Palestinian-Chilean singer Elyanna faces ‘overwhelming’ demand at US show

Palestinian-Chilean singer Elyanna faces ‘overwhelming’ demand at US show
The music sensation is now set to perform at the El Rey Theatre instead of the Roxy Theater. (Instagram)
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Updated 22 July 2023
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Palestinian-Chilean singer Elyanna faces ‘overwhelming’ demand at US show

Palestinian-Chilean singer Elyanna faces ‘overwhelming’ demand at US show

DUBAI: Palestinian-Chilean singer Elyanna this week announced that due to the “overwhelming” ticket demand for her Aug. 14 concert in Los Angeles, she has changed the venue to a bigger theater.

The music sensation is now set to perform at the El Rey Theatre instead of the Roxy Theater.

“I LOVE MY PEOPLE,” she wrote to her 791,000 fans on Instagram. “Due to the overwhelming demand, we are taking the show to @elreytheater. Im speechless from all the love and support I’m receiving!! The show got sold out so quickly and all I have to say its Arab take overrrrr habibi!!”

Her followers, including US-Dutch-Palestinian model Anwar Hadid and Canadian-Lebanese singer Massari, quickly took to the comments sections to congratulate her.

“Prada u sis (sic),” Hadid wrote, while Massari commented with fire emojis.

Most famous for her songs “Ghareeb Alay,” “Ala Bali” and “Ana Lahale,” the Los Angeles-based musician has been normalizing Arabic lyrics in Western regions throughout her career, taking inspiration from many artists, including Lana Del Ray and Beyonce, as well as Middle Eastern legends such as Fayrouz.

Elyanna recently released a new single called “Mama Eh,” which fans are expecting her to perform at the gig.

In April, the star made history as the first artist to perform a full set in Arabic at Coachella, the famed music festival held annually in California.

In a previous interview with Arab News, she said: “We are introducing a new culture and we are making sure that everybody hears us, everywhere from all around the world.”

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A post shared by Coachella (@coachella)

Elyanna’s music is a mix of Arabic and Western beats, something that the singer attributes to her multinational upbringing.

She began singing at a young age. After moving from Nazareth to the US at the age of 15, she was discovered by fellow Palestinian musician and producer Nasri Atweh.

“He introduced me to Sal (Lebanese-Canadian entrepreneur Wassim Slaiby, CEO of record label XO and manager of Canadian superstar The Weeknd). I remember I sang “At Last” to Sal. He was very impressed. I was very nervous, too. And then I met Massari and we made ‘Ana Lahale,’ which is such a crazy thing,” she recalled.


Princess Mashael Saud Al-Shalan to talk sustainability at XP Music Futures 2023 in Riyadh

Princess Mashael Saud Al-Shalan to talk sustainability at XP Music Futures 2023 in Riyadh
Updated 12 sec ago
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Princess Mashael Saud Al-Shalan to talk sustainability at XP Music Futures 2023 in Riyadh

Princess Mashael Saud Al-Shalan to talk sustainability at XP Music Futures 2023 in Riyadh

DUBAI: Princess Mashael Saud Al-Shalan, the founding partner of Saudi think tank Aeon Strategy, will take part in MDLBEAST’s XP Music Futures 2023 conference in Riyadh.

The princess will join a session titled “Sustainable Futures: Music for Climate Action,” which will discuss sustainable event planning, carbon emissions balancing and the power of music to inspire environmental activity.

Her research mostly focuses on climate policy, global governance, carbon emissions and the impact of climate change. She has been involved in various international events and conferences, including side sessions at the UN Climate Change Conferences in Glasgow in 2021 and Sharm El-Sheikh in 2022.

XP Music Futures is an annual music conference dedicated to accelerating the development of the music scene in the MENA region through various initiatives while creating opportunities for the global music community.

Past attendees include Mathew Knowles, Amy Thomson, David Guetta and Elyanna. This year’s conference runs from Dec. 7-9.
 


Baz Luhrmann to head Red Sea Film Festival jury

Baz Luhrmann to head Red Sea Film Festival jury
Updated 26 September 2023
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Baz Luhrmann to head Red Sea Film Festival jury

Baz Luhrmann to head Red Sea Film Festival jury

DUBAI: Australian director Baz Luhrmann has been chosen to preside over the Red Sea International Film Festival’s features competition jury this year, organizers announced on Tuesday. 

The third edition of the Saudi festival is set to take place from Nov. 30 to Dec. 9 in Jeddah. 

Luhrmann will head the jury that will be bestowing awards to a competition of 17 titles from filmmakers from the Arab world, Asia and Africa.

Mohammed Al-Turki, the festival’s CEO, said in a statement: “As we work towards our third edition, we are delighted to welcome legendary award-winning director Baz Luhrmann as the head of the jury.” 

Luhrmann said: “As a child in the local cinema that we ran near the tiny country town where I grew up, I was mesmerized by the powerful historical and physical landscapes of ‘Lawrence of Arabia’. 

“Since that time, I have had an abiding passion for the Arabian world, but after visiting Saudi Arabia, I felt truly inspired by the remarkable young filmmaking talent coming up across the region and to see how they are now capturing the attention of the global film community.” 

The Academy Award-nominated auteur is known for being a master storyteller across film, opera, theater and music, as well as his critically acclaimed filmography, including double Academy Award-winning “The Great Gatsby,” “Strictly Ballroom,” “Romeo and Juliet,” “Moulin Rouge,” “Elvis” and “Australia.” 


Review: Be prepared for deep story and complexity in ‘Baldur’s Gate 3’

Review: Be prepared for deep story and complexity in ‘Baldur’s Gate 3’
Updated 26 September 2023
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Review: Be prepared for deep story and complexity in ‘Baldur’s Gate 3’

Review: Be prepared for deep story and complexity in ‘Baldur’s Gate 3’
  • Latest incarnation of the 1998 series creates very human experience despite outrageous fantasy world

LONDON: The “Baldur’s Gate” series dates to 1998 and this latest incarnation (available for both PC and PS5) allows gamers into a vast and hugely complex fantasy world of Dungeons and Dragons, with hundreds of customization options as you weave your story from the depths of the Underdark, to the glittering rooftops of the Upper City.

For those unfamiliar with the series, adjusting to this world, its history and lore, as well as the practical aspects of turn-based role-playing game, or RPG, combat, can be difficult. But, if you are willing to persevere, you are rewarded with a story of incredible depth all shaped by your choices.

The story begins — following significant time choosing your character’s class and appearance — with you trapped on a nautiloid ship where you witness an Illithid also known as “mind flayer” place a tadpole into your brain. One dramatic air battle with dragons later and you are free and desperate to cure this contagion.

As ever with RPGs, you balance a central quest alongside a steadily increasing number of side quests. There is a fair amount of dialogue but the choices within it, which often involve going to the role of a dice, feel substantive and the silky tones of the narrator give you greater immersion into the impressive world that you find yourself in. 

Combat is turn-based and akin to a game of chess with each of your four-person team possessing certain skills and strengths that need to be knitted together for success. Again, the pace of this style of game is very different from the quick reactions of other more conventional fighting fantasies like “Elden Ring” but again after a time complexity becomes familiarity.

Movement around the battle space is limited, jumping becomes an important attribute and enemy spells or actions like throwing grease can force some of your party to miss their turn, sometimes with lethal implications. Leveling up is a serious affair offering a host of new skills, but patience is required to read and understand each. 

The dice mechanic can seem a bit arbitrary at first but once you get to grip with the logic of a character’s developing strengths it can reinforce the sense that your choices matter. Charismatic characters can persuade non-playable characters to do what they want, whilst stronger ones can try and use intimidation to get to a similar outcome. Again, it is worth spending time slowly understanding the menus, dialogue histories and item effects to really get the most out of the game. 

The world is varied and can be fast-travelled. Music and atmosphere are both solid but one of the most enjoyable aspects of the game is the relationship between your tadpole-infected group of four. It is your choices that determine who you travel with, and the world’s history will mean some companions will not get on with each other. Time spent resting in the game’s “camp” facility offers further dialogue and the chance for your characters’ relationships to become stronger. This all means that “Baldur’s Gate 3” creates a very human experience despite the outrageous fantasy world in which it is based. 


Syrian swimmer Yusra Mardini walks for Boss

Syrian swimmer Yusra Mardini walks for Boss
Updated 26 September 2023
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Syrian swimmer Yusra Mardini walks for Boss

Syrian swimmer Yusra Mardini walks for Boss

DUBAI: Syrian Olympic swimmer Yusra Mardini this week walked the Boss runway during Milan Fashion Week.

The athlete wore a grey shirt, an oversized black blazer, a knee-length skirt, leather boots and a white clutch.

She walked alongside US-Dutch-Palestinian catwalk star Gigi Hadid, Russian model Natasha Poly and Senegalese-Italian media personality Khaby Lame.

This is not the first time Mardini works with the German fashion label.

In March, Mardini, whose story of fleeing her homeland alongside her sister Sarah was made into a BAFTA-nominated film by Netflix called “The Swimmers,” walked Boss’ runway in Miami.

She also starred in the brand’s digital campaign that month, which featured a long list of Arab and international stars, including DJ Khaled, Hadid, Demi Lovato, Paris Hilton and Bella Thorne.


Mohra Tantawy crowned Miss Universe Egypt 2023

Mohra Tantawy crowned Miss Universe Egypt 2023
Updated 26 September 2023
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Mohra Tantawy crowned Miss Universe Egypt 2023

Mohra Tantawy crowned Miss Universe Egypt 2023
  • Winner qualifies for Miss Universe 2023 in El Salvador on Nov. 18
  • Finalists included Salma Eltoukhy, Doaa Meera Tarek, Aya Abdelrazik and Amera Othman

DUBAI: Mohra Tantawy, the 21-year-old runway model, was crowned Miss Universe Egypt 2023 on Monday.

The rising star now has the opportunity to represent Egypt at Miss Universe 2023 in El Salvador on Nov. 18.

Tantawy competing with other finalists Salma Eltoukhy, Doaa Meera Tarek, Aya Abdelrazik and Amera Othman.

The competition’s categories were a personal interview, swimwear round backed by Egyptian brand Hadia Ghaleb, evening gown round, and the final question.

During the final question and answer segment, Tantawy was asked: “What do you think is the biggest reason why poverty still exists in many countries in the world?”

Her winning answer was: “I believe the main reason why poverty still exists in many countries is the lack of resources such as education or the lack of economic opportunities, and if I were to be Miss Universe Egypt, I would work with both local and international organizations to create (a) micro-funding environment and to empower these people that are stuck in the unfortunate circumstance of poverty, and just empower them to break out of the cycle.”

The competition was organized by Dubai-based Yugen Group, the same entity behind this year’s Miss Universe Bahrain pageant.

Josh Yugen, owner and national director of Miss Universe Egypt, said in a statement: “On behalf of Miss Universe Egypt organization, we are very honored to crown our new Miss Universe Egypt 2023 with our utmost goal of celebrating a platform that gives a voice to the empowerment of young women, to highlight their incredible and innovative contribution to our society and to inspire other women to break stereotypes not only in Egypt but all throughout the world.”

“Our new queen is quintessentially graced with passion, cocooned with courage and armored with pursuit of love, sisterhood and kindness,” he added.

Miss Universe Egypt was held in Cairo and live-streamed globally on the pageant’s YouTube channel.

The jury members included Egyptian actress Mai Omar, Miss Universe Philippines 2022 Arci Munoz, and Filipino-Italian model Celeste Cortesi.

The event was hosted by Evlin Khalifa, who was crowned Miss Universe Bahrain in 2022.