The Gulf is the fastest-growing music territory in the world, uniquely poised to spearhead a global influence similar to K-pop or cultural phenomenon the British Invasion.
For that to happen, however, a supportive ecosystem is needed to help it thrive, Recording Academy chief executive Harvey Mason Jr said during his talk, Music and Influence on Global Culture, at the Culture Summit Abu Dhabi on Monday.
“I am excited and optimistic about what’s happening musically around the world, but particularly this region,” he said. “There's such a rich heritage here. The music legacy is deep. I don't see why the next global superstar, the next sound, couldn't come from right here.”
As the Culture Summit Abu Dhabi looks into bolstering the creative industry, Mason Jr said it was important to provide education, training, and the infrastructure to support local and regional artists.
“K-pop didn't just appear out of nowhere. Rap music didn't just appear out of nowhere. The Beatles and the British Invasion didn’t just pop up. All that came out of a supportive ecosystem that helped nourish the artists, music teachers, venue owners, local studios and intellectual production protection strategies,” he said.
“I see no higher purpose than nourishing creators, supporting the music of communities and cities, building music markets and regional music scenes. It's not only good for those communities, or those countries or those regions, it's good for all of us.”
Mason Jr was in a recording studio in Qatar earlier this year when he got the chance to hear one of the songs written for the Fifa World Cup Qatar 2022.
The songwriter and producer, who has worked with Aretha Franklin, Michael Jackson and Britney Spears, among other big names, didn't specify the title of the song, but said to him, it represented “the miracle of music” and its ability to overcome borders.
“The song was beautiful. My favourite part was that it was sung in three different languages by three artists. I heard Arabic, I heard English, I heard Spanish, all in one song. Hearing it in the studio was a moment that hit me. I knew that the future wasn't almost here. The future is here.”
Music was a highlight of the second day of the Culture Summit Abu Dhabi, with several international award-winning figures and experts speaking on the region’s potential to expand globally in the digital age.
“The music industry grew 35 per cent in 2021,” Mason Jr said. “Streaming is skyrocketing. Platforms like TikTok, Instagram reels and YouTube shorts are all seeing a huge growth here. There’s so much fantastic innovation going on. There’s this energy here that anything is possible. You only need to look at streamers like Anghami to see the pace of change. From 30 million annual users in 2017, it now has more than 70 million users and becoming the first Arabic technology company to be listed on Nasdaq stock exchange.”
Listing examples of how regional artists have made an impact on a global level, Mason Jr cited Egyptian singer Mohamed Hamaki’s concert in September in collaboration with online game Fortnite, which “almost broke the platform with millions and millions and millions of views.”
“We’re paying attention. The world is paying attention,” he said. “Today, the world has never been small. Music is blowing through borders and boundaries, and languages and cultures. Right now, on the US charts, three of the top artists are all from outside of America.”
Jimmy Jam also said he is excited to see the unique sonic signatures that will come out of Arab cities. The Grammy Award-winning producer, along with his long-time collaborator Terry Lewis, has worked with several high-profile musicians from Janet Jackson and Prince to Mariah Carey and Usher.
Speaking in conversation with Recording Academy president Panos A Panay, Jam said he was looking forward to spending more time in Abu Dhabi to discover its musical identity.
“It'll be exciting to see what happens,” he said.
“All it takes really is one artist to really break out. Then everybody feels like, wow, oh, that must be the thing. That’s what happened when Prince broke out, everybody all of a sudden came to Minneapolis to figure out what that sound is. It's the same thing in Philadelphia or Detroit or a lot of towns. What's exciting is that there's an interest in music here, but it also seems there is going to be infrastructure to really uplift the musicians and the creative community here.”
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Sultan Sooud Al Qassemi, founder of Barjeel Art Foundation, takes part in the discussion on the third and final day of Culture Summit Abu Dhabi. All photos: Victor Besa / The National -
Manal Ataya, director general at Sharjah Museums Authority, also took part in the panel. -
Maya Allison, executive director and chief curator at the NYU Abu Dhabi Art Gallery, joined the discussion. -
A panellist speaks during the event. -
The New Canon was one of the panels held on day three of the Culture Summit Abu Dhabi. -
Famed pianist, composer and educator Danilo Perez waves to the crowd. -
Former minister and now diplomatic advisor Anwar Gargash. Victor Besa / The National -
Visitors were treated to a traditional Al Ayala dance, where performers hold thin bamboo canes and move to steady drum rhythms. -
Al Ayala is often performed at weddings and other celebrations. -
Chris Dercon in conversation with architect Sir David Adjaye. -
A session on Taking Bollywood Global: Dynamics of Diversity, moderated by Hans Fraikin, Abu Dhabi Film Commissioner. -
Kabir Khan, director of '83', in the conversation on Bollywood. -
Taking Bollywood Global: Dynamics of Diversity - Aashish Singh, Chief Executive Officer, Lyca Productions. -
Andre Timmins, founder and director of Wizcraft and IIFA, as part of the discussion on Bollywood. -
A member of the audience watching a panel called 'Taking Bollywood Global: Dynamics of Diversity'. -
Day three of the Culture Summit Abu Dhabi opened with a traditional performance from the mountain regions. -
The event was a meeting of minds, with visitors from across various sectors sharing their thoughts on the post-Covid cultural world. -
Omar Saif Ghobash, UAE ambassador to Vatican, speaks at the event. -
Grammy Award-winning producer Jimmy Jam discussed the regional music scene. -
Mohamed Al Mubarak in conversation with Frank Gehry, Architect, Gehry Partners. -
Robot artist Ai-Da, left, in conversation with The National's Hareth Al Bustani, far right, with her creator Aidan Meller, looking on. -
Performance by Iraqi oud virtuoso Naseer Shamma. -
The audience listens to Mohamed Al Mubarak in conversation with Frank Gehry, Architect, Gehry Partners. -
Harvey Mason Jr, chief executive of Recording Academy, lecturing on 'Music and Influence on Global Culture'. -
An attendee on day two of the Culture Summit in Abu Dhabi. -
A discussion on 'Mentoring for Impact', with moderator Fiammetta Rocco, senior editor and culture editor of The Economist, and speakers Erica Love, director of Culture Central, Eric Wainaina, artist and founder of The Nairobi Musical Theatre Initiative, and Gael Hedding, director of Berklee Abu Dhabi. -
A peformance of 'The Roots' by French Algerian choreographer Kader Attou, a dance performance in which he returns to the origins of hip-hop with an acrobatic celebration of the genre. Eleven dancers perform different facets of the former underground culture and show how the body can bend to different beats: from breakdance to Smurf, electric boogie to popping. -
A discussion on 'AI and the Future of Culture', with moderator Priya Khanchandani, head of curatorial + interpretation at the Design Museum, and speakers Aidan Meller, director of Ai-Da Robot and Oxfordians, and Suhair Khan, founder and director of Open/Ended Design. -
Artificial intelligence-powered robot artist Ai-Da at the Culture Summit in Abu Dhabi. Ai-Da's work reflects human aesthetic tastes and the conditions by which they are shaped. -
Ai-Da in conversation with Tim Marlow, chief executive and director of London's Design Museum, who analysed the creative philosophy of the world’s first humanoid artist. -
Mr Marlow introduces Ai-Da at the summit. -
Eyal Weizman, director of research agency Forensic Architecture, speaks on the use of technology such as machine learning, as well as the importance of modelling and simulations. -
UAE Minister of Culture and Youth Noura Al Kaabi gives the keynote address. -
This year’s Culture Summit will be attended by 1,000 people while another 5,000 will take part online. -
The summit seeks to identify ways in which culture can transform societies and communities around the globe. -
The conference brings together decision makers in culture, heritage, public policy and technology, as well as artists, thinkers and performers from around the world. -
The summit is now in its fifth year. -
It is organised by Abu Dhabi's Department of Culture and Tourism. -
The theme of this year's event is 'A Living Culture'. -
The summit has returned with a more extensive programme. -
UAE Minister of Culture and Youth, Noura Al Kaabi at the summit. -
In-person attendance returned to the event after it moved online for two years owing to the Covid-19 pandemic. -
In only five years, the summit has grown from a noble idea into a staple of the international cultural calendar. -
Mohamed Al Mubarak, chairman of DCT — Abu Dhabi, arrives with Steve Harvey. -
Zaki Nusseibeh, cultural adviser to the President, attends the event. -
Mr Nusseibeh moderated a discussion on 'The role of culture in making resilient and shared societies', featuring former Lithuanian president Dalia Grybauskaite, former Malawian president Joyce Banda and former Croatian president Ivo Josipovic. -
Mr Al Mubarak makes the welcome speech and opening remarks. -
Ms Banda, former president of Malawi, takes part in the discussion moderated by Mr Nusseibeh.
