Balqees Fathi revealed as Madame Tussauds Dubai's first star as singer meets waxwork

As Madame Tussauds prepares to open its first Middle East outpost in Dubai, it has revealed the first star visitors will be able to see in wax: Emirati-Yemeni pop star Balqees Fathi.

Fathi rose to fame in 2013, and has since released three albums and toured the world as a member of the UAE's NSO Symphony Orchestra. She was selected because of her “unique combination of talent, beauty, glamour, strong work ethic and dedication to championing women’s rights", the team behind Madame Tussauds Dubai said.

Earlier this week, Fathi came face-to-face with her waxwork at the attraction, which is due to open at Caesars Palace Dubai on Bluewaters Island later this year.

Balqees Fathi meets her waxwork figure at Madame Tussauds Dubai. Madame Tussauds Dubai

“I feel privileged to be the first Arab artist to stand side by side my wax figure at the iconic Madame Tussauds Dubai,” Fathi said.

“I am overwhelmed with the incredible likeness that this wax figure holds to my physical appearance and to the impeccable attention to detail that captures my personality. I cannot wait for people to visit Madame Tussauds and to finally be able to enjoy this unique experience in the Arab world.”

Dressed in a black evening gown embroidered with gold flowers, Fathi’s wax figure also bears her signature high ponytail and beaming smile.

Balqees Fathi, right, with her new waxwork figure at Madame Tussauds Dubai

A team of expert Madame Tussauds sculptors travelled to Dubai to meet Fathi and document more than 500 of her measurements, before setting to work back in London, spending three months crafting the figure by hand and inserting real hair, strand by strand.

Fathi’s figure will be among the most famous film stars and musicians from around the world in the attraction’s A-list party room, which is styled as a desert oasis.

Guests will be able to pose with the figures before hitting the room’s interactive dance floor, where a DJ will play the latest hits.

“We are thrilled to reveal our first side-by-side and offer a glimpse into the magic that is Madame Tussauds,” said Sanaz Kollsrud, general manager of Madame Tussauds Dubai.

“Balqees is a music icon from the region, and we can’t wait for our guests to meet her and feel the fame when they step into the attraction when it opens this year.”

The attraction will be home to waxworks of 60 global stars, including Shah Rukh Khan, Katrina Kaif, Kylie Jenner, Cara Delevingne, Will Smith and Cristiano Ronaldo.

There will also be 16 new figures from the Middle East, including Arab singers Fathi, Nancy Ajram and Maya Diab, with more names to be announced.

The National photo project

Chris Whiteoak, a photographer at The National, spent months taking some of Jacqui Allan's props around the UAE, positioning them perfectly in front of some of the country's most recognisable landmarks. He placed a pirate on Kite Beach, in front of the Burj Al Arab, the Cheshire Cat from Alice in Wonderland at the Burj Khalifa, and brought one of Allan's snails (Freddie, which represents her grandfather) to the Dubai Frame. In Abu Dhabi, a dinosaur went to Al Ain's Jebel Hafeet. And a flamingo was taken all the way to the Hatta Mountains. This special project suitably brings to life the quirky nature of Allan's prop shop (and Allan herself!).

Gender pay parity on track in the UAE

The UAE has a good record on gender pay parity, according to Mercer's Total Remuneration Study.

"In some of the lower levels of jobs women tend to be paid more than men, primarily because men are employed in blue collar jobs and women tend to be employed in white collar jobs which pay better," said Ted Raffoul, career products leader, Mena at Mercer. "I am yet to see a company in the UAE – particularly when you are looking at a blue chip multinationals or some of the bigger local companies – that actively discriminates when it comes to gender on pay."

Mr Raffoul said most gender issues are actually due to the cultural class, as the population is dominated by Asian and Arab cultures where men are generally expected to work and earn whereas women are meant to start a family.

"For that reason, we see a different gender gap. There are less women in senior roles because women tend to focus less on this but that’s not due to any companies having a policy penalising women for any reasons – it’s a cultural thing," he said.

As a result, Mr Raffoul said many companies in the UAE are coming up with benefit package programmes to help working mothers and the career development of women in general.

Cases of coronavirus in the GCC as of March 15

Saudi Arabia – 103 infected, 0 dead, 1 recovered

UAE – 86 infected, 0 dead, 23 recovered

Bahrain – 210 infected, 0 dead, 44 recovered

Kuwait – 104 infected, 0 dead, 5 recovered

Qatar – 337 infected, 0 dead, 4 recovered

Oman – 19 infected, 0 dead, 9 recovered

Balqees Fathi revealed as Madame Tussauds Dubai's first star as singer meets waxwork

The Emirati-Yemeni singer will be among the 60 waxworks to feature at the Dubai attraction when it opens later this year

The National photo project

Gender pay parity on track in the UAE

Cases of coronavirus in the GCC as of March 15