TOP SESSIONS: TALENT

Insight: Due to XP Music Futures being in its second year, naturally regional attendees for this new conference are drawn to high profile international speakers. The goal for XP 2023 is to have sessions led by female artists and industry leaders be the highest-attended panels and workshops.

1

MAESTRO XPERIENCE: FIRESIDE CHAT WITH DJ KHALED, LARRY JACKSON AND FAT JOE

Moderators: Baloo Ahmad Alammary, Nada Alhelabi, Yasmine Rasool Speakers: Larry Jackson, DJ Khaled, and Fat Joe

2

MATHEW KNOWLES: THE FUNDAMENTALS OF THE MUSIC INDUSTRY IN A DIGITAL AGE

Moderator: Enjy Kiwan

Speaker: Mathew Knowles

3

MAESTRO XPERIENCE: FIRESIDE CHAT WITH DAVID GUETTA

Moderator: Yasmine Rasool

Speaker: David Guetta

4

MAESTRO XPERIENCE: انايلا ELYANNA ةيبرعلا ةغللاب ةسلج

Moderator: Adel Speaker: Elyanna

5

MAESTRO XPERIENCE: IN CONVERSATION WITH AROOJ AFTAB

Moderator: Jara

Speaker: Arooj Aftab

“There’s change happening. Change is uncomfortable! But it’s an opportunity to modify and adjust to what’s happening around you, be on the ground floor, make an impact, and work together in building opportunities here.”

Mathew Knowles, American music executive, entrepreneur, and university lecturer best known for managing Destiny’s Child and Beyoncé, kicked off his XP Day program session, Mathew Knowles: The Fundamentals of the Music Industry In A Digital Age by turning it to the audience. “All the artists: if you are a singer, vocalist, rapper, DJ, stand up.” He then asked the producers and songwriters, the current and aspiring video directors, entertainment attorneys, and label owners to do the same.

His point: “The answer is in this room. Don’t rush up here to take a photo—rush to meet the people in this room!” He urged attendees to build new collaborations with one another, whether it be new songs, music videos, licensing their work into movies and TV, or building connections to help their careers.

Interwoven with stories from the early days of Destiny’s Child, Knowles shared firsthand insights from his career. His tips ranged from what makes the “secret sauce” of a hit song (hint: it’s in the hook) to what makes a label want to work with artists repeatedly. Emphasizing core marketing and clear branding themes— relevant in every era of the music industry— Knowles focused on the big picture of the music ecosystem and hard work, patience, and tenacity, no matter the role.

Knowles dedicated the second half of the session to dialogue with the audience. Attendees, including XP Nite and Soundstorm artists from Riyadh, Dubai, Cape Town, and London, crowded the aisle to ask big questions about career development, breaking into new markets, and building a compelling brand.

Knowles has been quoted encouraging Beyoncé and Solange to “practice failure”: to be ready to respond to performances not going as planned. (Both singers’ famously smooth responses to onstage snags attest to that strategy.) For Knowles, that ethos of seeing challenge as opportunity extends beyond showtime to the development of the Saudi music scene itself.