LAHORE: Pakistanis got the treat of a lifetime on Friday night as Abida Parveen, Pakistan's most outstanding musician, sang qawwalis and kafis – variations of Pakistani folk and classical music – to a swooning audience at Lahore’s palatial Governor House.
The first of its kind Sufi Night, which started with traditional Sufi dances, was organised by Seed Out, Pakistan’s first interest-free crowdfunding platform, in an attempt to raise money to set up small businesses for underprivileged Pakistani entrepreneurs.
Since 2013, Seed Out has funded 600 small entrepreneurs and sent 1,600 child labourers to school. Friday’s event itself raised funds to micro-finance 150 small new businesses.
“Seed Out has always been committed to fight poverty,” president of the platform Zain Ashraf Mughal said. “However, we cannot do it alone. This year we wanted to bring all Pakistanis to come together and play their part to lift thousands of families out of poverty.”
Mughal, a graduate of the University of Miami, is the first Pakistani to receive the prestigious 2018 Commonwealth Youth Award. He was also shortlisted for the Forbes Asia 30 under 30 list for 2019 and has been ranked as Pakistan’s top 25 high achievers under 25 by Tech Juice.
Friday night's rare music performance by Parveen was attended by over 1,200 celebrities, cricket stars, politicians, diplomats and members of the who's who of Lahori society. Hundreds of hands waved overhead and the crowd sang along as Parveen serenaded the audience with songs whose message was ecstatic devotion and which praised saints, poets and philosophers revered by Sufism, the mystical branch of Islam.
Parveen is a master of the Sufi style of music called the kafi. Like the qawwali, which was popularized globally by Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, the kafi sets classical poems by poets like Baba Farid, Bulleh Shah, Shah Hussain, Abdul Latif Bhittai, Sachal Sarmast and Khwaja Ghulam Farid to visceral tunes that leave the singer and the audience clapping and swaying. The themes are the love of the divine and oneness with a larger being or spirit.
Parveen’s first US tour was back in 1993 and she has since travelled across the world to perform at sold-out venues. She was born into a long line of Sufi mystics and singers and her father, Ghulam Haider, the founder of a devotional music school in Sindh, trained her, rather than his two sons, to pursue music.
In recent years, Parveen’s career has also taken a commercial turn. She has performed on Coke Studio, Pakistan's biggest music show, and joined the judging panel of the hugely popular TV talent show Sur Kshetra, which is filmed in Dubai and pitted Indian and Pakistani musicians against one another. Her spiritual ghazals have also appeared in Bollywood films.
At Lahore’s palatial Governor House, queen of Sufi music sings praises to the saints
At Lahore’s palatial Governor House, queen of Sufi music sings praises to the saints
- Abida Parveen performed classic qawwalis, ghazals and kafis to a packed audience on Friday night
- Event was organised by Seed Out, Pakistan’s first interest-free crowdfunding platform, and raised funds to micro-finance 150 small businesses
Brad Pitt’s F1 The Movie to premiere in Abu Dhabi this June
ABU DHABI: Brad Pitt’s Formula 1 film will return to Abu Dhabi for its regional premiere on June 25, ahead of its official Middle East release on June 26.
Directed by Joseph Kosinski and produced by Jerry Bruckheimer and seven-time F1 champion Lewis Hamilton, F1 The Movie was partly shot at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix last year.
The Apple Original Films production follows fictional former driver Sonny Hayes (Pitt) as he returns to Formula 1 decades after a career-ending crash, teaming up with a struggling race team and a hotshot rookie played by Damson Idris.
The cast and crew will return to Abu Dhabi for the red-carpet premiere after filming 29 days across the emirate, including at Yas Marina Circuit and Zayed International Airport. The production involved 284 local crew members and 15 interns, supported by local partner Epic Films and the Abu Dhabi Film Commission’s rebate scheme.
Mohamed Dobay, of the Creative Media Authority, called the return “a fitting closing moment” to a project that has made a significant impact on Abu Dhabi’s creative economy. The film is one of 180 major productions supported by the Abu Dhabi Film Commission since 2013.
Art Basel to launch new fair in Qatar
- Sheikha Al-Mayassa is leading the initiative in Doha
- Builds on ‘thriving ecosystem of culture and sports’
DUBAI: Art Basel is set to launch a new edition of its globally renowned fair in Qatar, scheduled for February 2026 in Doha.
Announced on Tuesday, the inaugural Art Basel Qatar is a joint partnership between the organization’s parent company MCH Group, Qatar Sports Investments, and QC+, a cultural commerce collective.
The fair will be held at M7 and the Doha Design District in Msheireb, at the heart of the city’s creative quarter.
It promises a tightly curated showcase of leading modern and contemporary art galleries, spotlighting talent from the Middle East, North Africa, South Asia, and beyond.
The initiative builds on Qatar’s long-term cultural vision, championed by Sheikha Al-Mayassa bint Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani, chairperson of Qatar Museums.
“We have built a thriving ecosystem of culture and sports … and are pleased to welcome the Art Basel organization as our partner,” she said.
The project follows Qatar’s successful hosting of the FIFA World Cup and aims to further position the nation as a hub for arts, sports, and tourism.
QSI’s Chairman Nasser Al-Khelaifi called the partnership “part of the legacy” of the World Cup and a new chapter in QSI’s investment in culture.
Art Basel CEO Noah Horowitz said the initiative “supports artists and galleries and develops new collecting audiences,” while MCH Group CEO Andrea Zappia added that it “will attract art buyers and fans from the region and all over the world.”
Art Basel Qatar will be the fifth fair in the Art Basel portfolio, joining editions in Basel, Miami Beach, Hong Kong, and Paris.
Elyanna to perform at Abu Dhabi Grand Prix concerts
- Elyanna known for mix of Arab, Western beats
- Concerts to feature some of world’s top stars
DUBAI: Palestinian Chilean singer Elyanna will perform at this year’s Abu Dhabi Grand Prix After-Race Concerts on Dec. 5 at the Etihad Park on Yas Island.
The young star is expected to sing some of her most popular tracks, including “Ghareeb Alay,” “Mama Eh” and her Arabic rendition of “La Vie en Rose.”
Her performance is a part of the Yasalam After-Race concerts, held alongside the Formula 1 Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, one of the UAE’s biggest entertainment and sporting weekends.
Elyanna joins a high-profile lineup of artists already announced for the four-night concert series, including Benson Boone on Dec. 4, Post Malone on Dec. 5, Metallica on Dec. 6 and Katy Perry on Dec. 7.
Access to the concerts is exclusive to Formula 1 ticket holders, with each night set to feature large-scale performances at the open-air Etihad Park.
Meanwhile, Elyanna has been normalizing Arabic lyrics in the Western world, taking inspiration from artists including Lana Del Ray and Beyonce, as well as Middle Eastern legend Fayrouz.
The Los Angeles-based singer’s music is a mix of Arab and Western beats, which she attributes to her multicultural upbringing.
Elyanna has built a strong relationship with British rock giants Coldplay, collaborating with them on the song “We Pray” and joining them on stage in multiple cities, including Los Angeles, Buenos Aires, Tokyo, Barcelona and Paris.
One of her standout appearances was during Coldplay’s four-night concert series in Abu Dhabi earlier this year, part of their “Music of the Spheres” world tour.
In April, Coldplay announced that Elyanna had again teamed up with the band to release a new version of “Ma Meilleure Ennemie,” a track originally performed by Belgian artist Stromae and French singer Pomme.
The reimagined version is featured on the extended soundtrack for season two of “Arcane,” the popular Netflix animated series based on the League of Legends universe.
The extended soundtrack features a star-studded lineup, including Twenty One Pilots, Stray Kids, King Princess, and D4vd.
Spanish, Belgian broadcasters say Eurovision televoting ‘encourages manipulation’ after Israel’s result at contest
- Israeli contestant Yuval Raphael unexpectedly came in second place
- ‘A system in which everyone can cast up to 20 votes is a system that encourages manipulation,’ says Flemish parliamentarian
LONDON: Spanish and Belgian broadcasters have accused Eurovision Song Contest organizers of “encouraging manipulation” after the Israeli contestant won their public vote and came second in the 2025 competition.
RTVE, Spain’s public broadcaster, and the Flemish VRT have filed complaints with the European Broadcasting Union, the organizer, requesting an investigation into last week’s televoting system results.
Israeli contestant Yuval Raphael unexpectedly came in second place after Austria’s JJ, who won Eurovision with 436 points with his song “Wasted Love.”
Raphael, who was at the Nova Music Festival in southern Israel when Hamas attacked on Oct. 7, 2023, earned 357 combined points from the jury and public at the Eurovision final on May 17. Her result included 12 points, each awarded by the televoters in Spain and Belgium, despite the countries’ juries giving Israel a score of zero.
The Eurovision televoting system allows viewers to vote up to 20 times for a small fee charged for each vote via text or phone call. Each country’s contestant can earn a maximum of 12 points from either a jury or the public vote. To ensure fairness, contestants do not receive points from their own countries.
Katia Segers, a Flemish parliamentarian, said: “A system in which everyone can cast up to 20 votes is a system that encourages manipulation.
“Whether this manipulation occurred in our country and all other participating and non-participating countries must be investigated.”
She added: “The VRT must take the lead in requesting this investigation, and in holding the debate on the televoting system within the EBU, and on Israel’s participation.”
It was Israel’s second year participating in Eurovision while its military forces continue ongoing attacks in the Gaza Strip, which have killed over 52,000 Palestinians since October 2023.
More than 70 former Eurovision participants earlier this month accused Israel’s public broadcaster KAN of being “complicit in Israel’s genocide against the Palestinians in Gaza” and demanded the exclusion of Tel Aviv from the European contest.
Last week’s final performance by Raphael in Basel, Switzerland, was disrupted by pro-Palestine protesters who attempted to storm the stage. The winner, Austria, will host the 2026 edition.
RTVE’s coverage of the event displayed for 16 seconds a black screen with white lettering in Spanish and English that read: “When human rights are at stake, silence is not an option. Peace and Justice for Palestine.”
The message was perceived as a stance against Israel’s participation. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez on Monday called for Israel to be treated the same way as Russia following its invasion of Ukraine in 2022 and to be banned from future contests.
Managing Director of Eurovision Martin Green confirmed that the organization was taking Spain and Belgium’s complaint “seriously.”
He said: “It is important to emphasize that the voting operation for the Eurovision Song Contest is the most advanced in the world and each country’s result is checked and verified by a huge team of people to exclude any suspicious or irregular voting patterns.
“An independent compliance monitor reviews both jury and public vote data to ensure we have a valid result. We remain in constant contact with all participating broadcasters of the Eurovision Song Contest and take their concerns seriously.”
The Smashing Pumpkins to make UAE debut this October
DUBAI: Alternative rock icons The Smashing Pumpkins are set to perform in the UAE for the first time, with a one-night-only concert at Abu Dhabi’s Etihad Arena on Thursday Oct. 9, 2025. The show is part of the band’s global “Rock Invasion 2025” tour and marks their Middle East debut.
Led by founding member Billy Corgan, with longtime bandmates James Iha and Jimmy Chamberlin, the Chicago-born group will deliver a setlist spanning their three-decade career. Fans can expect to hear beloved classics such as “1979,” “Tonight, Tonight,” and “Bullet With Butterfly Wings,” alongside newer tracks like “Beguiled” and “Empires.”
The Abu Dhabi stop is the final leg of their regional tour, which also includes performances in Tokyo, Seoul, Manila, Bangkok, Singapore, and Bahrain. The tour follows the release of their ambitious rock opera “ATUM” and their latest album “Aghori Mhori Mei,” released in late 2024.
Tickets for the Etihad Arena show go on sale through Live Nation Middle East, with artist and presale tickets available starting May 21, and general public sales opening on May 23 at 12 pm.
