• El Donia Shabab is available now on iTunes
Check Scene & Heard every day from September 20 to 24 for our exclusive series of Q&As with The 5. Tomorrow we speak to Mohamed Bouhezza, aka BMD, and find out what he thinks of being called lazy ...
The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
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
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COMPANY%20PROFILE
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The smuggler
Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple.
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.
Khouli conviction
Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.
For sale
A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.
- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico
- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000
- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950
FINAL SCORES
Fujairah 130 for 8 in 20 overs
(Sandy Sandeep 29, Hamdan Tahir 26 no, Umair Ali 2-15)
Sharjah 131 for 8 in 19.3 overs
(Kashif Daud 51, Umair Ali 20, Rohan Mustafa 2-17, Sabir Rao 2-26)
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
How the UAE gratuity payment is calculated now
Employees leaving an organisation are entitled to an end-of-service gratuity after completing at least one year of service.
The tenure is calculated on the number of days worked and does not include lengthy leave periods, such as a sabbatical. If you have worked for a company between one and five years, you are paid 21 days of pay based on your final basic salary. After five years, however, you are entitled to 30 days of pay. The total lump sum you receive is based on the duration of your employment.
1. For those who have worked between one and five years, on a basic salary of Dh10,000 (calculation based on 30 days):
a. Dh10,000 ÷ 30 = Dh333.33. Your daily wage is Dh333.33
b. Dh333.33 x 21 = Dh7,000. So 21 days salary equates to Dh7,000 in gratuity entitlement for each year of service. Multiply this figure for every year of service up to five years.
2. For those who have worked more than five years
c. 333.33 x 30 = Dh10,000. So 30 days’ salary is Dh10,000 in gratuity entitlement for each year of service.
Note: The maximum figure cannot exceed two years total salary figure.
The specs
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Power: 502hp at 7,600rpm
Torque: 637Nm at 5,150rpm
Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch auto
Price: from Dh317,671
On sale: now
