Emirati singer Mansour Zayed may not have released an album since 2011, but that hasn’t stood in the way of the young man’s rising popularity.
The 33-year-old Abu Dhabi native, who has a degree in petroleum engineering, has set aside any thought of pursuing a career in the field, and has instead chosen to focus on his passion for singing.
"In 2009, when I released the song Ya Dama' Aainy, with words by Bakheet Al Khawar, music by Ali Al Muhairy and arrangement by Taha Al Ajami – that's when my career in music began, I feel," says Zayed of his first hit single, a slow love song that kick-started his career and made people sit up and pay attention to his expressive, soulful voice. In no time at all, he had been contacted by the renowned Iraqi-born, Saudi Arabian singer and composer Majid Al Muhandis, who wanted to work with Zayed on a duet.
Together, the two released Rohi Blgak, a romantic ballad written by the poet Anwar Al Mushairy and composed by Waleed Al Shami. "After that, there was no turning back for me – my passion was music," says Zayed.
Following the release of the album Telaa Aasheq in 2011, he went on to sing a string of well-received singles, including the spiritual song Rab Al Anaam, the traditional tune Hekem Hobkom and the romantic ballad Matlob Hob.
Zayed says he couldn’t resist singing any of those tracks, regardless of how different they are from one another. “When beautiful lyrics and a beautiful tune or melody impose themselves on you, there’s nothing you can do but embrace them,” he says.
“These songs crossed my path during relevant times, such as during Ramadan or around Martyr’s Day, and since a beautiful song imposes itself, I had to sing them. This still doesn’t prevent me from sticking to my conviction of quality over quantity in general and being picky with my song choice.”
Next on the agenda for Zayed is what he calls a “mini-album” of five songs he hopes to release early in the new year, with a similar follow up later in 2016.
“I’ve been preparing and recording plenty of songs. I feel every album has its own, specific feel, and I tried as much as possible in my choices to make sure the songs will please my fans,” he says.
Zayed’s biggest New Year’s resolution is to embrace social media. With a Facebook page that hasn’t been updated since New Year’s Day 2014, not to mention rarely used Instagram and Twitter accounts, Zayed admits he hasn’t made the digital world a priority.
“I do believe that social media sites play a major role in increasing an artist’s popularity and help in bringing an artist closer to his or her fans, and I do confess that I haven’t been as active on social media as I should be,” he says. “But I do promise to remedy that in the New Year and become much more active on social media.”
artslife@thenational.ae
