The Lebanese-born, Canada-based R&B singer, Karl Wolf, has been nominated as the best MTV Arabia New Act at the MTV European Music Awards.
My parents were both musicians. My mom was a piano teacher and my dad played the guitar, drums, bass - we had every single instrument in the house, and both of my brothers are musical, too.
When I came to Canada, that's when I knew I could make money out of this industry. We all have to earn our way, and I would have played music whether it was my job or not, so I thought why not. I took it as a business - the industry is all about marketing, and sadly music is only about 50 per cent of it, but I knew that.
I was born in Beirut, and when I was three moved to Dubai because of the civil war. My parents' house, their belongings, their business, were in ruins, and my brother was working in Dubai so we fled there. We lived in Sharjah, and then when I graduated school, I went to university in Canada, where I studied film. But I always loved the entertainment business and I did some music at college.
When I was growing up, I wanted to stay away from the music of my own culture - I thought it wasn't cool, and I wanted to listen to Michael Jackson and Prince. But the older I got, the more I wanted to go into my culture and heritage and see what I'd missed, so I started stealing my mum's CD collection of traditional Arabic music. It wasn't popular music, I just wanted something to open my mind musically, and that's what gave me the inspiration for my first single, Butterflies. It was something different, and the industry is all about being original and fresh, after all: how do I stand out, right?
The drama in Arabic music is always sad - the girl left and the guy misses her or whatever - and that's the reason it's in this minor key, to express this sadness. But Western music is not so emotional, so what I did was use the positive of what I heard from Arabic music - the rhythmic side - to make Butterflies uplifting. That sadness is something that's so special to Arab musicians: I just didn't know how to feel that strongly, because I grew up listening to Western music.
I play music because it lets me express myself. In the way that some people need to go to the gun range, or someone hits the drums, for me when I play the piano, even by myself, I let go of my emotions. I'm on my own, no one calls me, no one can get hold of me - that aloneness is what inspires me, it brings everything out of me.
Mainly I write on my own, too. It brings a true and honest view of what I want to write, and once someone else puts their vibe on it, you've compromised. The lyrics are coming from deep within you, so how can you compromise on them? Lyrics are special for that, but I think you can collaborate on music. When I'm writing, I generally start with the music, and once I have a vibe, that dictates what I'm feeling, so the lyrics come.
I have a Yamaha baby grand. I've had it for about seven months because I've just moved into a new place in downtown Montreal. It's amazing, with enormous windows and a real skyline view. I grew up playing my mum's regular upright, a humble instrument. It's very different playing other pianos. When you play a grand, the sound resonates more, the acoustic is much better and it's a feeling you can't match.
When I'm playing on stage, I tend to stick with electric instruments. In Egypt, I did a concert with Nancy Ajram and they provided a grand piano, but because of the rhythms and beats of R&B it just didn't really work out. You needed to be playing slower stuff on that piano. And they just take up too much space.
I play guitar, bass and drums too - I started in this business as a producer, for eight years, and while you don't need to be able to play everything, it helps to imagine how something is going to be played. Producing is like realising the songs, from a dream to something tangible - hiring the musicians, getting the best guitarist, and you direct the whole process. It's amazing - it's like pieces of a puzzle and they all just fall into place. I have to credit God for that, because you look back and you think: how did that all happen?
Other workplace saving schemes
- The UAE government announced a retirement savings plan for private and free zone sector employees in 2023.
- Dubai’s savings retirement scheme for foreign employees working in the emirate’s government and public sector came into effect in 2022.
- National Bonds unveiled a Golden Pension Scheme in 2022 to help private-sector foreign employees with their financial planning.
- In April 2021, Hayah Insurance unveiled a workplace savings plan to help UAE employees save for their retirement.
- Lunate, an Abu Dhabi-based investment manager, has launched a fund that will allow UAE private companies to offer employees investment returns on end-of-service benefits.
Emergency
Director: Kangana Ranaut
Stars: Kangana Ranaut, Anupam Kher, Shreyas Talpade, Milind Soman, Mahima Chaudhry
Rating: 2/5
Anti-semitic attacks
The annual report by the Community Security Trust, which advises the Jewish community on security , warned on Thursday that anti-Semitic incidents in Britain had reached a record high.
It found there had been 2,255 anti-Semitic incidents reported in 2021, a rise of 34 per cent from the previous year.
The report detailed the convictions of a number of people for anti-Semitic crimes, including one man who was jailed for setting up a neo-Nazi group which had encouraged “the eradication of Jewish people” and another who had posted anti-Semitic homemade videos on social media.
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
Started: 2020
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Entertainment
Number of staff: 210
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
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THE SPECS
Engine: 1.5-litre turbocharged four-cylinder
Transmission: Constant Variable (CVT)
Power: 141bhp
Torque: 250Nm
Price: Dh64,500
On sale: Now
End of free parking
- paid-for parking will be rolled across Abu Dhabi island on August 18
- drivers will have three working weeks leeway before fines are issued
- areas that are currently free to park - around Sheikh Zayed Bridge, Maqta Bridge, Mussaffah Bridge and the Corniche - will now require a ticket
- villa residents will need a permit to park outside their home. One vehicle is Dh800 and a second is Dh1,200.
- The penalty for failing to pay for a ticket after 10 minutes will be Dh200
- Parking on a patch of sand will incur a fine of Dh300
Paatal Lok season two
Directors: Avinash Arun, Prosit Roy
Stars: Jaideep Ahlawat, Ishwak Singh, Lc Sekhose, Merenla Imsong
Rating: 4.5/5
COMPANY PROFILE
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Total funding: Self funded
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-final, first leg
Bayern Munich v Real Madrid
When: April 25, 10.45pm kick-off (UAE)
Where: Allianz Arena, Munich
Live: BeIN Sports HD
Second leg: May 1, Santiago Bernabeu, Madrid
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KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
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Game Changer
Director: Shankar
Stars: Ram Charan, Kiara Advani, Anjali, S J Suryah, Jayaram
Rating: 2/5
MEFCC information
Tickets range from Dh110 for an advance single-day pass to Dh300 for a weekend pass at the door. VIP tickets have sold out. Visit www.mefcc.com to purchase tickets in advance.
The 10 Questions
- Is there a God?
- How did it all begin?
- What is inside a black hole?
- Can we predict the future?
- Is time travel possible?
- Will we survive on Earth?
- Is there other intelligent life in the universe?
- Should we colonise space?
- Will artificial intelligence outsmart us?
- How do we shape the future?
Match info
Manchester United 0-0 Crystal Palace
Man of the match: Cheikhou Kouyate (Crystal Palace)
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The specs
Engine: Dual 180kW and 300kW front and rear motors
Power: 480kW
Torque: 850Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh359,900 ($98,000)
On sale: Now
Vidaamuyarchi
Director: Magizh Thirumeni
Stars: Ajith Kumar, Arjun Sarja, Trisha Krishnan, Regina Cassandra
Rating: 4/5
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Indoor cricket in a nutshell
Indoor Cricket World Cup - Sep 16-20, Insportz, Dubai
16 Indoor cricket matches are 16 overs per side
8 There are eight players per team
9 There have been nine Indoor Cricket World Cups for men. Australia have won every one.
5 Five runs are deducted from the score when a wickets falls
4 Batsmen bat in pairs, facing four overs per partnership
Scoring In indoor cricket, runs are scored by way of both physical and bonus runs. Physical runs are scored by both batsmen completing a run from one crease to the other. Bonus runs are scored when the ball hits a net in different zones, but only when at least one physical run is score.
Zones
A Front net, behind the striker and wicketkeeper: 0 runs
B Side nets, between the striker and halfway down the pitch: 1 run
C Side nets between halfway and the bowlers end: 2 runs
D Back net: 4 runs on the bounce, 6 runs on the full