ABU DHABI // A major record label is looking to sign the next big Emirati star this year.
“We will be looking for somebody national,” said Patrick Boulos, managing director of Universal Music Mena in Dubai.
“We need to produce UAE for UAE, Bahrain for Bahrain, Saudi for Saudi. The local culture is key, it is strong and you need to be more local.
“Of course if you sign an Emirati talent and they have a huge hit you will cross over to other Arabic states. First break the country, then other Arab states, then the region and then maybe the world.
“But we would never produce a UK act in the UAE because we have enough of those in the UK.”
The company, now in its third year of operation, views signing a local star as an essential step in securing its presence in the Gulf.
“It has been three incredible years for the company,” Mr Boulos said. “We have signed and produced our first release with The Voice winner, Mourad Bouriki, scoring No1 ratings on selected local iTunes stores and achieved great results through strategic partnerships with local and international brands.
“This is allowing us to work in a very creative and open approach with unique projects such as the Coke Studio Album release, which unites cultures.”
Mr Boulos said new music streaming services such as Anghami were a big part of the UAE market and would be an ideal launch pad for new talent.
“With Anghami potentially this is more appealing for youth who are more into the notion of ‘all you can eat’ and you just pay a lump sum and you don’t need to worry after.
“This is why Anghami is so interesting for us, they speak to the youth target audience in a very precise and interesting way according to the needs of the region. These will continue to grow.
“iTunes is the biggest music retail store in the world so it is really the reference of the market in terms of access and ease. The good thing with iTunes is that it is linked to everyone with an iPhone and there is a huge number of users in the UAE.”
Universal Music Mena operates with eight iTunes stores in the Middle East, along with other music streaming services including Anghami and HP Connected Music.
“If you look at the growth rate in digital it is very impressive,” Mr Boulos said. “The trend will be digital, but physical is not over yet and still represents a strong part of our repertoire.”
One Emirati artist who sees the importance of developing the local music scene is Faisal Al Saari.
His oud performances include not just traditional UAE music, but also jazz, rock’n’roll and blues.
He said a major record deal would be a huge step towards exposing more people to local music.
“This is a very important step and would be a benefit for our music and heritage,” he said.
“Of course I would be interested. My target is to bring our music to a wider audience, not just here, but globally.
“Locals still don’t have enough idea about our music and soloists must focus on studying music and practising a lot.
“We want more people to hear Emirati music.”
ksinclair@thenational.ae
