The 5 interview, part 4: Said Karmouz on being shy, getting rich and whether fame will drive him crazy

Said Karmouz of The 5. Courtesy of MBC Group

To celebrate the recent debut single from The 5 — the pan-Arab boyband who found fame on the inaugural season of the Arab X-Factor this summer — we sat down with each of the band-members.

In the fourth of our exclusive five-part series of one-on-ones, we got to know the elusive 19-year-old Algerian heartthrob Said Karmouz, who we can’t help saying came across all shy and sensitive.

According to Adil, you're the most popular band member with your female fans.

Mmmm, I would say The 5 are [together] the most popular.

How does it feel getting all this adoration?

It feels great, it’s crazy.

How nervous did you feel about the release of new single, El Donia Shabab?

It was a new style for us, so we were a little bit nervous. It’s kind of a mix of Arabian music and international music.

Does it feel like you’re making history?

We’re just at the beginning, but there’s no other [Arab] boyband before from different countries, so this is something new.

You seem to be the quiet one

I am, I don’t talk so much.

Why not? I don’t think you’re shy.

I was shy before doing the X-Factor.

How did you find singing on the show for the first time?

It was a little bit strange and awkward. BMD was singing a very different style to everybody else, and I was together with three other guys who didn’t know each other. But now, here we are.

What next?

What’s coming is going to be amazing.

So this time next year ...?

Maybe we will be in the [MTV] VMAs — no one knows.

Do you think it’s possible for an act singing in Arabic to gain that kind or success in the USA?

It is ... no one knows. One day. I think it’s possible because boy bands are international, it’s not an Arabic idea. And we’re not going to sing only Arabic.

What do you miss most about home?

Being a normal guy. But I’m not normal at home, everyone knows me now.

You like it in Dubai?

Fabulous. I’d love to live here — but not in this weather.

When you become very rich, what will you spend your money on?

I don’t have ideas right now — I’m just 19. As you get older, your taste changes.

Who is the laziest member of the band?

Maybe Kazem, he doesn’t move too much.

Adil said that, too. What would you be doing right now if you weren't in The 5?

Playing basketball. And continuing my studies in experimental science.

Fame does strange things to young stars — Michael Jackson, Justin Bieber ... do you think all this success could drive you crazy?

It depends on the person, maybe I won’t go crazy ...

• Check Scene & Heard every day this week (September 20-24) for our exclusive series of Q&As with The 5. In the final instalment, tomorrow we speak to Kazem Chamas.

Eldonia Shabab is out now on iTunes