The Music Space: Jeddah's new venue aims to bolster Saudi Arabia's burgeoning music scene


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Hamza Hawsawi, a leading figure in the region’s music industry, made his first public appearance in a live concert at The Music Space in Jeddah last weekend.

“It has all changed during Covid-19 but we are back and it’s looking better than ever,” the 2015 The X-Factor Arabia winner tells The National. “I’m just happy to be performing live again. Once you hit the stage, all the nerves and anxiety just disappear.”

The Music Space opened two months ago with the aim of boosting Saudi Arabia's fledgling music scene, which at the moment is simply simmering beneath the surface.

There has been a paradigm shift in the kingdom since Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman opened doors for artists and the entertainment sector through Vision 2030, and as the General Entertainment Authority issued licences to the private sector to host cultural and entertainment events.

Hamza Hawsawi performs at The Music Space in Jeddah with band members, from left to right: pianist Faris Baraja, lead guitarist Yasir, guitarist Ahmed Yasin, drummer Ahmed Amin and guitarist Mohamed Abdu. Mariam Nihal for The National
Hamza Hawsawi performs at The Music Space in Jeddah with band members, from left to right: pianist Faris Baraja, lead guitarist Yasir, guitarist Ahmed Yasin, drummer Ahmed Amin and guitarist Mohamed Abdu. Mariam Nihal for The National

“Thanks to the Crown Prince, Saudi musicians are able to make their dreams become a reality today,” says Hawsawi, who sold out all three shows this month.

He has experienced these changes personally, as more opportunities have opened up for him and his fellow artists in the kingdom. “Stages like The Music Space have come into existence and we are able to perform on them regularly.”

What is The Music Space?

The venue was founded by a group of friends who travelled the world together to attend live music events because there was such a dearth of them previously in Saudi Arabia. “We wanted to create a similar space here,” co-founder Serene Feteih says. “Vision 2030 made that possible.”

The venue now aims to be a hub for renowned artists and emerging alternative musicians in Saudi Arabia who are committed to turning their hobby into a profession.

"Up until now you would have musicians and artists who would get together in basements and at family gatherings or parties, and they would sing and show off their skills. They did not get the exposure they deserved," Feteih explains.

We help emerging musicians transform themselves into stars by opening doors to global gigs
Serene Feteih,
co-founder of The Music Space

"However, with Vision 2030, this has just unleashed and opened up opportunities."

The idea is to put the focus wholly on these musicians. There are no cameras or shisha allowed at the venue.

“We do serve food but that’s in the interval so people can really respect and focus on the musicians performing for them on stage,” Feteih explains. There are burgers, hot dogs and brownies on the menu, as well as signature mocktails and coffee.

The space is designed to create a welcoming atmosphere through warm lighting and cosy seating. The open-platform stage is surrounded by seats on three sides. Audience members can sit in rows against cushions facing the stage, while others are seated on low wooden tables and armchairs. There are also high tables with stools opposite the kitchen, and a balcony upstairs with views of the entire stage and downstairs area.

Serene Feteih, co-founder of The Music Space in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
Serene Feteih, co-founder of The Music Space in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

From Saudi Arabia to the world

As well as giving people access to performers, The Music Space team wants to significantly grow the indie and alternative music scenes in the region by offering studio spaces.

“With support from Monshaat [the General Authority for Small and Medium Enterprises], the General Entertainment Authority, the Ministry of Culture, the Ministry of Tourism, and others, we will together help such musicians succeed not only locally but also globally,” says Feteih.

Often, Feteih says, they find these musicians on social media or through word of mouth. "We take them in and introduce them to other musicians so they can form music groups. They create original songs. We mentor them and teach them skills. We give them feedback. We treat them like professionals and pay them for their efforts and creativity. We even engage their parents to gain their support. And we help emerging musicians transform themselves into stars by opening doors to global gigs."

It doesn't hurt, either, that the space is located at the Monshaat's Startup Hub, which aims to create thousands of jobs for youths in the entertainment sector. It is focused on developing digital music and incubating emerging talents to create original content and video clips, while also helping people with legal issues and intellectual property rights.

Soon, The Music Space will also conduct an accelerator programme at the Startup Hub to help evolve the “skills and confidence” of emerging musicians in the kingdom in response to demand.

'Unbelievable talent'

Hawsawi performed 12 songs on stage last weekend, including six originals, as the audience basked in the glory of his inimitable crescendos. He and his five-member band serenaded the audience with Frame of Mind and Believer, as well as an ethereal cover of Daniel Caesar’s Get You. He received a roar of applause and standing ovation, and ended the show with a performance of Bill Withers's Ain’t No Sunshine, upon the crowd’s request.

Hawsawi had rehearsed with Sudanese musician Ahmed Amin, Saudi guitarists Yasir Hawari and Mohamed Abdu, pianist Faris Baraja and bassist Ahmed Yasin, who all came together exclusively for the show. “It was an amazing experience rehearsing with such fine artists and Ahmed Amin helped us with the curation,” Hawsawi says.

Hamza Hawsawi ahead of his gig at The Music Space in Jeddah
Hamza Hawsawi ahead of his gig at The Music Space in Jeddah

Amin rose to fame when he won Nujoum El Ghad, a popular show on Blue Nile TV. He’s lived in Saudi Arabia since 2013, and his music exploded on social media in 2016, when he released his original track We Lost You. Ever since, Amin has worked on solo projects, also collaborating with Saudi artists such as Qusai.

Though Amin and Hawsawi have known each other for nine years, Amin says he's been introduced to so many new people through The Music Space. "Doors have opened to me out of nowhere," he says.

"There's a 180º change, honestly, music-wise. There was a time when music was a bit censored. Now, as the kingdom starts opening up and its vision has started coming to life, a countless number of artists are beginning to surface. There's also unbelievable talent."

On top of the Hawsawi gig, The Music Space has hosted a blues night featuring Cactus Live and Asmaa Naga, a reggae night with local band DaZoals, and pop and folk performances by Yasmine Bitar and Micah Nicole, among others.

"There are many artists [in Saudi Arabia], and their art is great," Hawsawi says. "Good music taste is there, talent is there, but we never had the chance to present that talent. Thank God, we're now encouraged to perform."

Feteih says she's optimistic for the future of the space. "We have all these artists popping up. We want to incubate these talented artists. We're very optimistic for the future to expand to other cities."

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Things Heard & Seen

Directed by: Shari Springer Berman, Robert Pulcini

Starring: Amanda Seyfried, James Norton

2/5

What to watch out for:

Algae, waste coffee grounds and orange peels will be used in the pavilion's walls and gangways

The hulls of three ships will be used for the roof

The hulls will painted to make the largest Italian tricolour in the country’s history

Several pillars more than 20 metres high will support the structure

Roughly 15 tonnes of steel will be used

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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Ads on social media can 'normalise' drugs

A UK report on youth social media habits commissioned by advocacy group Volteface found a quarter of young people were exposed to illegal drug dealers on social media.

The poll of 2,006 people aged 16-24 assessed their exposure to drug dealers online in a nationally representative survey.

Of those admitting to seeing drugs for sale online, 56 per cent saw them advertised on Snapchat, 55 per cent on Instagram and 47 per cent on Facebook.

Cannabis was the drug most pushed by online dealers, with 63 per cent of survey respondents claiming to have seen adverts on social media for the drug, followed by cocaine (26 per cent) and MDMA/ecstasy, with 24 per cent of people.

Tearful appearance

Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday. 

Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow. 

She appeared with Keir Starmer on Thursday and the pair embraced, but he had failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.

A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.

The specs
  • Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
  • Power: 640hp
  • Torque: 760nm
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TRAINING FOR TOKYO

A typical week's training for Sebastian, who is competing at the ITU Abu Dhabi World Triathlon on March 8-9:

  • Four swim sessions (14km)
  • Three bike sessions (200km)
  • Four run sessions (45km)
  • Two strength and conditioning session (two hours)
  • One session therapy session at DISC Dubai
  • Two-three hours of stretching and self-maintenance of the body

ITU Abu Dhabi World Triathlon

For more information go to www.abudhabi.triathlon.org.

England World Cup squad

Eoin Morgan (capt), Moeen Ali, Jofra Archer, Jonny Bairstow, Jos Buttler (wkt), Tom Curran, Liam Dawson, Liam Plunkett, Adil Rashid, Joe Root, Jason Roy, Ben Stokes, James Vince, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood

ESSENTIALS

The flights 

Etihad (etihad.com) flies from Abu Dhabi to Mykonos, with a flight change to its partner airline Olympic Air in Athens. Return flights cost from Dh4,105 per person, including taxes. 

Where to stay 

The modern-art-filled Ambassador hotel (myconianambassador.gr) is 15 minutes outside Mykonos Town on a hillside 500 metres from the Platis Gialos Beach, with a bus into town every 30 minutes (a taxi costs €15 [Dh66]). The Nammos and Scorpios beach clubs are a 10- to 20-minute walk (or water-taxi ride) away. All 70 rooms have a large balcony, many with a Jacuzzi, and of the 15 suites, five have a plunge pool. There’s also a private eight-bedroom villa. Double rooms cost from €240 (Dh1,063) including breakfast, out of season, and from €595 (Dh2,636) in July/August.

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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
 
Started: 2020
 
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
 
Based: Dubai, UAE
 
Sector: Entertainment 
 
Number of staff: 210 
 
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
How to help

Send “thenational” to the following numbers or call the hotline on: 0502955999
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Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
  • Priority access to new homes from participating developers
  • Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
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  • Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
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Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem

Director: Joseph Kosinski

Rating: 4/5

Gothia Cup 2025

4,872 matches 

1,942 teams

116 pitches

76 nations

26 UAE teams

15 Lebanese teams

2 Kuwaiti teams

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The five pillars of Islam

1. Fasting 

2. Prayer 

3. Hajj 

4. Shahada 

5. Zakat 

Specs

Price, base: Dhs850,000
Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
Power: 591bhp @ 7,500rpm
Torque: 760Nm @ 3,000rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 11.3L / 100km

Specs

Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric

Range: Up to 610km

Power: 905hp

Torque: 985Nm

Price: From Dh439,000

Available: Now

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Updated: August 11, 2021, 9:52 AM`