Take a moment, dig deep inside and ask yourself: who are your favourite musical artists? Not that buzzy hot new release, or the names you like to drop socially, but your true musical soulmates and desert island discs? The audio comfort blanket you turn to in your darkest days, or the act you'd fly halfway across the world to hear?
I’d happily wager you first encountered this music in your teens, or your early 20s, at a push. The chances you discovered your most treasured tunes after the age of 30 are precisely zilch. Or so says a new study, anyhow, which claims to have identified the exact moment listeners stop embracing new music: 27 years and 11 months. After that, our ears apparently shrivel up and we turn inwards, condemned to an endless repetitive homage to our younger selves. The so-called onset of “musical paralysis” certainly goes a long way to explaining today’s lucrative gold rush of reformed nostalgia tours, anniversary reissues and tribute acts.
After interviewing 5,000 people on three continents, Deezer’s self-interested study concluded that two thirds (65 per cent) of respondents only listen to tracks they already know, highlighting an undeniable but uncomfortable truth: the music we grew up with shaped us and will stay with us forever, while seeking new sounds wields increasingly diminishing returns. With age, our palates grow ever-more finely tuned and harder to shock, while influencing social circles contract and free time to explore evaporates.
Music tied to memories
"I think that fundamentally, people are far more open and artistically curious than they are often given credit for," says Bill Bragin, who has arguably done more than anybody to introduce the UAE to brave new sounds as the executive artistic director of The Arts Centre at New York University Abu Dhabi (NYUAD).
“That said, I do think that the music people generally go back to the most frequently is music that is tied to epiphany moments in their lives: first love. First heartbreak. First time you snuck out of the house to go to a concert without permission. First realisation that the world can be an unfair or unjust place. First realisation that you wanted to be an artist while your friends wanted to be lawyers and entrepreneurs.
“Because so many of these [events] first happen in one’s teens and early 20s, it makes sense to me that the music you were listening to at these most emotionally full moments of burgeoning adulthood [stays with you].”
An uncanny ability to evoke a forgotten time or place is just one of music’s mysterious powers – but this conjuring tenet is an increasing preoccupation of a backwards-facing entertainment industry eager to exploit affluent, ageing listeners’ taste for nostalgia.
Nowhere has that proved truer than in the UAE, which has welcomed festivals such as Mixtape Rewind and Remix 92, presenting tongue-in-cheek 1990s bumper bills – starring has-beens such as Peter Andre, 5ive, S Club 3 and Boyzlife – while bigger budgets have brought recent return visits from Backstreet Boys, Take That and Duran Duran.
Click to listen to a song by the Backstreet Boys from 1999:
With a ready-made audience clustered around tight age brackets, the emirate’s cosmopolitan expats have embraced music to forge generational bonds in place of cultural ones – and to evoke not just a time, but a place they are now far away from.
The UAE's taste for nostalgia
Tim Derry enjoys manipulating this emotional recall when he works behind the decks under his long-running DJ moniker, Tim Cheddar.
“The song acts as a time machine, instantly transporting [listeners] back to their youth or a particular moment in their lives,” says Derry, who currently hosts a weekly retro-themed club night Rewind, at The Penthouse at Five Palm Jumeirah Dubai. “Music is a powerful trigger for the brain, and all those memories come flooding back, including the embarrassing ones, unfortunately,” he says.
Tim Derry, under his DJ moniker Tim Cheddar, evokes nostalgia through his sets:
As his stage name suggests, Derry, former Sandance promoter and managing partner of Think Events, is among the emirates’ most flagrant nostalgia-exploiters, working behind the scenes on both The Irish Village’s Remix 92 and the Le Méridien Dubai’s Wow! That’s What I Call Brunch – a decadent daytime bash soundtracked by live acts including Atomic Kitten and Chesney “The One and Only” Hawkes.
“Often, you get more entertainment value from an older act, who may have had multiple hits as opposed to a cutting-edge act with only one or two big tracks,” he adds. “And if we look at the expat demographic of the UAE, there are a majority of 30 and 40-somethings here who want to be entertained.”
Click to listen to a song by Atomic Kitten from 2001:
The familiar over the foreign
Conversely, Bragin has spent his professional career battling against such conventions and comfort zones. Before bringing a brain-bending, genre-strafing and continent-hopping agenda to NYUAD, he directed public programming at New York’s leading Lincoln Centre and co-founded the city’s not-for-profit GlobalFest.
One key pillar of his approach is to minimise the barriers to entry – such as ticket prices and showtimes – to encourage unfamiliar audiences in. Bragin hails the advent of streaming as inspiring a significant listener evolution, removing prohibitive financial risk while readily available curated playlists introduce new sounds daily.
But streaming may also be partly to blame for the onset of listener fatigue – after the initial excitement at finding much of recorded music history just a click away, the unfathomable number of songs available through streaming services such as Spotify (35 million) and Deezer (53 million) can appear intimidating. The latter’s own research found that the most-cited (18 per cent) reason for giving up on new sounds was feeling “too overwhelmed” with the breadth of choice on offer. And far too often, clicking on a pre-curated playlist is the epitome of musical disengagement.
The question then, is why, with such a wealth of music so accessible for the first time, do so many so often opt for the familiar over the foreign? It’s an unshakeable affliction: despite listening to dozens of new releases and unheard albums every week, I know at times of heightened emotion – from personal trauma to needing a boost on the treadmill – there will always be a handful of familiar comfort blankets I turn to.
Evoking an emotional response
“I continually have musical epiphanies, but they tend not to be in the musical genres that I listened to the most when I was younger,” echoes Bragin. “It’s rare for a rock, soul, or hip-hop track to move me the same way that the records I connected with in my youth moved me. I still go back to the artists and records that comforted me, or excited me, or made me dance in my room, or helped me vent my anger – that played that role for me in high school and college.”
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Read more:
Why Polaroid photography is making a comeback
Here's why the Backstreet Boys have endured for more than two decades
What the cassette tape revival means for the UAE
Dubai's love of 1990s popstars is a double-edged sword
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What sends us back to those records, then, is not just mere nostalgia, but a proven emotional reaction – a reliable existing framework of cause and effect. Like ordering from a familiar chain restaurant or rewatching a beloved movie, we enjoy the certainty of knowing exactly what we’re going to get.
Which, curiously, is the only benefit that first-time listeners can never enjoy. But that privilege doesn’t mean the rest of us should forfeit our willingness to be shocked and give up seeking new flavours and thrills altogether – and maybe, like Bragin, we will find them in unexpected places.
Because it is not just our tastes that evolve, but our musical needs – and mature artistic responses hold hidden nuance. Later in life, listeners may have greater means or patience to soak up a symphony, and conversely less curiosity or exhilaration at being crammed in a sweaty punk or hip-hop gig. Both experiences can be profound, but in deeply, non-hierarchical ways – and as vital as acknowledging our past, is glimpsing through the sepia, autumnal hue of nostalgia. You can always go back to those rose-tinted records at any time – as well as discovering a few million more in genres your younger self would never have considered. That’s not paralysis – it’s progress.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The burning issue
The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.
Read part four: an affection for classic cars lives on
Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins
Read part one: how cars came to the UAE
Conflict, drought, famine
Estimates of the number of deaths caused by the famine range from 400,000 to 1 million, according to a document prepared for the UK House of Lords in 2024.
It has been claimed that the policies of the Ethiopian government, which took control after deposing Emperor Haile Selassie in a military-led revolution in 1974, contributed to the scale of the famine.
Dr Miriam Bradley, senior lecturer in humanitarian studies at the University of Manchester, has argued that, by the early 1980s, “several government policies combined to cause, rather than prevent, a famine which lasted from 1983 to 1985. Mengistu’s government imposed Stalinist-model agricultural policies involving forced collectivisation and villagisation [relocation of communities into planned villages].
The West became aware of the catastrophe through a series of BBC News reports by journalist Michael Buerk in October 1984 describing a “biblical famine” and containing graphic images of thousands of people, including children, facing starvation.
Band Aid
Bob Geldof, singer with the Irish rock group The Boomtown Rats, formed Band Aid in response to the horrific images shown in the news broadcasts.
With Midge Ure of the band Ultravox, he wrote the hit charity single Do They Know it’s Christmas in December 1984, featuring a string of high-profile musicians.
Following the single’s success, the idea to stage a rock concert evolved.
Live Aid was a series of simultaneous concerts that took place at Wembley Stadium in London, John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, the US, and at various other venues across the world.
The combined event was broadcast to an estimated worldwide audience of 1.5 billion.
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
Barings Bank
Barings, one of Britain’s oldest investment banks, was
founded in 1762 and operated for 233 years before it went bust after a trading
scandal.
Barings Bank collapsed in February 1995 following colossal
losses caused by rogue trader Nick Lesson.
Leeson gambled more than $1 billion in speculative trades,
wiping out the venerable merchant bank’s cash reserves.
more from Janine di Giovanni
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
The specs
A4 35 TFSI
Engine: 2.0-litre, four-cylinder
Transmission: seven-speed S-tronic automatic
Power: 150bhp
Torque: 270Nm
Price: Dh150,000 (estimate)
On sale: First Q 2020
A4 S4 TDI
Engine: 3.0-litre V6 turbo diesel
Transmission: eight-speed PDK automatic
Power: 350bhp
Torque: 700Nm
Price: Dh165,000 (estimate)
On sale: First Q 2020
Blackpink World Tour [Born Pink] In Cinemas
Starring: Rose, Jisoo, Jennie, Lisa
Directors: Min Geun, Oh Yoon-Dong
Rating: 3/5
The specs
BMW M8 Competition Coupe
Engine 4.4-litre twin-turbo V8
Power 625hp at 6,000rpm
Torque 750Nm from 1,800-5,800rpm
Gearbox Eight-speed paddleshift auto
Acceleration 0-100kph in 3.2 sec
Top speed 305kph
Fuel economy, combined 10.6L / 100km
Price from Dh700,000 (estimate)
On sale Jan/Feb 2020
THE CLOWN OF GAZA
Director: Abdulrahman Sabbah
Starring: Alaa Meqdad
Rating: 4/5
Tips to stay safe during hot weather
- Stay hydrated: Drink plenty of fluids, especially water. Avoid alcohol and caffeine, which can increase dehydration.
- Seek cool environments: Use air conditioning, fans, or visit community spaces with climate control.
- Limit outdoor activities: Avoid strenuous activity during peak heat. If outside, seek shade and wear a wide-brimmed hat.
- Dress appropriately: Wear lightweight, loose and light-coloured clothing to facilitate heat loss.
- Check on vulnerable people: Regularly check in on elderly neighbours, young children and those with health conditions.
- Home adaptations: Use blinds or curtains to block sunlight, avoid using ovens or stoves, and ventilate living spaces during cooler hours.
- Recognise heat illness: Learn the signs of heat exhaustion and heat stroke (dizziness, confusion, rapid pulse, nausea), and seek medical attention if symptoms occur.
Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm
Price: From Dh1,700,000
Available: Now
The specs
AT4 Ultimate, as tested
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Power: 420hp
Torque: 623Nm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)
On sale: Now
Volvo ES90 Specs
Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)
Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp
Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm
On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region
Price: Exact regional pricing TBA
HIV on the rise in the region
A 2019 United Nations special analysis on Aids reveals 37 per cent of new HIV infections in the Mena region are from people injecting drugs.
New HIV infections have also risen by 29 per cent in western Europe and Asia, and by 7 per cent in Latin America, but declined elsewhere.
Egypt has shown the highest increase in recorded cases of HIV since 2010, up by 196 per cent.
Access to HIV testing, treatment and care in the region is well below the global average.
Few statistics have been published on the number of cases in the UAE, although a UNAIDS report said 1.5 per cent of the prison population has the virus.
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Labour dispute
The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law
Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
Price: From Dh98,800
Available: Now
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The Penguin
Starring: Colin Farrell, Cristin Milioti, Rhenzy Feliz
Creator: Lauren LeFranc
Rating: 4/5
GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh149,900
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The biog
Alwyn Stephen says much of his success is a result of taking an educated chance on business decisions.
His advice to anyone starting out in business is to have no fear as life is about taking on challenges.
“If you have the ambition and dream of something, follow that dream, be positive, determined and set goals.
"Nothing and no-one can stop you from succeeding with the right work application, and a little bit of luck along the way.”
Mr Stephen sells his luxury fragrances at selected perfumeries around the UAE, including the House of Niche Boutique in Al Seef.
He relaxes by spending time with his family at home, and enjoying his wife’s India cooking.
Three-day coronation
Royal purification
The entire coronation ceremony extends over three days from May 4-6, but Saturday is the one to watch. At the time of 10:09am the royal purification ceremony begins. Wearing a white robe, the king will enter a pavilion at the Grand Palace, where he will be doused in sacred water from five rivers and four ponds in Thailand. In the distant past water was collected from specific rivers in India, reflecting the influential blend of Hindu and Buddhist cosmology on the coronation. Hindu Brahmins and the country's most senior Buddhist monks will be present. Coronation practices can be traced back thousands of years to ancient India.
The crown
Not long after royal purification rites, the king proceeds to the Baisal Daksin Throne Hall where he receives sacred water from eight directions. Symbolically that means he has received legitimacy from all directions of the kingdom. He ascends the Bhadrapitha Throne, where in regal robes he sits under a Nine-Tiered Umbrella of State. Brahmins will hand the monarch the royal regalia, including a wooden sceptre inlaid with gold, a precious stone-encrusted sword believed to have been found in a lake in northern Cambodia, slippers, and a whisk made from yak's hair.
The Great Crown of Victory is the centrepiece. Tiered, gold and weighing 7.3 kilograms, it has a diamond from India at the top. Vajiralongkorn will personally place the crown on his own head and then issues his first royal command.
The audience
On Saturday afternoon, the newly-crowned king is set to grant a "grand audience" to members of the royal family, the privy council, the cabinet and senior officials. Two hours later the king will visit the Temple of the Emerald Buddha, the most sacred space in Thailand, which on normal days is thronged with tourists. He then symbolically moves into the Royal Residence.
The procession
The main element of Sunday's ceremonies, streets across Bangkok's historic heart have been blocked off in preparation for this moment. The king will sit on a royal palanquin carried by soldiers dressed in colourful traditional garb. A 21-gun salute will start the procession. Some 200,000 people are expected to line the seven-kilometre route around the city.
Meet the people
On the last day of the ceremony Rama X will appear on the balcony of Suddhaisavarya Prasad Hall in the Grand Palace at 4:30pm "to receive the good wishes of the people". An hour later, diplomats will be given an audience at the Grand Palace. This is the only time during the ceremony that representatives of foreign governments will greet the king.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets