How the Grammy Awards could soon be coming to the Middle East

Region's own version of the music prize to launch within three years, director reveals

The Mena Recording Academy aims to establish a regional version of the Grammy Awards. AFP

An official version of the Grammy Awards is being planned for the Middle East within three years, according to the parent organisation’s new regional boss.

In an exclusive interview with The National, Taymoor Marmarchi, the first executive director of the Mena Recording Academy, has outlined an ambitious vision of development and growth and explained how he intends to use the organisation to celebrate the regional musical industry.

His plan includes launching a Mena Recording Academy membership scheme, targeting music professionals from performers to songwriters and producers.

Also under discussion is a new Grammy Award category for the Middle East – it would be similar to the inaugural Best African Music Performance prize launched at this year’s main ceremony in Los Angeles – featuring in future editions of the competition. Marmarchi says that the category will also be open to Arab artists who live outside the region.

The ultimate goal, however, is for the Mena Recording Academy to launch a new version of the Grammy Awards, celebrating music and artists from the Middle East, North Africa and Turkey.

“There is a target to achieve this [within] between three and four years because it will take us that long to build our community and membership,” the British-Iraqi states. “We will be working to create our own category for Mena. We will be working actively on creating this because it will be the first real instance of introducing talents from our region.

“This also includes expat communities. There are a lot of Arabic stars coming out of France and Sweden, for example. There is a real movement happening so the time is right to celebrate that on the biggest Grammy stage.”

Marmarchi believes the objective is ambitious but achievable. He is using the success of the Latin Grammy Awards, which celebrates its 25th anniversary in November, as an inspiration. Its success comes after the establishment of the Latin Recording Academy three years before the inaugural Latin Grammy Awards in 1997.

Currently led by Mexican television executive Manuel Abud, the organisation reportedly has approximately 4,000 members. Since its formation, it has played an instrumental role in supporting emerging genres, such as Reggaeton and Latin Trap, its advocacy enabling them to become the commercial juggernauts they are today.

Marmarchi adds: “Our benchmarking with the Latin Recording Academy is not only down to the fact that they serve a massive market due to the Spanish being the second most spoken language after Chinese, but also in how they have become an autonomous and completely independent body.

“What they did was help create their own industry because it is so huge and rich with talent and music that is so diverse within their space.

“It is important for the Mena Recording Academy to have that same level of independence, eventually, because we are a thriving region, and we have the opportunity to be sustainable alone.”

The Recording Academy’s arrival in the Middle East is part of a partnership between DCT Abu Dhabi and the Saudi Ministry of Culture, with headquarters based in Abu Dhabi’s Yas Creative Hub and Riyadh. Marmarchi says satellite offices are also being considered for cities such as Casablanca, Cairo and Amman.

“The GCC is an ideal location to base the academy because of its positioning right now as a keyhole that can help unlock many of these talents from the region, whether it’s from content from Cairo and Beirut to Abu Dhabi and Riyadh,” he says.

“The beauty of places like Abu Dhabi and Riyadh is that they are melting pots for Arabs all around the globe and have become effective bridges connecting Arabic culture to the world.”

In order for the Mena Recording Academy to harness creative vitality, Marmarchi says it is imperative for members to reflect the region’s musical diversity on and off stage. Hence, the soon-to-be-launched membership programme will initially function as a hybrid model with up to 1,000 industry figures identified and invited to join within the first year.

The remaining members will be found by inviting online nominations and fulfilling a select set of requirements that are currently being drafted. This includes having official music credits and a strong professional background.

“These can come from talents and creatives or behind-the-scenes figures such as songwriters, producers, engineers, label executives, producers and studio managers, just to name a few,” Marmarchi explains.

“While we are still working on it, I can say that the programme will partly mirror what the Recording Academy does in the US while ensuring there is space to have all aspects of the Middle East music industry represented. We will be sharing more information on that in the coming months.”

Getting the members is one thing. Having them sing from the same hymn sheet could be more challenging. As a former chief executive of Platinum Records, Marmarchi is keenly aware of the challenges of bringing the Arab world’s sprawling and disparate music industry together.

“In my experience of running a record label and working with artists from Morocco and Egypt to Iraq, Saudi Arabia and the UAE, I have found that most of the industry work in their own silos,” he says. “Even the major international labels that are here only opened satellite offices and never really connected with the music community here.

“A frustration of mine is that I haven't seen enough people or organisations really out there to nurture the industry, and maybe that's because it's competitive and there is no real reason to reach out to teach others.

“That is why the Recording Academy coming here is important. It can act as a circuit breaker and bring the industry together. It is a kind of neutral force that has a reputation and people's respect.”

Bringing people together has been a hallmark of Marmarchi’s 25-year career. He was executive producer of ground-breaking collaborations such as the 2011 charity single Bokra featuring 24 Arabic artists; and the Cop 28 official anthem Lasting Legacy with 13 international artists. He was also music director for the Special Olympics World Games in Abu Dhabi in 2019.

Marmarchi views his latest role as the culmination of a career that has allowed him to bring artists together. “I really do feel like I have come full circle and I have seen this region grow with more talent and opportunities,” he says.

“But the only way we can really fulfil that potential is to work together and break down any perceived barriers between us. I am passionate about doing this and helping evolve the Middle East music industry to a level that we can be more proud of.”