Some of the most exciting names in the regional indie-music scene can be heard live on Friday at the Apple store in The Dubai Mall. With the launch of the live music series, Balcony Music Sessions, a diverse set of bands – including Emirati soul singer Hamdan Al Abri, Lebanon's Mashrou' Leila, Saudi Arabian RnB singer Hamza Hawsawi and Syrian folk singer Ghaliaaa – will take to the stage overlooking the Burj Khalifa to perform an unplugged set of original material.
Also on the bill is Jordanian singer Hana Malhas. She has recently stepped up as a talented singer-songwriter, courtesy of her arresting debut album Nasi. Ahead of her debut UAE performance, she takes us through her dynamic songwriting process.
Low key electronic music is a dominant flavour of pop music these days and ‘Nasi’ rides that wave. Why do you favour that stripped down approach when it comes to your songs and production?
I do love that sound. I am very influenced by what I was hearing around me when I was thinking about the kind of sound I wanted to produce. I typically write on instruments that I can play, which is the piano and guitar. One thing that drew me towards electronic music is that you can come up with ideas that you can't on the acoustic guitar. And vice versa, too. It definitely expanded my palette and I found that this minimal sound and style arrives when the folk and electronic music worlds meet.
While it is a solo album, would you say the starker sounds of ‘Nasi’ are also as much a collaboration with producer Khaled Nimry?
Very much so. But not in terms of lyrics, but more the music and direction. He very effectively nudged me and pushed me outside of my comfort zone. I'm used to having more of an acoustic sound and he really expanded that and challenged me to think more creatively when it comes to writing new songs and arrangements. The album, if you noticed, has acoustic and electronic elements, yet he was very very good at making sure that I maintained my sound throughout. He didn't want to put something out there that wasn't Hana Malhas's tone of voice.
Your album is a bilingual affair. Do you access a different creative well when you are singing and writing lyrics in Arabic?
I have noticed that there is a different type of expression that comes out when I'm singing in Arabic that I couldn't access when I sing in English, and I just loved that. The problem was that I didn't have the ability to write faster in Arabic, since my writing structure is in English, so in Arabic it needs more work. For the song Alb Maskoon, for example, I did have a co-writer with me. When it comes to songwriting, I find it difficult to express myself in Arabic at times, but I know the images I want to go for.
You are also responsible for the popular indie music concert series Bala Feesh in Ajman. Bands love playing there because you creatively keep them on their toes. Can you tell us more about it?
We've had over 40 artists come to our show from over around 10 countries I think. What I try to do is a bit of curation. So I try to put two bands together that are either interesting opposites or good matches together. Each one of them presents a set, and then encourage a collaboration between the bands themselves or between me and the bands. It's really sort of free-form. We have a video crew that tapes these shows and then we put them online, song by song.
Do you plan to bring the concept to more regions?
It’s funny you should ask. Because that’s what my team has been suggesting for next year. They said, we should do a Bala Feesh Dubai, a Bala Feesh Cairo and a Bala Feesh Beirut. It’s something we’re very interested in.
Balcony Music Sessions is on from 2pm
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Chef Nobu's advice for eating sushi
“One mistake people always make is adding extra wasabi. There is no need for this, because it should already be there between the rice and the fish.
“When eating nigiri, you must dip the fish – not the rice – in soy sauce, otherwise the rice will collapse. Also, don’t use too much soy sauce or it will make you thirsty. For sushi rolls, dip a little of the rice-covered roll lightly in soy sauce and eat in one bite.
“Chopsticks are acceptable, but really, I recommend using your fingers for sushi. Do use chopsticks for sashimi, though.
“The ginger should be eaten separately as a palette cleanser and used to clear the mouth when switching between different pieces of fish.”
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The biog
Born: High Wycombe, England
Favourite vehicle: One with solid axels
Favourite camping spot: Anywhere I can get to.
Favourite road trip: My first trip to Kazakhstan-Kyrgyzstan. The desert they have over there is different and the language made it a bit more challenging.
Favourite spot in the UAE: Al Dhafra. It’s unique, natural, inaccessible, unspoilt.
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Tonight's Chat on The National
Tonight's Chat is a series of online conversations on The National. The series features a diverse range of celebrities, politicians and business leaders from around the Arab world.
Tonight’s Chat host Ricardo Karam is a renowned author and broadcaster with a decades-long career in TV. He has previously interviewed Bill Gates, Carlos Ghosn, Andre Agassi and the late Zaha Hadid, among others. Karam is also the founder of Takreem.
Intellectually curious and thought-provoking, Tonight’s Chat moves the conversation forward.
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