Saudi social media star Osama Marwah nominated for a Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Award
Updated 02 February 2023
Arab News
DUBAI: Saudi social media star and YouTuber Osama Marwah has been nominated for the Favorite Arab Star prize at the 2023 Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Award, it was announced on Wednesday.
“When we were younger, we watched Nickelodeon. Today, we are among the nominees,” he wrote to his 4.2 million followers on Instagram. “Thank God. If it wasn’t for God and you, we wouldn’t be anything. Good luck to my creative friends who are also nominated.”
Best known for his vlogs and prank videos, Marwah is competing with Syrian comedian and social media personality Amro Maskoun, Jordanian YouTuber Raghda Kouyoumdjian – famous for her short comedy skits and lip sync videos; and Rozzah, a 19-year-old Jordanian content creator with more than 4.2 million followers.
The Favorite Arab Star award honors talents from the Middle East and North Africa.
The awards ceremony will take place on March 4 and will air in the Middle East on March 7 at 4:00 p.m. (Saudi time). The event will also be available to watch on OSN+ from March 8 onwards.
CBS Sports Analyst Nate Burleson and social media star Charli D’Amelio host the event.
Jordanian YouTuber Raghda Kouyoumdjian is famous for her short comedy skits and lip sync videos. (Supplied)
D’Amelio said in a released statement: “I got slimed at the KCAs in 2021, saw my sister get slimed at last year’s show and now, no one is safe with me as co-host!”
“Nate and I will make sure this year’s show is full of unexpected slime shots, impressive dances and surprise tricks along the way,” she added.
First-time nominees for this year’s edition include Jenna Ortega, Jack Harlow, GAYLE, Joji, Nicky Youre and Letitia Wright, among others.
“Stranger Things” leads the pack with six nominations, followed by “That Girl Lay Lay,” “High School Musical: The Musical: The Series” and “The Fairly OddParents: Fairly Odder” with four nominations each.
Fans around the world can now cast their votes across 31 categories on the official Kids’ Choice Awards website, with an additional 32 international categories available in regions around the world.
The six-episode docuseries delves into the journey of five Saudi Arabia clubs — Al-Nassr, Al-Hilal, Al-Ittihad, Al-Ahli and Al-Ettifaq — as they compete for the coveted league title.
Others who will feature include Al-Ettifaq’s manager Steven Gerrard, Al-Hilal’s Salem Al-Dawsari, Al-Ahli’s Feras Al-Buraikan, Al-Ittihad’s Talal Haji and Al-Nassr’s Abdulrahman Ghareeb.
Saudi jewelry brand APOA among winners at Fashion Trust Arabia Awards in Morocco
Brand founded by Saudi princesses in 2023 won the jewelry award
Al-Saud cousins are Mashael Khalid, Nourah Abdulaziz, Sarah Naif
Updated 25 October 2024
Arab News
DUBAI: Saudi Arabia jewelry label APOA won a top prize at the highly-anticipated Fashion Trust Arabia Awards’ sixth edition in Marrakesh, Morocco, on Thursday night.
Some of the celebrity guests at the event included Emirati singer Balqees Fathi, British model Jourdan Dunn, Egyptian-Dutch model Imaan Hammam, Lebanese-British fashion entrepreneur Karen Wazen and American-Lebanese supermodel Nour Arida.
The company, which won in the jewelry category, posted a picture on its Instagram Stories page of the award, with the caption: “Thank you to everyone who’s ever believed in us, supported us, wore our pieces, shared our story, and celebrated us tonight! We love you.”
The Riyadh-based brand was founded by Saudi Arabia princesses Mashael Khalid Al-Saud, Nourah Abdulaziz Al-Saud and Sarah Naif Al-Saud in 2023.
Since its launch in 2023, APOA — “injected with strong Saudi DNA” and inspired by culture, architecture, nature and travel — has dropped four eclectic collections, which the cousins call “chapters.”
HIGHLIGHTS: Vian Sora’s ‘House of Pearls’ at The Third Line in Dubai
Updated 25 October 2024
Arab News
DUBAI: Highlights from Vian Sora’s ‘House of Pearls,’ which opens at The Third Line in Dubai on Oct. 31.
‘Biomimicry III’
Iraqi-American artist Vian Sora’s latest show “House of Pearls” is a collection that — according to The Third Line, where the exhibition runs until Dec. 5 — uses “pearls as a metaphor for achieving stability and the needed structural integrity for life itself to regenerate.” In it, Sora “explores … caustic cycles, the solid and fluid violent states intrinsic to nature from which pearls grow.”
‘Olivine’
Sora left her home city, Baghdad, following the US invasion of Iraq. In “House of Pearls” she draws on her experience as an immigrant and a survivor of war and “reflects on the uncertainty and shifting boundaries of existence, capturing the physical, mental and emotional toll experiences across nations, cultures, and time.”
‘Exhale’
Sora begins each work with just three colors, which she builds on gradually to achieve up to 20 colors in a piece. They depict “imagined landscapes and seas marked with distorted Arabic calligraphy” and are intended to “capture the vulnerability and courage of displaced individuals.” Abstraction, Sora says, allows her to “dive into the subconscious in a way that is impossible to replicate through illustration.”
RIYADH: A look at some of the designers that presented shows at the recently-concluded Riyadh Fashion Week.
Hindamme
The Saudi ready-to-wear label, helmed by Mohammed Khoja, presented a collection that, Khoja told Arab News, “really ties in the past, present and future.” Inspiration came from the ancient petroglyphs found around the Kingdom. For the show’s finale, however, the label collaborated with Saudi creative Lina Malaika to create T-shirts worn by Saudi musician Mishaal Tamer and model Taleedah Tamer. “It says ‘Saudi Arabia is the future’ because it is the future — in all fields,” Malaika said. Khoja added: “I truly believe in this message, because the opportunities and what we can achieve are limitless.”
Honayda
Egyptian actress Nelly Karim walked for Honayda Sanafi’s luxury ready-to-wear brand, sporting a form-fitting black gown with Najdi veil and handcrafted 3D flowers, all inspired by Saudi heritage, according to Sanafi.
Adnan Akbar
The Jeddah-based label, which bills itself as “the first Saudi fashion house” and has been operating since 1970, showed a collection of typically elegant and sophisticated dresses, including this bridal gown.
Tima Abid
The Saudi couture designer’s collection was inspired, she told Arab News, by her garden. “People might think it’s a poor garden lacking in color,” she said, “but I see it as very rich because of the care and attention I give it.” That attention was exemplified by the intricate detailing on outfits such as this one.
1886
The Riyadh-based fashion house showed a striking streetwear collection for both men at women on the fifth and final day of Riyadh Fashion Week, one that was, according to the brand, “a fusion of elegance and modernity.”
Atelier Hekayat
The Jeddah-based label founded by sisters Alia and Abeer Oraif presented a collection they called “Hotel de Hekayat,” which, Alia said, was a story of “the journey of finding love.” Each of the 30 designs on show was supposed to represent a room in the ‘hotel.’
Kaf by Kaf
Designer Kawthar Alhoraish’s label presented its Spring/Summer 2025 collection, which Alhoraish titled “Artificial Beauty.” Alongside the human models, Alhoraish also employed this ‘robot model’ to show off one of her designs inspired by nature.
Setting the stage for Soundstorm: Alex Reardon of Silent House on designing the region’s biggest music festival
Updated 25 October 2024
Shyama Krishna Kumar
DUBAI: What do Taylor Swift’s “Eras” tour, Usher’s Super Bowl halftime performance, Doja Cat’s Coachella show and Saudi Arabia’s MDLBEAST Soundstorm have in common? They’ve all had Los Angeles-born production studio Silent House to thank for their exceptional stage design and production.
Leading the creative direction and design for Soundstorm since 2020, Silent House president Alex Reardon says bringing their skills to the Middle East — and, specifically, the Kingdom — has been a richly rewarding experience.
Leading the creative direction and design for Soundstorm since 2020, Silent House president Alex Reardon says bringing their skills to the Middle East — and, specifically, the Kingdom — has been a richly rewarding experience. (Supplied)
“There is a desire in the region not just for the biggest shows, but also for the best or most creative shows. It is relatively easy to do big, but when we level up to groundbreaking — to be innovative, to be revolutionary — that’s where the real challenges and real rewards are,” Reardon told Arab News.
“Additionally, I’d say that there is a burgeoning production community who are focused on learning from the experience we bring,” he continued. “To be able to share knowledge with young, motivated, intelligent people is an unexpected and seriously appreciated takeaway.”
Soundstorm returns to Riyadh for its fifth edition from Dec. 12 -14. Stars in this year’s roster include rap legend Eminem, US rock band Thirty Seconds to Mars, British rock band Muse, Swiss DJ duo Adriatique (Adrian Shala and Adrian Schweizer), German DJ Boris Brejcha, Italian DJ Marco Carola, British-Canadian DJ Richie Hawtin and many more.
“We’ve been working on this year’s show since the end of February,” Reardon said. “There is a wonderful sense of collaboration with the MDLBEAST team — as well as deep friendship. So, we have the pleasure of starting with a blank slate of conceptual design iterations for the different stages and communal spaces.”
When asked about any major changes or updates, he said: “I’d certainly not want to spoil the surprises to come, but the audience can expect to see both evolution and revolution at the festival this year. We continue to focus on providing both visiting artists and attendees the best festival experience on Earth.”
Reardon explained that Silent House approaches every event by listening to their client’s “highest-level ambitions.”
“If we’re designing for a music artist, we discuss the album. If we’re designing a corporate event, we talk with the C-Suite executives to find out what the event means to them. Why do we do this and not start with presenting preliminary concepts? It’s so that as we progress down the design timeline, we have crystal-clear alignment with the client on their goals,” he said.
In the case of Soundstorm, the Silent House team collaborated with MDLBEAST’s upper-level management to create a festival that serves both artists and audience.
“For the artists, we wanted to create an experience that would far exceed their expectations, meaning we want to go further than just a great stage to perform on. The experience includes transport to the event, backstage hospitality, seamless integration of their visuals into the stage screens, and layered 24-hour tech support.
“For the audience, we want to provide a visual and auditory adventure through different soundscapes and physical environments, each with unique characteristics,” he explained.
Reardon’s own personal favorite Soundstorm design element is not one of the multiple massive stages (one of which even earned a Guinness World Record in 2021 for “tallest stage”), but “MDLTOWN” — a central location for rest, relaxation and refuelling.
“Having never designed a public space before, it was a rare challenge to find a way to provide seating, communal space, a central sculpture, emergency access, et cetera,” he said. “I wanted it to reflect the influence of traditional Arabic architecture while still being modern in appearance. It’s a lovely place to hang out with friends and rest before diving back into the extraordinary stages and performances.”
And the key to pulling off a successful event in Saudi Arabia? “Collaboration and communication,” said Reardon. “Our friends in the Kingdom have been excellent at regular communication and have given us agency to collaborate so we can all elevate the experience to new heights year on year.”
