Amal Al-Hussein is a young Saudi actress who has acted in many local dramas, including the popular series, Tash Ma Tash. Currently she is working on her first album. She talked to Sayidaty about her work. Following are some excerpts from the interview.
Sayidaty: Tell us about your experience as a singer.
Amal: My singing career is still in the stages of preparation. . My album will contain eight or ten songs based on poems by Sheikh Muhammad Al-Baraheem, Prince Nasser bin Abdulaziz, Deya Khoja, Sami Jaman, Abdullah Al-Rushood and Habib Al-Azmi. Composers will include Saleh Al-Shehri, Talal Baker, Amer Jafar and Muhammad Ibraheem.
Q: Was discovering your talents why you chose singing or were you just searching for fame?
A: I love acting and singing. I began acting five years ago in the Saudi comedy, Tash ma Tash. Then I got more dramatic work.
Q: You spent two years preparing your album. Why so long?
A: The reason is that I was searching for a producing company, a company that could achieve my dreams and ambitions. I finally found one. Two years is not so much of a delay because entering the singing profession is not easy. It needs time and work.
Q: Do you think that you can find a niche as a singer in a world full of women singers?
A: In the Gulf, there are not many women singers. I am confident of my abilities and many poets, composers and artists have found my voice unique.
Q: Despite that, there are few women singers and many Gulf artists, especially Saudi women singers, are disappearing. What are the reasons?
A: Because we lack people who can identify talented singers. Producers do not care about talent and do not make an effort to search for it. They care only about making money and this pushes serious artists to depression or retirement.
Q: Some people say that you have not achieved much since you appeared in Tash Ma Tash five years ago.
A: I did not play a major role in Tash Ma Tash. I did not receive a major role so that the audience could see my talents. The Bahraini actress Zainab Al-Askari got a major role and she proved herself. If people could see my work in other dramas where I play the main role, they would see great difference.
Q: But Tash Ma Tash is very popular and has given fame to many actors.
A: I am not denying that Tash Ma Tash is popular. I admit that Abdullah Al-Sadhan and Naser Al-Qasabi helped me when I started, and I thank them for their support. But I really hope that I will get the same chance they gave to Zainab Al-Askari and other actors.
