Faouzia is experiencing the flip side of living the dream.
The acclaimed Moroccan-Canadian singer is in the midst of her first world tour, having so far played Europe, and is now experiencing the rigours of life on the road.
Speaking exclusively to The National ahead of her Sunday show at The Agenda, Dubai Media City, Faouzia admits to feeling rundown.
“I have definitely been surprised by the physical demands of touring,” she says. “A lot of people say it’s very difficult and you don't really know how unless you are doing it.
“So, I am trying to find that balance of keeping myself healthy and having fun onstage. I think it will eventually even out in the end.”
A star is born
At 22, Faouzia — full name Faouzia Ouihya — has plenty of time to perfect her approach, with the tour branching off into North America and Canada before concluding in November.
However, the fact she's already amassed such global appeal so early on in her career, is testament to both the material released and industry support.
After gaining attention with appearances in David Guetta single Battle (2018) and Kelly Clarkson’s bilingual track I Dare You (2020), Faouzia is touted as a “rising pop star” by industry publication Billboard.
Her status was further cemented with the launch of new EP Citizens at the Grammy Museum, Los Angeles, in May, as part of its Spotlight concert series to highlight on-trend artists.
Previous acts showcased as part of the initiative include British singer Dua Lipa in 2018 and American hip-hop duo Macklemore and Ryan Lewis in 2013.
Faouzia is poised to follow the success of those acts by bringing something fresh to the pop music table.
While all eight tracks are sung in English, Citizens is firmly rooted in the region.
Lead single RIP, Love, with more than 30 million YouTube streams, and the bubbly SoLie neatly meld breezy dance beats with the evocative harmonies and vocal trilling of Arabic pop.
The power ballad Don’t Tell Me I’m Pretty features gentle Arabic percussion and handclaps over ominous keyboards.
Faouzia, who has been writing songs since the age of 14, believes one of the reasons why Arabic harmonies rarely gel with western pop music is the lack of conviction by artists.
She points to the success of Colombian singer Shakira, who helped usher in the new wave of Latin pop currently sweeping the charts, as an example of the pioneering attitude needed to push out a new sound to the masses.
“You really need to be authentic and passionate about it,” Faouzia says. “That was how Shakira managed to infiltrate her roots into pop music, because she was genuine and people really connected with that.
“I am also seeing that same connection with the crowds when I play RIP, Love and SoLie, and that is beautiful to see.”
Complex world view
Faouzia credits her parents for maintaining her love for heritage.
Born in Casablanca, the family moved to Canada when Faouzia was 1 and set up in the rural town of Carman in the central Canadian province of Manitoba.
“It was a very Moroccan household. We would speak Arabic and French, and we would eat Moroccan food; the culture was strong at home. But as soon as I walked outside, I was experiencing Canadian culture and lifestyle, which was all new to me,” she says.
“However, I am glad it was that way and that is something I want to do when I, hopefully, have my own children. I want them to understand they have more than one culture. It will shape them to have a more complex understanding of the world and make them open to and appreciative of other cultures and ethnicities.”
One musician appreciating her attitude is Clarkson. The American musician's aforementioned single I Dare You was recorded in six languages, with Faouzia featuring in the Arabic version, Kantahadak.
In The National's review of the track, Clarkson was praised for an impressive verse sung in Arabic: “The pronunciation and diction is clear, and none of the words chosen is convoluted enough to jeopardise her powerful vocals.”
Faouzia confirms she was coaching Clarkson in the studio before that winning take. “She was so sweet and attentive, and would always ask about the correct pronunciation of the Arabic words,” she says. “She was adamant about getting things right.
“To be chosen to work with her is just so cool.”
The future of Arabic pop
Faouzia points to the need for more Arabic artists to look beyond the region and aim to reach a global audience.
“We do need more representation when it comes to pop music because I feel there is a curiosity and opportunity when it comes to our sound,” she says.
“Just like the growth of Latin American pop and K-pop, which are making a big impact on the world right now, Arabic pop can achieve the same.
“We just have to get more involved and build it for the present and future generations.”
Faouzia performs at The Agenda, Dubai Media City, on Sunday. Tickets begin from Dh195 at dubai.platinumlist.net
if you go
ONCE UPON A TIME IN GAZA
Starring: Nader Abd Alhay, Majd Eid, Ramzi Maqdisi
Directors: Tarzan and Arab Nasser
Rating: 4.5/5
Classification of skills
A worker is categorised as skilled by the MOHRE based on nine levels given in the International Standard Classification of Occupations (ISCO) issued by the International Labour Organisation.
A skilled worker would be someone at a professional level (levels 1 – 5) which includes managers, professionals, technicians and associate professionals, clerical support workers, and service and sales workers.
The worker must also have an attested educational certificate higher than secondary or an equivalent certification, and earn a monthly salary of at least Dh4,000.
Champions parade (UAE timings)
7pm Gates open
8pm Deansgate stage showing starts
9pm Parade starts at Manchester Cathedral
9.45pm Parade ends at Peter Street
10pm City players on stage
11pm event ends
DAY%20ONE%20RESULT
%3Cp%3E%3Cbr%3E1.%20Charlotte%20Kool%20(NED)%20%E2%80%93%20Team%20DSM%3A%202hrs%2C%2047min%2C%2014sec%3Cbr%3E2.%20Lorena%20Wiebes%20(NED)%20%E2%80%93%20Team%20SD%20Worx%3A%20%2B4%20secs%3Cbr%3E3.%20Chiara%20Consonni%20(ITA)%20%E2%80%93%20UAE%20Team%20ADQ%3A%20%2B5%20secs%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Neil Thomson – THE BIO
Family: I am happily married to my wife Liz and we have two children together.
Favourite music: Rock music. I started at a young age due to my father’s influence. He played in an Indian rock band The Flintstones who were once asked by Apple Records to fly over to England to perform there.
Favourite book: I constantly find myself reading The Bible.
Favourite film: The Greatest Showman.
Favourite holiday destination: I love visiting Melbourne as I have family there and it’s a wonderful place. New York at Christmas is also magical.
Favourite food: I went to boarding school so I like any cuisine really.
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
THE SIXTH SENSE
Starring: Bruce Willis, Toni Collette, Hayley Joel Osment
Director: M. Night Shyamalan
Rating: 5/5
Six large-scale objects on show
- Concrete wall and windows from the now demolished Robin Hood Gardens housing estate in Poplar
- The 17th Century Agra Colonnade, from the bathhouse of the fort of Agra in India
- A stagecloth for The Ballet Russes that is 10m high – the largest Picasso in the world
- Frank Lloyd Wright’s 1930s Kaufmann Office
- A full-scale Frankfurt Kitchen designed by Margarete Schütte-Lihotzky, which transformed kitchen design in the 20th century
- Torrijos Palace dome
THE BIO
Favourite car: Koenigsegg Agera RS or Renault Trezor concept car.
Favourite book: I Am Pilgrim by Terry Hayes or Red Notice by Bill Browder.
Biggest inspiration: My husband Nik. He really got me through a lot with his positivity.
Favourite holiday destination: Being at home in Australia, as I travel all over the world for work. It’s great to just hang out with my husband and family.
The Bio
Favourite vegetable: “I really like the taste of the beetroot, the potatoes and the eggplant we are producing.”
Holiday destination: “I like Paris very much, it’s a city very close to my heart.”
Book: “Das Kapital, by Karl Marx. I am not a communist, but there are a lot of lessons for the capitalist system, if you let it get out of control, and humanity.”
Musician: “I like very much Fairuz, the Lebanese singer, and the other is Umm Kulthum. Fairuz is for listening to in the morning, Umm Kulthum for the night.”
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
Company%20profile
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THE SPECS
Engine: 1.5-litre
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
Power: 110 horsepower
Torque: 147Nm
Price: From Dh59,700
On sale: now