< PreviousHOT 1OO 2O19 | THE CREATIVES 20 I have been involved in big events in the UAE which is always exciting! Being the DJ support act for Snow Patrol at Dubai Media City Amphitheatre was a big highlight for me. Seeing tens of thousands of people dancing and screaming when I hit play on Stevie Wonder’s Superstition was an unbelievable feeling. Seeing tens of thousands of people cringing at my dance moves was not so good! I also enjoyed teaming up with the guys from Emirates to show off my home country of Scotland, which was incredible. If you haven’t been to Scotland yet, I’m available to be your tour guide. I think the UAE should take bigger leaps to reduce plastic use. Supermarkets and local stores should implement a charge for plastic bags. My home country, Scotland, has been doing this for years. My dad once made me walk 15 minutes back to my house from a supermarket checkout to get my reusable bag, so he didn’t have to pay the five pence charge. It works! A mistake I have made, and many fall into this one, is becoming ‘too comfortable’ in a career. I’ve learned that you have to push yourself out of your comfort zone and do things you never knew were possible. I’m looking forward to new challenges in my radio career in the new year. I have exciting projects in the pipeline - new events concepts, podcasts and a YouTube series on the way. Bring on 2020! AYLISSA BOYCE The radio presenter, MC and Scottish party girl is bound to put a smile on your face 21 THE CREATIVES | HOT 1OO 2O19 DJ BLISS Dropping beats on the UAE’s music and nightlife scene One of my highlights from this year was performing at the Abu Dhabi 2019 Special Olympics and the One Year to Go Expo 2020 Show. I’m originally from Dubai, born and raised, so this city is special to me and no matter what I do, I will always represent the UAE wholeheartedly. We don’t use anymore single-use plastic at home! I’m also trying to incorporate more eco-friendly options at my barbershop, too. We have to get rid of plastic water bottles ASAP. Just that alone, as a combined effort across the UAE, would help! In 2020 I’m looking forward to releasing more music and going on an international tour. I can’t wait. AMR NASSOUHY The Egyptian YouTube star is adored by his legion of fans My biggest highlight of the year has to be attending the UCL final to witness Mo Salah win the trophy as the first Egyptian player in history. The challenges and difficulties he had to overcome to get where he is now are unmatched. Self-made success stories inspire me. They push me to become better and better every day. I’m an advanced scuba diver with more than 200 dives, and helping cleaning the ocean and saving marine life from human-caused pollution and plastic waste is one of the roles I’m really proud to be part of. Companies need to use less plastic. HOT 1OO 2O19 | THE CREATIVES 22 Performing in the UAE at different stages and venues is literally like touring, as there are so many different nationalities present with people with such a variety of music influences as well. It’s always a new mix of an audience listening to you. It has always been things that are happening around us which inspire us to make music – it could be a news story or even a simple Facebook post that gets our brain cells aggravated. We’re inspired by The Beatles, The Byrds, Simon & Garfunkel, John Mayer, Mark Lettieri and Dann Huff. The best advice we’ve been given? Read. Don’t take life too seriously. Don’t eat animal products. Meditate. The band overall is taking steps to be more sustainable. Reda is vegan. Carl doesn’t eat beef anymore and avoids single-use plastics. These little steps will eventually make a big impact. There should be higher tax on meat products. The meat industry is having a much larger impact on our environment than anything else. Implementing this now would allow enough time to make the transition. This year is all about exploring the band’s roots. We’ll be diving into Reda’s Egyptian roots, Chris’s Greek roots, Colin’s American roots and Carl’s Indian roots. CNRMAFIA Carl & The Reda Mafia is one of the hottest bands on the UAE’s music scene right now 23 THE CREATIVES | HOT 1OO 2O19 The UAE will always be special to me because it was the place where many “firsts” happened. I hosted a TV show when I was merely 10 years old, followed by recording my first song at the age of 16, buying my first car and home, opening my first company, growing my social media following, and so much more. The UAE is a part of who I am and the person I have become. I have made a comeback with my music, which is my biggest passion - I released my single last year and featured on We Living Life this year, which was number one on numerous charts for several weeks. Success motivates me every day. Every day I do something that either works out or it doesn’t; there’s no better feeling than accomplishing something you set out to do. The best advice I was ever given was that the person who follows the crowd will usually go no further than the crowd. Be brave enough to be yourself. I have reduced my usage of single-use plastic and always keep reusable bags in the car. The UAE has been doing a great job of encouraging sustainability and is constantly innovating new ways to save the planet. It would be great if some things were taken further and enforced more, such as recycling or promoting carpooling. S1 Hip hop star @S1 keeps hitting the right notes24 HOT 1OO 2O19 | THE CREATIVES Over the past year Dukkan Media has become the leading marketing and cultural consultancy in the region. We built our own podcasting studios for our shows and others. We’re changing the global narrative, fighting negative stereotypes, and carving a space in the media for Arabs like us. We are modern-day, progressive, worldly, multilingual, third culture-kid Arabs. We are the Neo Bedouins. The UAE has been a warm and welcoming home for people like us, the Neo Bedouins. It’s where we found our tribe, carved out our space, and built our businesses. Unlike any other part of the world, it magnifies everything. If you are ambitious, creative, have plans, want to change the world, or whatever it is you hope to achieve, the UAE will magnify that and have its way of feeding that ambition. We’ve made it a point to stop using single-use plastic in our office. Everyone is required to bring in reusable water bottles. We also recycle our trash and since we work in the content space and purchase high tech equipment, we made it a point to recycle e-waste. We need to involve the youth in the conversations about sustainability, and find ways to make sustainability convenient, as it is the larger barrier to entry for the average person. We’re looking forward to our business expansion in the region, and we’re planning on setting up offices in other parts of the Middle East. DUKKAN MEDIA Reem, OT and Akkaoui deliver a sonic cultural experience through their podcast, The Dukkan Show 25 THE CREATIVES | HOT 1OO 2O19 MOHAMED KARIM The Egyptian actor who is making a name for himself in Hollywood Climate change is a hot topic for me. I follow activists and what they are doing. With my travel back and forth between US and the Middle East I see what various countries are doing to tackle the problem. I try to share this information when travelling to different parts of the MENA region and try to raise awareness when speaking on panels or through my social media platforms. Sustainability is something people need to work towards as a collective. Climate change isn’t just going to affect one country, or one group of people. It’s going to affect all of us. JJ THOMPSON The Channel 4 Breakfast show on 104.8FM Since moving to the UAE I have always wanted the highest-rated breakfast show, and in October this year, we did just that. The Channel 4 Breakfast Show with JJ and Nimi became the number one morning show in the country. The amount of plastic that comes with restaurant food delivery is outrageous. There should be a limit on this needless use of plastic. My co-host Nimi Mehta inspires me every day to do better and be the best broadcaster I can be. HOT 1OO 2O19 | THE CREATIVES 26 The UAE is special to me because of the people I have met here; the land is rich in culture and diversity. I love the fact that people come from all over the world to start something new and to discover a new community. I think I get a lot of inspiration from hearing people’s stories, feeling the culture within their words. Fortunately, with my job I get to travel a lot and meet people from all over the world. One person’s strength could be another’s struggles. I try and do my bit for the environment from home by using a water container instead of plastic bottles, switching off the power after use, and sharing my car with the other founder of Female First Sessions, Nour Zaghoul. We have put together events on sustainable fashion and try to help spread the message. Every little bit helps. All the restaurants that use online delivery platforms and similar services need to use better and more sustainable packaging with all deliveries. In 2020, I will be travelling to play shows in Australia, Greece and hopefully USA, and we are working on the first Female First Festival for March next year. I also have several new music releases that I am working on and maybe even a short film. Very exciting! The best advice I’ve been given? “Opportunities appear when the preparation has been done.” DJ MEGATRONIC Megane Quashie is all about girl power and good music 27 THE CREATIVES | HOT 1OO 2O19 The highlights of the past years have been beyond my imagination. But one that I am super proud of is my YouTube channel (Diva Dee). I started it on Jan 1st 2019 and in less than one year I have had over 17 million views on my channel with three viral videos! Some of the steps I am taking to help the environment include reducing my plastic consumption. Instead of buying plastic water bottles that I use and throw out, I buy glass bottles and use that to refill my water. I also always leave a bag in my car at all times in case I go grocery shopping to avoid using so many plastic bags at the store. I am a pescatarian so I don’t eat meat or chicken... only seafood. My goal is to eventually go vegan but I’m still not there yet. I would love to see supermarkets and restaurants start initiatives that encourage their customers to use less plastic. It’s amazing how something as simple as a biodegradable straw can help the environment. Workplaces should encourage their employees to start using reusable water bottles. Influencers could show support by showing their audience that you can reuse clothes and still be fashionable, such as styling one item in a different way. The wider community could donate items they don’t need to charity instead of throwing them away. The best advice I was given was, “Be kind, the universe will do the rest.” DIVA DEE AKA DANYA The YouTuber who lives life as though it were rigged in her favourHOT 1OO 2O19 | THE CREATIVES 28 My highlight this year was releasing three original songs and music videos. My song Fool For You was number one on the charts in Anghami’s most downloaded tracks, while my other song Wanderlust was number 4 on the top pop charts. The UAE is so special to me because I grew up here and I owe my career and my success to the support of the country and its amazing people. It has shaped me to be the person I am today. My local friends have welcomed me since the very beginning. I write songs that are inspired by personal experience and the experiences of others. As an artiste, I believe it’s important for us to be empathetic. I’m always imagining myself in other peoples’ shoes and I am able to write my music and share their stories. I feel like in order for us to see a big difference in the world, we need to make big changes. A ban on single- use plastics would be a great start. I don’t like to use plastic bags. I either hold the products I buy or use my backpack or a reusable bag, whenever possible. You can get anything you want in life as long as you help enough people get what they want. DANNY ARIDI Universal Music’s multiple award-winning singer and songwriter 29 THE CREATIVES | HOT 1OO 2O19 VANDALYE An alternative folk-rock band that’s entertaining the masses This year, we got to be the opening act for Snow Patrol and the first few singles from our upcoming album were released. The main thing is that we need is to be more educated on sustainability and stop denying these issues. We should all know what climate change is. Many of us sort of get it but very few actually understand it. We should listen to what the scientists say, not politicians. We’re looking forward to the release of the rest of Vandalye’s album. It’s been a very exciting process and we’ll hopefully start recording our second album, too. BASIL ALHADI @karrouhat is a songwriter, DJ and a model with a special focus on saving the planet My highlight for this year was walking as a model at Paris Fashion Week and DJing for the after party. I limit my plastic usage and all other products that are not environment friendly. I do beach and desert cleanups with a friend and I’m currently working on an environmental project. I hope to raise more awareness about this topic. I am usually inspired on the streets and through interaction with people and by connecting with my roots. I also enjoy nice architecture. Next >