Being a versatile musician can be a gift and a curse.
American-Jamaican singer Sean Kingston has experienced the highs and lows of being an artist adept at so many music genres the industry has found it difficult to market him effectively.
Speaking to The National in the midst of a US tour, Kingston admits to having tried a little too hard to satisfy the masses.
"Being able to do different things may have confused people," he says.
"This is except for my core fan base who know I love feel-good reggae, pop music and they know I can rap. But at the end of the day, I know some of these things are not really my lane."
Guided by fans
Hence the importance of Kingston’s latest single, Ocean Drive.
Featuring RnB star Chris Brown, it's a care-free summer jam laced with reggae-lite melodies and percolating rhythms of Afro-pop.
Kingston says the new song aims to capture the euphoric and nostalgic vibes responsible for his biggest hits Beautiful Girls (2007) and Fire Burning (2009).
He also confirms the new material will feature in an EP called Road to Deliverance, out later this year, followed by a full-length album, Deliverance.
The connecting titles, he says, epitomises the studio experience.
"I was working hard and trying hard to discover what it is I do and what I am good at and what works best for me,” Kingston says.
“The fans are really important here because they will tell me what they want, especially now, after going through the pandemic is to experience that nostalgia and hearing songs that brought them back to the first time they heard my music."
Reconnecting with Justin Bieber
Some of those throwback vibes may include finally releasing Our World, a mixtape he recorded with Canadian pop star Justin Bieber more than a decade ago.
Kingston announced the record in 2010 by previewing some of the tracks on streaming platform Ustream, but it was never finished or released.
With both artists’ careers having taken off since, Kingston says the duo still have the desire to work together to finish what they started.
"We did about seven or eight songs that are fully completed and what happened was he got busy and I got caught up as well," he says.
"But I think we are going to do it because every time I see Justin he's like 'bro, we need to go back in the studio like the old days.' So I think we'll be able to tap into something real soon.”
However their chemistry might be, it will be markedly different to what was channelled in the studio more than 10 years ago.
While marred with some controversy, Bieber’s career went from strength to strength and he is presently on another massive world tour that lands in Dubai in October.
Meanwhile, Kingston found minor yet consistent success in the charts, but his life was nearly cut short in 2011 when he was involved in a jet ski accident, followed weeks later by emergency open-heart surgery.
Kingston describes the incidents as a wake-up call.
"When you go through that kind of trauma you can't help but reflect about life and on how to move forward," he says.
"I am much more patient now, more chilled and laid-back. Instead of being impulsive and saying let's do this now, I take a step back and think it over and ask myself if this is something I should really be doing."
With Kingston adding more dates to his tour, including two European concerts in Cardiff, Wales and Manchester, England on August 30 and September 3, respectively, he hopes a UAE show can also be part of the mix.
"Man I love it down there because every time I am back it I feel like I am back in Jamaica," he says.
"The people treat me like I am home and they are loving and caring. You can't help but have a great time.
24 concerts and events coming to Dubai, from Lewis Capaldi to Coke Studio — in pictures
Racecard
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The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
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.
It Was Just an Accident
Director: Jafar Panahi
Stars: Vahid Mobasseri, Mariam Afshari, Ebrahim Azizi, Hadis Pakbaten, Majid Panahi, Mohamad Ali Elyasmehr
Rating: 4/5
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Company profile
Company: Eighty6
Date started: October 2021
Founders: Abdul Kader Saadi and Anwar Nusseibeh
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Hospitality
Size: 25 employees
Funding stage: Pre-series A
Investment: $1 million
Investors: Seed funding, angel investors
Know before you go
- Jebel Akhdar is a two-hour drive from Muscat airport or a six-hour drive from Dubai. It’s impossible to visit by car unless you have a 4x4. Phone ahead to the hotel to arrange a transfer.
- If you’re driving, make sure your insurance covers Oman.
- By air: Budget airlines Air Arabia, Flydubai and SalamAir offer direct routes to Muscat from the UAE.
- Tourists from the Emirates (UAE nationals not included) must apply for an Omani visa online before arrival at evisa.rop.gov.om. The process typically takes several days.
- Flash floods are probable due to the terrain and a lack of drainage. Always check the weather before venturing into any canyons or other remote areas and identify a plan of escape that includes high ground, shelter and parking where your car won’t be overtaken by sudden downpours.
Company%20profile
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EName%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20WallyGPT%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E2014%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESaeid%20and%20Sami%20Hejazi%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Dubai%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ESector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFinTech%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestment%20raised%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E%247.1%20million%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ENumber%20of%20staff%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%2020%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestment%20stage%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EPre-seed%20round%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
What is cyberbullying?
Cyberbullying or online bullying could take many forms such as sending unkind or rude messages to someone, socially isolating people from groups, sharing embarrassing pictures of them, or spreading rumors about them.
Cyberbullying can take place on various platforms such as messages, on social media, on group chats, or games.
Parents should watch out for behavioural changes in their children.
When children are being bullied they they may be feel embarrassed and isolated, so parents should watch out for signs of signs of depression and anxiety
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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
What are the influencer academy modules?
- Mastery of audio-visual content creation.
- Cinematography, shots and movement.
- All aspects of post-production.
- Emerging technologies and VFX with AI and CGI.
- Understanding of marketing objectives and audience engagement.
- Tourism industry knowledge.
- Professional ethics.
The design
The protective shell is covered in solar panels to make use of light and produce energy. This will drastically reduce energy loss.
More than 80 per cent of the energy consumed by the French pavilion will be produced by the sun.
The architecture will control light sources to provide a highly insulated and airtight building.
The forecourt is protected from the sun and the plants will refresh the inner spaces.
A micro water treatment plant will recycle used water to supply the irrigation for the plants and to flush the toilets. This will reduce the pavilion’s need for fresh water by 30 per cent.
Energy-saving equipment will be used for all lighting and projections.
Beyond its use for the expo, the pavilion will be easy to dismantle and reuse the material.
Some elements of the metal frame can be prefabricated in a factory.
From architects to sound technicians and construction companies, a group of experts from 10 companies have created the pavilion.
Work will begin in May; the first stone will be laid in Dubai in the second quarter of 2019.
Construction of the pavilion will take 17 months from May 2019 to September 2020.
Learn more about Qasr Al Hosn
In 2013, The National's History Project went beyond the walls to see what life was like living in Abu Dhabi's fabled fort:
My Country: A Syrian Memoir
Kassem Eid, Bloomsbury
The Matrix Resurrections
Director: Lana Wachowski
Stars: Keanu Reeves, Carrie-Anne Moss, Jessica Henwick
Rating:****
