CULTURE
Music for late nights Flash Entertainment continues its Regional Artist Spotlight initiative to champion regional music talent
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ith a blend of wistful R’n’B soul, and rugged hip-hop, Sobhhï’s sound is essential ‘music for late nights.’ He’s also a multifaceted artist, producing all of his own music, handling all his business himself and even directing his own videos and as the current number one streaming artist in the UAE, it seems that independence is working out just fine for him. How did you first get into music? I was seven years old when I wrote my first song. My parents signed me up for piano classes and we had a recital to prepare for. After they had taught us the basics, they had us pick one of three songs to play at the recital, but I was motivated to write my own song. I showed it to my teacher and he told me that I could play it at the recital. At such a young age, I got a chance to embrace my originality and I’m very grateful for that. The song was awful, but it was really nice to choose my own path. The feeling of performing original songs in front of people is what pushed me to pursue this. Who are the people that inspire you? The most influential moment for my music is Nostalgia Ultra by Frank Ocean, which is in my top three favourite albums and bottles a kind of feeling that I revisit often. Other
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MUSIC
“AT A YOUNG AGE, I GOT THE CHANCE TO EMBRACE MY ORIGINALITY AND I’M VERY GRATEFUL FOR THAT.” artists that inspire me are A Tribe Called Quest, James Fauntleroy, Drake, Jeremih, Joaoa Gilberto, 90s Amr Diab, and many, many more. What’s been the biggest moment of your career so far? I would say my greatest accomplishment, alongside my team of course, would be seeing the unanticipated success of the listening parties we’ve had around the world for the upcoming EP,
Purple. We had 450 RSVPs in New York City, 980 in Toronto, over a thousand in Dubai and roughly 2,000 in Jeddah. All venues reached max capacity shortly after doors opened. Being in the room with so many people who are singing the lyrics, showing us love, and supporting us, validates our purpose. The final listening party in Jeddah was a reminder that there are people out there who really believe in us.
What is your creative process like? I don’t really follow a process when I’m writing or producing a song. One thing that has been consistent for me is making sure that I know exactly what I’m in the studio for. I don’t like to aimlessly walk in and write songs that have no topic or thesis. Where have you performed? Unfortunately, we had to cancel our first planned
