A message on Facebook was all it took for the Arabs Got Talent star Jennifer Grout to land in Dubai for a double performance at this weekend’s Third Al Ahli International Open Karate Championship.
The message on the social media site was sent to Grout’s father by Tournament Director Dr Ala’a Halouish and the Arabs Got Talent star was keen to set foot in Dubai.
“To me this is the most awesome place on earth. I have been smitten by Dubai,” Grout said at a media presentation along with Al Ahli Club CEO Ahmad Khalifa Hamad.
Grout will perform on January 30 and February 2 at the opening and closing ceremonies of the championship.
“It has been an amazing experience from the time I’ve landed in Dubai. I landed here on Sunday and everything here looks like a dream come true,” Grout told tabloid!.
“I had heard so much about Dubai and since then I’ve always wanted to come here. And now that I’ve landed here, this place looks too good to be true,” she exclaimed about her maiden trip here.
So how exactly did the trip materialise for Grout?
“My dad got this message on Facebook and he asked me if I had made any contact for a performance at an international karate competition in Dubai. When I heard Dubai, I said I had done no such thing, but it was a yes from me. That’s it,” she recollected.
That was in December and on receiving confirmation, Halouish knew he had to raise the stakes for the arrival of the star.
“We’ve been so excited with her arrival. I think our competition needed a personality like her to go up to the next stage,” Halouish said.
Grout’s recent fame in this part of the world has been well documented. Besides making an impact on Arabs Got Talent, the 23-year-old from Boston made headlines at the beginning of this year by converting to Islam.
And for the record, though she does not speak any Arabic, Grout gives her customary pitch-perfect rendition of Arab classics time and again.
“People find it a bit strange to see me performing, and that too classical Arabic music, at a karate competition,” she noted.
“But for me, karate is an art, just like singing is. So by performing at the Karate Championship, I will be contributing to the arts by merging karate and singing. It’s like bringing two worlds together,” she said.
Still looking a bit jet-lagged, Grout has managed to make time to see the city. “I’ve been around a bit, but I think for the time-being I want to concentrate on my show at the opening and closing ceremony. There will be enough time to visit Dubai later,” she said.
“People may wonder what I am doing at a karate competition. And though it’s a bit strange there are people who appreciate what I am doing. For me it is also about getting accustomed to a new culture and experiences,” Grout added.
“To me this is among the biggest stages I have performed after the Arabs Got Talent show. People have appreciated me even though I have been involved with purely classical Arabic music. But now I think it is time to take the step forward in my evolution as an artist where I will have a full ensemble with me,” she said.
Al Ahli International Open Karate Championship will run from January 30 to February 2 at Al Ahli Club, Dubai. Grout will perform at the opening and closing ceremonies at 6pm. Tickets are available at the venue. Go to alahliclub.ae for more details or call 04-2988988.
