Global Village has always felt more like a festival than a giant outdoor shopping mall, so, before its reopening on October 25, it makes perfect sense that the venue has a brand new anthem.
Titled Together, the track is a star-studded collaboration between Grammy Award-winning Moroccan producer and singer RedOne and Emirati chanteuse Ahlam. The two artists have pooled their talents to deliver a joyous ode to Global Village's values of diversity and inclusion.
While its success may have seemed certain, this song was a risky move by Global Village.
As the track will be played frequently on each operational night, Together needed to strike that balance of rallying the masses without being, well, annoying.
Then again, this is what RedOne does best.
In addition to penning hits for the likes of Lady Gaga (Poker Face) and Enrique Iglesias (I Like How it Feels), the artist, born Nadir Khayat, has built a formidable reputation as an event anthem king.
Last year, RedOne sang and produced the rousing We Love Africa for the 2019 African Games, while for the 2014 football World Cup, he penned an one of the official song, Magic in the Air and produced the other, Time of Our Lives.
When it comes to Global Village, RedOne and Ahlam fulfilled the brief well.
Together is an infectious synthesis of RedOne's high-energy dance pop sounds and Ahlam's Khaleeji balladry with dollops of Latin carnival beats.
Accompanied by a video showcasing a colourful Global Village and its pavilions, the song begins with a yearning string section and fluttering ouds.
RedOne then appears and sings the stadium-ready chorus of, "Together, we'll light up the sky from here and afar," before the song settles into the kind of 1990s Europop groove he specialises in.
Just when you think Ahlam will jump in and sing over what would be, in her case, a challenging musical arrangement, the tempo slows down to make room for her soulful Arabic vocals extolling the virtues of companionship and shared knowledge.
The track then ramps up again with RedOne’s chorus and it continues switching between tempos until it ends in a crescendo of Arab and Latin percussion.
All in all, it is worthwhile tribute to one of the UAE’s most loved institutions.
Global Village's upcoming season will run from Sunday, October 25 to Sunday, April 18, 2021. Tickets are Dh15. Doors open Thursday and Friday from 4pm-1am; on Saturdays from 2pm-11pm. For details visit www.globalvillage.ae
