WEBVTT - Dana Al Meer 0:00:09.160 --> 0:00:12.480 Hello everyone, and welcome to a very special return episode 0:00:12.480 --> 0:00:16.200 of Inside the Studio. My name's Jordan Roundag good enough 0:00:16.239 --> 0:00:19.120 about me Today, we're thrilled to be coming to you 0:00:19.200 --> 0:00:23.000 live from the twenty twenty six Web Summit conference in Doha, Guitar. 0:00:23.800 --> 0:00:26.599 Our journey to this warm and welcoming country has been 0:00:26.720 --> 0:00:31.040 unforgettably fascinating as we've shared ideas about cutting edge technology. 0:00:31.480 --> 0:00:33.560 I've even had the opportunity to meet a robot or 0:00:33.560 --> 0:00:36.159 two on this trip. But it also gave us the 0:00:36.200 --> 0:00:39.560 opportunity to re examine the things that make us deeply human, 0:00:39.960 --> 0:00:42.720 and one of those things is music. It's something that 0:00:42.800 --> 0:00:46.800 crosses all generations and cultures. I was extremely eager to 0:00:46.840 --> 0:00:49.440 speak to a notable musician from the region, and my 0:00:49.560 --> 0:00:52.640 host delivered in a major way. I was so happy 0:00:52.680 --> 0:00:55.640 to spend some time with Donna Almir, who's being hailed 0:00:55.680 --> 0:00:59.280 as the first Katari musical superstar. As we'll discuss in 0:00:59.320 --> 0:01:03.400 the episode, musical superstardom is a relatively new phenomenon over here. 0:01:03.800 --> 0:01:06.320 She was tapped to perform with the opening and closing 0:01:06.360 --> 0:01:09.160 ceremonies at the twenty twenty two World Cup, which was 0:01:09.200 --> 0:01:12.160 hosted in Qatar, and just last year she was chosen 0:01:12.160 --> 0:01:15.440 to represent her country at the inner Vision competition I 0:01:15.480 --> 0:01:18.480 think Eurovision, but not in Europe. And when she's not 0:01:18.560 --> 0:01:21.840 performing for a global audience of millions, Donna serves as 0:01:21.920 --> 0:01:25.120 director at the music Lab Qutar, where she helps young 0:01:25.200 --> 0:01:29.280 singers find their voice. She's a cultural ambassador, a pioneer, 0:01:29.440 --> 0:01:30.920 a filmmaker, a teacher. 0:01:31.600 --> 0:01:33.520 One of my favorite guests we've ever had. 0:01:34.000 --> 0:01:39.399 I hope you enjoy our conversation, Donna, thank you so 0:01:39.480 --> 0:01:42.120 much for taking time out of your incredibly busy schedule 0:01:42.160 --> 0:01:45.760 to be here at Web Summit twenty twenty six. 0:01:46.000 --> 0:01:46.840 I'm excited. 0:01:47.000 --> 0:01:50.120 I have never seen anything like this. I have seen 0:01:50.200 --> 0:01:52.440 things here today in the past couple days that I 0:01:52.480 --> 0:01:54.240 have never seen in my entire life. 0:01:54.320 --> 0:01:57.760 I've seen robot dogs, I've seen robot humans. What's the 0:01:57.800 --> 0:01:59.160 craziest thing that you've seen here? 0:02:00.080 --> 0:02:00.840 Garlic tech? 0:02:01.280 --> 0:02:02.400 What is garlic tech? 0:02:02.560 --> 0:02:04.720 I actually don't know what it is. What it passed by? 0:02:05.080 --> 0:02:08.280 Definitely something about technology. But I was like, I'll definitely 0:02:08.320 --> 0:02:10.320 be allergic to that. I'm allergic to garlic. 0:02:10.760 --> 0:02:12.560 I've never met anyone allergic to garlic. 0:02:12.880 --> 0:02:13.840 A vampire dude. 0:02:16.160 --> 0:02:19.200 Wow. Yeah, Okay, that is good. Well, thank you for 0:02:19.240 --> 0:02:21.560 coming out during the day. Then, I know that's very difficult. 0:02:21.800 --> 0:02:25.240 Yeah, it is. It is with the sun. Oh gosh, 0:02:25.280 --> 0:02:26.080 too much. 0:02:26.040 --> 0:02:27.440 Well, so much. I want to ask you about with 0:02:27.560 --> 0:02:28.000 your music. 0:02:28.000 --> 0:02:30.480 When you were selected by a Qatar's Ministry of Culture 0:02:30.520 --> 0:02:34.120 to represent the country at innervision, that is a huge, 0:02:34.360 --> 0:02:36.760 huge honor and a huge responsibility. 0:02:37.200 --> 0:02:39.720 What did that responsibility mean to you personally? 0:02:39.919 --> 0:02:42.840 To be honest, it means the world. I've never believed 0:02:42.880 --> 0:02:46.800 actually in competition for art in general and for voices, 0:02:46.840 --> 0:02:50.160 because I believe that voices are different, your voice different, 0:02:50.240 --> 0:02:52.240 depend on your body and mind is different. So I 0:02:52.240 --> 0:02:54.840 cannot compare you unless you're out of pitch. 0:02:54.639 --> 0:02:57.800 Of course, teaching. 0:02:57.919 --> 0:03:03.520 What's that comparing exact exactly? So for me, going to 0:03:03.800 --> 0:03:06.000 intervision was something else. At the beginning, I was a 0:03:06.000 --> 0:03:09.840 bit scared, like, really, maybe I won't like it, maybe 0:03:09.880 --> 0:03:12.839 it's going to be a bit of let's say political, 0:03:13.240 --> 0:03:15.960 And at the end of the day it was something else. 0:03:16.800 --> 0:03:21.400 I've met twenty two people from different countries and we 0:03:21.600 --> 0:03:26.880 appreciated our culture differences, we appreciated our talent, and we 0:03:26.960 --> 0:03:30.359 became all friends. Until today we text each other we 0:03:30.480 --> 0:03:34.480 post for each other, people from Serbia, from Belarus, from Brazil, 0:03:34.800 --> 0:03:38.680 from everywhere, and of course people from Saudi and the 0:03:38.760 --> 0:03:42.680 United Arab Emirates. It's fantastic. Was in a beautiful experience. 0:03:43.080 --> 0:03:45.840 I enjoyed it so much. And to be honest, being 0:03:45.960 --> 0:03:50.480 there in Russia representing Katar was a different experience where 0:03:50.480 --> 0:03:51.800 I've never been to Russia in my life. 0:03:51.920 --> 0:03:52.440 Oh wow. 0:03:52.520 --> 0:03:58.280 And they literally showed us their culture. Since the minute 0:03:58.360 --> 0:04:01.400 I landed, they were like, eat the bread and I 0:04:01.440 --> 0:04:04.040 don't know aletrogy and I was like, I don't know 0:04:04.080 --> 0:04:06.520 anything about it, but that's cool. And they've been asking 0:04:06.560 --> 0:04:08.440 me and interview me. It was really really good. To 0:04:08.440 --> 0:04:09.960 be honest, it's fantastic. 0:04:10.000 --> 0:04:11.920 That's why I feel about being here. I've never been 0:04:11.960 --> 0:04:12.800 to Daha before. 0:04:13.040 --> 0:04:14.320 And how is your experience? 0:04:14.520 --> 0:04:18.440 Everybody has been so eager to share amazing in the 0:04:18.560 --> 0:04:21.560 nicest way, and that's been so wonderful to experience. 0:04:21.720 --> 0:04:24.560 I'm so glad that people showed themselves to you go 0:04:25.760 --> 0:04:28.240 and you felt this way. That's amazing because it was 0:04:28.320 --> 0:04:31.400 all about giving and sharing and it is it feels warm. 0:04:31.440 --> 0:04:33.680 I feel warm in my country whenever we travel. I 0:04:33.760 --> 0:04:37.400 just want to come back went home. I need Yeah, 0:04:38.160 --> 0:04:39.640 it is my home. So yeah. 0:04:39.720 --> 0:04:41.800 There was a really cute moment at the end of 0:04:41.880 --> 0:04:45.000 when you performed at Inner Vision where you were presented 0:04:45.200 --> 0:04:47.360 with a I can never say, they're going to laugh 0:04:47.360 --> 0:04:51.760 at me, bala laca. 0:04:52.320 --> 0:04:56.040 Well, I was surprised because a lot of the things 0:04:56.040 --> 0:04:59.280 we've done, we were rehearsed to do certain things. Oh 0:04:59.400 --> 0:05:02.120 that wasn't really it's no, it was all real. But 0:05:02.279 --> 0:05:04.240 they tell you they're gonna come now and ask you 0:05:04.279 --> 0:05:07.520 about this. For example, answer it's not necessarily the same 0:05:07.560 --> 0:05:10.560 answer I answer every time, but it's something that they're 0:05:10.560 --> 0:05:12.800 going to ask you about this. So when they came 0:05:12.839 --> 0:05:16.560 to me during the show, they knew that I wanted 0:05:16.600 --> 0:05:18.720 to buy a guitar because I love guitars. I love 0:05:18.760 --> 0:05:19.400 guitar so much. 0:05:19.480 --> 0:05:20.960 I want to ask you about that. I love guitar. 0:05:21.160 --> 0:05:24.400 Yeah, Oh my god. The funny moment at the show, 0:05:24.520 --> 0:05:27.440 it was so funny because I was I mentioned that 0:05:27.600 --> 0:05:30.000 I didn't have cash because in Russia you don't have cash. 0:05:30.080 --> 0:05:30.600 Oh I didn't. 0:05:30.640 --> 0:05:33.159 You don't have I mean you don't have a credit card. 0:05:33.160 --> 0:05:35.200 You cannot use your cared card, but you need you 0:05:35.240 --> 0:05:37.880 need cash all the time. So I saw a guitar. 0:05:38.080 --> 0:05:41.000 It was a Fender. I guess it was a Stellar 0:05:41.040 --> 0:05:43.880 Caster and it was purple Lavender. 0:05:44.160 --> 0:05:46.159 I like that, very prince very. 0:05:46.720 --> 0:05:49.680 And it was from the nineties, oh class, so it 0:05:49.760 --> 0:05:52.359 was classic and I was like, how much is that? 0:05:52.440 --> 0:05:55.440 It was like nineteen thousand reals. I was like, what. 0:05:55.600 --> 0:05:56.200 Cash on me? 0:05:56.680 --> 0:06:00.080 I want it. I couldn't get it. I couldn't get it. 0:06:00.120 --> 0:06:02.440 Was amazing. And I said that in the interview, and 0:06:02.480 --> 0:06:06.680 then suddenly they pull out something to give and I 0:06:06.760 --> 0:06:10.359 was I was literally in tears. I was like, I 0:06:10.400 --> 0:06:12.240 don't know what to say. I screamed. I had a 0:06:12.279 --> 0:06:16.479 picture of my mouth open. It's so funny. 0:06:16.960 --> 0:06:18.760 So what are some of your favorite guitars that you have? 0:06:18.839 --> 0:06:21.839 I love guitars, just the shapes, the colors, the looks. 0:06:21.839 --> 0:06:23.560 I play a little bit, but mostly I just think 0:06:23.560 --> 0:06:26.000 they're beautiful objects. What are some of your favorite ones 0:06:26.040 --> 0:06:27.800 that you have stories behind them? 0:06:28.160 --> 0:06:32.080 Well? I usually like the classical ones. I just grab 0:06:32.160 --> 0:06:34.120 it and just play with it. It it's better. But 0:06:34.200 --> 0:06:37.840 nowadays I'm learning more of how to play guitar, even 0:06:37.960 --> 0:06:41.520 to start like comprovising stuff and other than just parkodes. 0:06:41.600 --> 0:06:45.200 And it's been really hectic so I need to like 0:06:45.240 --> 0:06:49.160 remove the nails. Yeah, so it's always whenever I have 0:06:49.200 --> 0:06:51.360 a show. When I was just like, I'm gonna put 0:06:51.360 --> 0:06:54.520 my nails on, and then I removed them for it, 0:06:54.560 --> 0:06:58.960 so I can never grow my nails ever. We're girls. 0:07:00.080 --> 0:07:02.479 Friend of man he had I don't know the term, 0:07:02.520 --> 0:07:04.920 like acrylic nails that he put on his fingers. They 0:07:04.960 --> 0:07:07.280 weren't his real nails, so they could do the finger. 0:07:07.040 --> 0:07:12.520 Picures you you need because if you're not using a pick, 0:07:12.880 --> 0:07:15.680 some people rely on their nails. But for me, no, 0:07:15.960 --> 0:07:18.680 I will play it with my fingers. I'm not that 0:07:18.720 --> 0:07:22.720 good though, but I better. Yeah, I sing better than 0:07:22.720 --> 0:07:24.400 the playing. But I'm learning. 0:07:24.560 --> 0:07:25.120 I'm learning. 0:07:25.560 --> 0:07:25.680 Well. 0:07:25.800 --> 0:07:29.000 Performed an original song, yeah, I mean, can you tell 0:07:29.040 --> 0:07:30.720 me about how you chose to perform it? 0:07:30.760 --> 0:07:30.920 There? 0:07:30.920 --> 0:07:31.720 What the message was? 0:07:31.920 --> 0:07:36.200 So it was written by a Palestinian writer his name 0:07:36.280 --> 0:07:39.280 is Atam Dan and the one who produced the melody 0:07:39.320 --> 0:07:43.920 and the music was Peter his Albanese based in California. 0:07:43.960 --> 0:07:46.960 I think I worked with both of them and it's 0:07:47.000 --> 0:07:49.920 been amazing. When we did the song, originally it was 0:07:50.000 --> 0:07:53.760 for an athlete, Mattez Basham for the Olympics. What do 0:07:53.760 --> 0:07:57.840 you call it? The jumper, long jump, I think the 0:07:57.880 --> 0:08:00.960 long jump yet it was I think it's his last participation. 0:08:01.400 --> 0:08:04.480 So we created the song for him. And then when 0:08:04.520 --> 0:08:07.560 we were traveling to intervision, I was like, I want 0:08:07.560 --> 0:08:11.119 to perform it, but I want to add another because 0:08:11.120 --> 0:08:13.840 they we had like a time they wanted three minutes, 0:08:14.360 --> 0:08:17.240 so it's like, okay, let me add another section. Like 0:08:17.280 --> 0:08:21.680 at first and it was fantastic, it became much more 0:08:21.720 --> 0:08:25.200 about because it's called hua antet anti. It means this 0:08:25.240 --> 0:08:28.320 is you, and it speaks about how you achieved dreams 0:08:28.320 --> 0:08:30.680 and how hard to do that. And your road is 0:08:30.720 --> 0:08:34.600 not all like flowers and and and and and lala land, 0:08:35.040 --> 0:08:37.280 but at the same time, you work hard to reach 0:08:37.360 --> 0:08:40.520 what you want and you have a home. You are 0:08:40.559 --> 0:08:42.680 in every home it says bait and bait and bait, 0:08:42.800 --> 0:08:45.520 and so you are repeating the word home, home, home, 0:08:46.000 --> 0:08:49.520 and then alban Alban means heart, and that's what it says. 0:08:49.600 --> 0:08:54.160 And then and the other chorus you say hell, hell, hell, 0:08:54.200 --> 0:08:56.520 it means fly high. So it was it was something 0:08:56.520 --> 0:09:00.680 else and and what I loved about performing Athansrivision that 0:09:00.800 --> 0:09:05.119 I was with my I'm not going to call them students. 0:09:05.240 --> 0:09:07.400 I'm going to call them my talent that I usually 0:09:07.480 --> 0:09:10.839 have with me in music lab and they came all 0:09:10.840 --> 0:09:13.240 along with me. I had a thirteen year old and 0:09:14.200 --> 0:09:18.480 at intervision. They loved the diversity of nationalities that I 0:09:18.520 --> 0:09:21.520 had with me. So I had a Filipino, a Lebanese 0:09:21.960 --> 0:09:24.679 and then a Malaysian, a violinist that was the youngest, 0:09:24.720 --> 0:09:28.520 and then an Indian and a Sudani guy. And then 0:09:28.520 --> 0:09:31.600 the management. We had my Palestinian friends also with me. 0:09:31.720 --> 0:09:37.240 The management and the talent coordinator and the social media department. 0:09:37.440 --> 0:09:40.120 She was ato with us. It was something else. It 0:09:40.240 --> 0:09:41.880 was a beautiful experience. 0:09:42.080 --> 0:09:43.880 They're going to be friends the rest of their lives. 0:09:44.000 --> 0:09:46.400 These people from all over the world I met when 0:09:46.400 --> 0:09:48.559 they were kids at this event. That's unforgettable event, and 0:09:48.679 --> 0:09:52.640 that's beautiful, I know, bonding through art. You're talking about 0:09:52.640 --> 0:09:55.760 how that song's about working hard and flying high and achieving. 0:09:56.400 --> 0:10:00.480 When you first were getting involved with music, what did 0:10:00.520 --> 0:10:01.679 success look like to you. 0:10:02.120 --> 0:10:04.160 Well, my story is something else. I don't know if 0:10:04.200 --> 0:10:06.680 you know that I'm the first Ratari singer in Don't 0:10:06.679 --> 0:10:09.400 Have That was a challenge actually to come from a 0:10:09.520 --> 0:10:12.839 very conservative family that doesn't believe actually that this is 0:10:12.880 --> 0:10:15.240 something that you should do. It's a sin, it's something 0:10:15.320 --> 0:10:18.040 forbidden for a woman to do. And I've always felt 0:10:18.080 --> 0:10:21.640 like I have something to fight for and to say 0:10:21.720 --> 0:10:25.520 that and not necessary. If I'm a singer, it means 0:10:25.520 --> 0:10:29.320 I'm somebody who's doing something wrong or sing about something wrong, 0:10:29.400 --> 0:10:33.559 or what am I singing for? So when I started 0:10:33.760 --> 0:10:37.000 at the World Cup, I used to do things like 0:10:37.080 --> 0:10:40.120 a long time ago behind the scenes, but yeah, in general, 0:10:40.280 --> 0:10:43.560 it was something else. Doing the World Cup and coming 0:10:43.600 --> 0:10:46.080 out at the World Cup. It showed my talent and 0:10:46.120 --> 0:10:49.200 at the same time, I wasn't eighteen. I was like 0:10:49.640 --> 0:10:54.520 thirty five, thirty four. I was an adult. I know 0:10:54.559 --> 0:10:57.080 what am I doing. So it was a challenge. But 0:10:57.120 --> 0:10:59.800 at the same time I did not expect that much 0:10:59.800 --> 0:11:02.560 of support it from the community because I thought that 0:11:03.160 --> 0:11:05.679 they might have a problem with that. But at the 0:11:05.760 --> 0:11:07.720 end of the day, it was something else. Let's say 0:11:07.760 --> 0:11:10.720 the fight from the family. It's still there. They don't 0:11:10.840 --> 0:11:14.280 like it, but I feel like I'm fighting against the 0:11:14.320 --> 0:11:16.720 idea of I'm not gonna be corrupted, I'm not gonna 0:11:16.720 --> 0:11:19.959 do anything wrong, And part of that made me feel 0:11:19.960 --> 0:11:22.560 like this is the successful part of it, to show 0:11:22.600 --> 0:11:24.640 that this is what I'm doing, and I'm not. My 0:11:24.720 --> 0:11:27.839 intention is not to be rich or famous for any 0:11:27.880 --> 0:11:29.720 of that. I'm doing it because I love it. I 0:11:29.760 --> 0:11:32.800 love standing a stage. I love singing, that's all. And 0:11:32.840 --> 0:11:35.880 it's like making people believe that you can do it 0:11:36.000 --> 0:11:38.720 with all those restrictions. With me wearing my abbai and 0:11:38.800 --> 0:11:41.000 my shila, I haven't changed even the way I wear 0:11:41.040 --> 0:11:44.200 my shaila on stage. And sometimes while I'm singing. I 0:11:44.240 --> 0:11:47.679 remember I had this performance in front of her Excellency 0:11:48.679 --> 0:11:51.319 Delani and I was singing. While I was singing, I 0:11:51.360 --> 0:11:54.600 was singing the same song and while I was singing 0:11:54.600 --> 0:11:56.640 my shad, I was going down, down down. I was like, 0:11:57.120 --> 0:11:58.800 I was like, I was slinging the guitar and I 0:11:58.880 --> 0:12:01.640 was like, I paused the song and I was like, 0:12:01.720 --> 0:12:03.760 just a second, let me fix my sheila. And I 0:12:03.800 --> 0:12:07.080 fixed it, and I said, that's when when when a 0:12:07.160 --> 0:12:10.360 singer and a guitarist is a hi jaby and I 0:12:10.440 --> 0:12:14.480 started laughing and I continued this song after with so 0:12:15.440 --> 0:12:17.199 I feel like, this is my identity, this is who 0:12:17.200 --> 0:12:19.440 I am, and that's what I'm that's what I want 0:12:19.440 --> 0:12:22.720 to do, even that's what I do with the talents 0:12:22.800 --> 0:12:25.320 and the students. That comes my way through music club. 0:12:26.160 --> 0:12:28.400 But it's your voice is such a primal thing, you know, 0:12:28.440 --> 0:12:31.720 I mean, it's the direct way to communicate. What would 0:12:31.760 --> 0:12:36.040 you say when you were having conversations with people who 0:12:36.480 --> 0:12:38.280 they simply put didn't want you to sing? I mean, 0:12:38.280 --> 0:12:40.640 what would would your response speed to them? 0:12:41.120 --> 0:12:44.559 Well, to be honest, I never asked for permission. 0:12:45.080 --> 0:12:46.240 I love that that's. 0:12:46.080 --> 0:12:50.600 One and I was scared by myself of what is 0:12:50.640 --> 0:12:54.480 the reaction is going to be? And then I was like, 0:12:54.640 --> 0:12:56.800 if I believe that I'm not wrong and I'm not 0:12:56.800 --> 0:13:00.160 doing anything wrong, then eventually people will see that. My 0:13:00.280 --> 0:13:03.400 parents will see that, my brothers will see that. I 0:13:03.400 --> 0:13:06.680 don't think they do. But they're quiet, but they don't 0:13:06.760 --> 0:13:09.720 like it. But they're quiet. They're not supporting. Like, for example, 0:13:09.960 --> 0:13:13.120 I finished the World Cup, came home, everybody asleep, nobody 0:13:13.160 --> 0:13:16.320 cheered me up. It was a huge achievement and nothing 0:13:16.400 --> 0:13:18.679 even inter vision, nothing. My mom went with me to 0:13:18.760 --> 0:13:21.920 Russia and she was extremely proud. So I have the 0:13:22.000 --> 0:13:25.040 support of my mom. But the rest of the small 0:13:25.040 --> 0:13:29.200 family the home, like dad, brothers, they're not very happy 0:13:29.240 --> 0:13:31.480 about it. But it's okay, it's fine. They have their 0:13:31.480 --> 0:13:34.040 own reasons. Of course, I understand as much as I 0:13:34.080 --> 0:13:36.920 want them to understand that I'm not there to make 0:13:36.960 --> 0:13:40.200 them feel shy of what I'm doing or disrespect them 0:13:40.320 --> 0:13:42.800 or any of that. I'm doing it because I really 0:13:43.200 --> 0:13:46.280 like to do it, and with a lot of restrictions, 0:13:46.800 --> 0:13:50.000 like I don't work with anybody, I don't sing for anybody. 0:13:50.559 --> 0:13:53.439 A lot of singers go to sing weddings and say, 0:13:53.600 --> 0:13:56.360 I don't do any of that. Pure the art that 0:13:56.440 --> 0:14:00.240 I choose myself with the people I choose myself, which 0:14:00.240 --> 0:14:02.280 I think that's unique and cool. 0:14:02.480 --> 0:14:06.080 Yeah, oh yeah, you can cool anywhere. That's like, yeah, 0:14:06.080 --> 0:14:07.360 that's very rare. 0:14:07.600 --> 0:14:10.160 I think that's the thing. And I remember during the 0:14:10.200 --> 0:14:13.440 World Cup, the FIFA car used to come inside the house, 0:14:13.880 --> 0:14:17.319 pick me up and go. It was it was really scary, 0:14:17.640 --> 0:14:19.840 but it was fun. It was something else and I 0:14:19.920 --> 0:14:23.920 surprise everybody. I surprised everybody during the World Cup. 0:14:35.200 --> 0:14:37.160 This is a question that I did not write down. 0:14:37.160 --> 0:14:39.720 I hadn't thought of until just this moment talking to you, 0:14:39.800 --> 0:14:42.200 and I'm trying to figure out the best way to 0:14:42.320 --> 0:14:44.640 articulate it. And it's probably in the simplest way, but 0:14:44.640 --> 0:14:47.280 it's a big question. What does singing mean to you? 0:14:47.600 --> 0:14:49.920 Is that something that you're able to share? Because I 0:14:49.920 --> 0:14:51.920 am not a singer, but I am a creative person 0:14:51.960 --> 0:14:54.320 and I know that feeling that urged you have something 0:14:54.360 --> 0:14:55.840 in you that you want to get out of you. 0:14:56.080 --> 0:15:00.120 That's a very interesting question because I never thought of it, 0:15:00.160 --> 0:15:03.000 but I do remember that I used to. I always 0:15:03.040 --> 0:15:04.600 ask my students, why do you sing? 0:15:04.720 --> 0:15:06.840 Well, that's me ask you then, and how do. 0:15:06.880 --> 0:15:10.160 I feel when I sing? It's exactly similar to when 0:15:10.160 --> 0:15:13.360 we speak, when you see things, when you touch things. 0:15:13.440 --> 0:15:17.400 It's something that I naturally do. I don't know, it's 0:15:17.440 --> 0:15:19.920 not something that I'm training myself to do. It's just 0:15:19.960 --> 0:15:23.720 it came just like that. I just love singing. I 0:15:23.760 --> 0:15:27.880 think when I sing, I connect with people, I can 0:15:27.960 --> 0:15:31.920 deliver my emotions. I can be myself when I sing. 0:15:32.360 --> 0:15:35.560 It's part of who I am. You cannot meet anybody, 0:15:35.640 --> 0:15:39.880 even before me becoming famous, that I sing. Whenever they're like, 0:15:39.880 --> 0:15:41.760 oh you have a beautiful voice, I was like, oh, 0:15:41.840 --> 0:15:44.720 thank you. So it's something that it's there. And I 0:15:44.760 --> 0:15:48.560 do believe if somebody was meant to sing, they'll never stop. 0:15:49.200 --> 0:15:52.200 It's different than people who comes and train themselves because 0:15:52.240 --> 0:15:54.640 they want to be able to sing when you are 0:15:54.720 --> 0:15:57.320 born with it. You're born with it. It's within, it's 0:15:57.320 --> 0:15:59.720 with your heartbeat. Your rhythm is with your heartbeat. 0:16:00.280 --> 0:16:01.160 You know that's beautiful. 0:16:01.240 --> 0:16:03.600 Yeah, I mean I want to talk more about the 0:16:03.600 --> 0:16:05.360 work you do with the Music Lab. Can you talk 0:16:05.400 --> 0:16:07.760 more about what that organization is and what they do 0:16:07.840 --> 0:16:08.560 and your role in it. 0:16:08.760 --> 0:16:12.960 So Music Lab. I never thought that it will happen 0:16:13.000 --> 0:16:16.240 this way ever in my life. It's something that I 0:16:16.280 --> 0:16:18.840 had in the back of my head, similar to actually 0:16:18.880 --> 0:16:21.720 singing the World Cup. They asked me, have you ever 0:16:21.800 --> 0:16:23.640 dreamed about any of this? So I was like no, 0:16:24.200 --> 0:16:26.880 But suddenly, while I was in an interview, I remembered 0:16:26.960 --> 0:16:29.920 a scene when I was ten year old watching Ricky 0:16:29.960 --> 0:16:32.880 Martin singing the World Cup and I was sitting with 0:16:33.120 --> 0:16:35.840 my cousin and I was listening to him. I was like, 0:16:35.840 --> 0:16:39.560 he's out of tune sometimes, and I was thinking this way, 0:16:39.800 --> 0:16:41.240 and I was like, I looked at her. I was like, 0:16:41.360 --> 0:16:44.040 I'm going to be there one day and she was like, yeah, right. 0:16:44.960 --> 0:16:48.760 I swear she's four years older than me. And I 0:16:48.880 --> 0:16:53.000 remember I remember literally saying this, and I never had 0:16:53.040 --> 0:16:56.200 it in mind, and when it happened, it was like this, 0:16:57.000 --> 0:16:59.480 and then suddenly I remembered it while I was in 0:16:59.800 --> 0:17:03.200 an actually radio interview, and I was like, I can't 0:17:03.200 --> 0:17:06.720 believe it. Literally, I said this long time ago, so 0:17:06.760 --> 0:17:09.560 I kind of manifested music club. On the other hand, 0:17:09.560 --> 0:17:13.240 have always wanted to do an experience similar to a 0:17:13.280 --> 0:17:15.879 program that we used to watch on a libit on 0:17:16.080 --> 0:17:19.400 TV channel, Cold Star Academy, where they bring a bunch 0:17:19.400 --> 0:17:22.160 of talents, they trained them and then they put them 0:17:22.200 --> 0:17:24.879 on show and then they do I think stuff like 0:17:25.200 --> 0:17:27.240 the training, but for me, the training part was the 0:17:27.240 --> 0:17:31.679 most important thing. So I wanted to because I'm originally 0:17:31.720 --> 0:17:34.560 a filmmaker. I love film as much as I love music, 0:17:34.920 --> 0:17:38.800 but I stopped film for a while now. Since twenty eighteen, 0:17:39.640 --> 0:17:43.280 I had an idea of gathering underground singers from the 0:17:43.320 --> 0:17:49.200 age of twelve till thirty or thirty five musicians and singers, 0:17:49.640 --> 0:17:52.960 and I trained them for a three nights show for 0:17:53.040 --> 0:17:56.280 the film Festival. Don't have Film Institute a festival called 0:17:56.280 --> 0:17:59.160 the GIA now a change in to do have Film Festival, 0:18:00.119 --> 0:18:02.840 which is last year, and I wanted to train those 0:18:02.920 --> 0:18:05.640 kids to sing on stage, to find their own voices, 0:18:05.840 --> 0:18:09.720 sing different songs that they've never experienced before in all languages. 0:18:10.080 --> 0:18:12.840 So the first night was about films, like songs and 0:18:12.880 --> 0:18:15.480 scores from films, and then the second night will be 0:18:15.480 --> 0:18:18.560 about worldwide, so we sing in Hindi, in Japanese and 0:18:18.680 --> 0:18:23.960 Korean Arabic English, name the language, and then the third 0:18:24.080 --> 0:18:27.040 night would be Geek the Them, which is Geek Them 0:18:27.080 --> 0:18:31.000 is a community event and celebration the Qatari version of 0:18:31.240 --> 0:18:35.800 come a con Okay basically Geek Them. They had a 0:18:35.880 --> 0:18:38.720 karaokium and I used to go there and close the 0:18:38.720 --> 0:18:41.320 doors and tell them you're not allowed to record me 0:18:41.359 --> 0:18:43.880 otherwise people's live will be in danger. And they never 0:18:43.920 --> 0:18:45.439 filmed me. And I used to sing, and then I 0:18:45.520 --> 0:18:47.439 was like, you guys are oh aut of tune. I 0:18:47.480 --> 0:18:49.880 hate it. I want to have a show on stage 0:18:49.960 --> 0:18:54.080 that sings all those cartoon songs and video games beautifully. 0:18:54.280 --> 0:18:56.440 What songs did you sing? I have to ask. 0:18:57.080 --> 0:18:59.119 I used to I used to sing part of That 0:18:59.160 --> 0:19:04.159 World to Mermaid it's my favorite. And Once upon a 0:19:04.200 --> 0:19:07.760 December and a Stasia that's one of my favorite too, 0:19:08.200 --> 0:19:09.840 So I used to sing that all the time. And 0:19:09.880 --> 0:19:13.159 there's another ones because they're all songs that were dubbed 0:19:13.160 --> 0:19:17.520 into Arabic from Japanese cartoon. It's a huge community that 0:19:17.600 --> 0:19:22.160 people do every year for how many years now, imagine. 0:19:22.520 --> 0:19:25.600 So I took that concept and I created a Geekdom 0:19:25.760 --> 0:19:28.440 night that has all the cartoons played with the band, 0:19:28.880 --> 0:19:34.320 a rock band, imagine. I love it. And every time 0:19:34.560 --> 0:19:38.720 I do this training for three months, two and a 0:19:38.760 --> 0:19:41.679 half month to three teaching all those kids how to 0:19:41.680 --> 0:19:43.280 be on stage and how to sing and how to 0:19:43.320 --> 0:19:48.400 trust themselves. Their parents are extremely happy with the results. 0:19:49.040 --> 0:19:52.080 Some of them now graduated from universities and they're back 0:19:52.119 --> 0:19:55.240 to perform with me or work with me, which is 0:19:55.600 --> 0:19:57.480 hot warming to be honest. 0:19:57.359 --> 0:19:59.600 How does that feel for you? That must best watching 0:20:00.080 --> 0:20:00.920 tree grow that you. 0:20:00.880 --> 0:20:04.280 Can exactly and it's only eight years. It's not much, 0:20:04.480 --> 0:20:07.240 you know, it's not much. But if they were there 0:20:07.240 --> 0:20:10.280 when they were fifteen, now they're twenty one, and it's 0:20:10.280 --> 0:20:13.639 something else. It's beautiful. It's me giving them part of me. 0:20:14.040 --> 0:20:17.240 Because I haven't studied music. I'm teaching them what I've 0:20:17.320 --> 0:20:20.960 learned through all these years. How I trained my voice, 0:20:21.280 --> 0:20:23.520 which they trust me because they see me on tune. 0:20:23.680 --> 0:20:26.160 They see that when I perform, I deliver, and that's 0:20:26.160 --> 0:20:28.920 what I give them. And I love it. I enjoy it. 0:20:29.359 --> 0:20:31.399 How did you train yourself self taught? 0:20:31.760 --> 0:20:31.840 In? 0:20:31.880 --> 0:20:35.120 What ways did you do as a singer. My instrument 0:20:35.200 --> 0:20:39.119