Showbiz Arabia: We meet Mohammad Abdu

It’s rare to see an artist make a comeback following a serious illness, but this week, Saudi production company Rotana welcomed the return of its top Khaleeji artist, Mohammad Abdu.

The 64-year-old singing legend, who had suffered a stroke in 2011, has now made a full recovery. On Tuesday, he appeared at the Armani Hotel Dubai to talk about his music, plus his live appearance at the Dubai World Trade Centre (which took place last night). And make no mistake about it; such is the Saudi singer’s influence and popularity that journalists from across the Arab world were flown into the emirate to attend the press conference, which was broadcast live on Rotana FM.

Starting from very humble beginnings, Abdu was born in Aseer and spent most of his childhood in an orphanage after his father died when he was three. With an ear for music, Abdu started his career in the early 1960s after being discovered on a radio station. He now has more than 1,500 songs to his name, and is dubbed “The Artist of Arabs”.

Q. You started your career nearly five decades ago – in your opinion, how has music changed?

A. It’s rare to find classical, romantic lyrics nowadays. The romance of the past decades is on the decline; therefore it is hard to find lyrics that are complete from A to Z. However, there are also youth here today that are interested in listening to good quality music. The downside is that Khaleeji songs have become popular with non-GCC artists; therefore a lot of music video directors are putting them together with foreign visual concepts that do not safeguard the culture and traditions of Khaleeji music.

Q. How has your relationship with Rotana been during your hiatus?

A. They really stood by me during my illness, and I thank them for the support. They didn’t treat me like I was an artist on their record company’s roster, but they treated me like a friend.

Q. Do you still enjoy performing live?

A. Yes, of course I do. I really enjoy playing across the GCC; I have some of the biggest fans in the UAE and Kuwait, plus Saudi Arabia of course.

Q. During your absence, you were marred by various false rumours — concerning everything from your health to your relationships. What do you have to say to these people that started them?

A. The only one that bothers me is about my death, because it has been announced so many times that I am scared that the day I die, nobody will actually come to my funeral because they think it is a fake rumour! However, I will say that there is one advantage to fake deaths; some of the biggest celebrities in the world have witnessed the love from their fans through a fake news story, therefore I am blessed to have felt the love. Because when I die, I won’t feel it.

Q. You come from Saudi Arabia, a country that still doesn’t fully accept the arts. What’s your take?

A. Ever since Saudi TV started, we have been battling the freedom of art and expression. Art is a form of culture that the rest of the world accepts without extremist views. Art is part of who we are. And Saudi TV still has a long way to go. For instance, you can watch a channel where there would be a singing programme showing, then straight afterwards comes on a programme forbidding singing and calling it haram [against Islam].

Q. Have your children inherited your musical abilities?

A. Music is the language of the world that needs no translation. You can take music anywhere and people will understand it and question it. There are no words or anything that opposes their way of life. So all of my children play instruments — oud, keyboard, piano…

Q. You were scheduled to appear on the finale of Arab Idol last weekend – what happened?

A. I thought I was scheduled to perform on the Friday night, but the producers wanted me for Saturday, and I already had an important doctor’s appointment that I could not reschedule. I had to have a full check-up before my physician went on summer holiday. To be honest, I think they [Rotana] were kind of happy because Arab Idol is on MBC [a competitor]!

Q. Do you see any young talent achieving the same career as you?

A. No artist will be like me — either there will be someone better or worse than me. An artist never gives up his art. It’s not like a football where injury can force you to quit. The more your talent is real, the longer your longevity.

NIBS

Despite unrest in the country this week, Lebanon’s Murex D’Or awards went ahead as scheduled at Casino du Liban, with a number of high profile names in attendance. Dubbed the Grammys of Lebanon, the show welcomed the likes of Nancy Ajram, Elissa, Cyrine Abdel Noor, Khaled and many more on the red carpet. Elissa won Best Female Artist, while Wael Kafoury claimed the Best Male Artist title. Ajram got the gong for Arabia’s Most Successful Artist, while Emirati singer Ahlam received 2013’s Lifetime Achievement Award.

Winners of reality TV singing contests don’t necessarily go on to achieve huge fame and success. So Arab Idol 2013’s winner Mohammad Assaf should watch his back as the show’s runner-up has been snapped up by Nancy Ajram’s manager. According to a Facebook post by Egyptian contestant Ahmad Gamal, Ajram’s long-time business manager Jiji Lamara has chosen to take him on and guide him to a successful career. If Nancy’s success is anything to go by, Gamal has a long career ahead of him.

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