‘Great musician’: Turkiye’s Evdeki Saat heaps praise on Pakistani Shae Gill after Coke Studio collab

This screengrab, taken on June 26, 2023 from the music video of new song 'One Love,' released by Coke Studio Pakistan on June 23, 2023, shows Pakistani singer Shae Gill and Turkish singer Evdeki Saat. (Photo courtesy: Coke Studio)
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Updated 26 June 2023
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‘Great musician’: Turkiye’s Evdeki Saat heaps praise on Pakistani Shae Gill after Coke Studio collab

  • The two singers came together for the song ‘One Love’ for the platform’s second season
  • Song is about love & connection, brings together Turkish, Pakistani & modern music cultures

KARACHI: Turkish singer Evdeki Saat, who recently collaborated with Pakistan’s Shae Gill for Coke Studio Global, has heaped praise on the Pakistani singing sensation and described her as a “great musician,” following the release of their song ‘One Love.’

One Love was released on June 23 as part of Coke Studio Global Season 2. The song is about love and connection, and brings together Turkish, Pakistani and modern music cultures.

The Season 2 lineup features 19 breakthrough artists, including Gill, Saat, Afroto from Egypt, Shreya Ghoshal from India and Korea’s NewJeans, brought together to create music collisions.

Commenting on the venture, Saad said the project was itself very “exciting” and he always loved to connect with other musical cultures.

“Shae is a great representative of her culture, also a great musician and personality,” he was quoted as saying in a Coke Studio global statement. “I enjoyed the challenging process of our decision on making of the song.”

Saat himself is a rising musician of alternative pop in Turkiye, whose claim to fame is 2020’s ‘Uzunlar V1,’ which has crossed 120 million views on Spotify. Saat made his debut with ‘Biraz Olsun’ on YouTube that garnered appreciation for the singer through the word of mouth.

Saat said he wanted to experience a global collaboration in his music career.

Born and raised in Pakistan’s Lahore, Gill’s journey began at a friend’s home from where her renditions of old classical songs gained popularity on social media.

“The inspiration for the track was based around the themes of romance, new love and the open expression of love,” she said One Love.

The Pakistani singer said Saat was a “gifted” musician and it was a pleasure for her to collaborate with him.

“On top of that I felt like we made a lot of sense musically and that just made this collaboration all the more exciting,” Gill added.

Gill shot to fame last year with her chart-topping track ‘Pasoori’ alongside renowned Pakistani singer Ali Sethi in Season 14 of Coke Studio Pakistan. The song with over 800 million views on YouTube got global recognition and made it to Google’s list of songs most hummed to search as well as the most searched song on the search engine.

The Coke Studio Global Season 2 was conducted by Grammy-winning American singer and composer Jon Batiste.

Joshua Burke, Coca-Cola’s global head of music & culture marketing, said it was all about bringing “incredible musical talent” together.

“Collisions are central to Coke Studio and are all about bringing incredible musical talent together across genres and cultures, to create fresh new sounds,” Burke was quoted as saying in the statement.


Qatar exhibition explores relationship between AI and humanity

Updated 21 January 2025
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Qatar exhibition explores relationship between AI and humanity

DOHA: The Media Majlis Museum at Northwestern University in Qatar launched “Ai or Nay? Artificial vs. Intelligent,” a thought-provoking exhibition exploring humanity’s evolving relationship with machine learning. 

Running until May 15, the exhibition brings together over 20 works by international and regional artists.

Directed by Alfredo Cramerotti, the exhibition emphasizes interdisciplinary dialogue, he said. “For me, it’s important as a curator to combine arts with something else and have a foot in art and a foot in something like technology or media,” Cramerotti told Arab News.

Alfredo Cramerotti (L) is the director of the exhibition and Jack Taylor (R) is the curator. (Supplied)

“We’re embedded in an environment of communication, technology, and media and (in this exhibition) we bring in artistic elements… to tackle themes that are relevant for society now.”

On display are installations from international creatives such as Jan Zuiderveld (Netherlands), Patrick Tresset (France/Belgium), and Adnan Ayub Aga (UAE/Portugal), alongside interactive and visual works by Amr Alngmah (Yemen/Egypt), Farjana Salahuddin (Bangladesh), graphic designer Hind Al-Saad (Qatar), Hadeer Omar (Egypt) and Bilge Emir (Turkey/Germany).

“We thought, let’s bring in in different voices — from the region and internationally, from different sectors of society and cultures — to help us understand the different pinch points of AI to make the general public more aware of certain issues,” explained Cramerotti.

The exhibition brings together over 20 works by international and regional artists.(Supplied)

The exhibition also addresses the tension between digital and physical experiences, he added: “This hybridity is central to the show. It’s about being aware of how AI and information flows shape our identities and impact our lives.”

As an example, Cramerotti highlighted the work of Al-Saad and Omar, which features screen walls offering a glimpse into how AI works in our everyday lives.

“The idea of how computers see us is actually quite central, but it’s completely invisible — like facial recognition,” he said. “It is integrated in your life flow. You don’t notice it. But there is an incredible amount of ‘bio-politics’ behind it.”


Tiffany Trump stuns in Zuhair Murad gown during inauguration week

Updated 21 January 2025
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Tiffany Trump stuns in Zuhair Murad gown during inauguration week

  • Tiffany is married to Lebanon-born Michael Boulos
  • Married in 2022, they are expecting their first child

DUBAI: Tiffany Trump, the daughter of US President Donald Trump, turned heads this week in a dress by Lebanese designer Zuhair Murad at the Inaugural Candlelight Dinner, hosted at the National Building Museum in Washington, D.C.

Traditionally held on the eve of a US presidential inauguration, the black-tie event honors the incoming administration with an evening of celebration and speeches.

For the occasion, Tiffany, who is expecting her first child with husband Michael Boulos, chose a custom, chocolate-brown chiffon gown with an asymmetric one-shoulder neckline, and a cape-like sleeve that flowed dramatically.

The dress was cinched at the waist and highlighted by intricate draped detailing on the bodice.

On Monday morning, Tiffany and Boulos attended services at St. John’s Church in Washington, D.C., a longstanding tradition for incoming presidents and family members.

Later in the day, she joined her family at the swearing-in ceremony, which was held indoors at the Capitol Rotunda due to extreme cold weather.

She also attended the inaugural parade at the Capital One Arena and the inaugural balls that evening.

For the day’s events, she wore a velvet navy-blue coat cinched at the waist, accessorized with minimal jewelry and leather point-toed stiletto boots.

She wore a velvet navy-blue coat cinched at the waist, accessorized with minimal jewelry and leather point-toed stiletto boots. (Getty Images)

Tiffany and Boulos tied the knot in 2022. For her special day, the bride wore a custom-made Grecian-style gown by Lebanese designer-to-the-stars Elie Saab.

Tiffany chose her wedding dress as a nod to Boulos’ heritage. “It’s a Lebanese-American wedding, so we were so happy to have Elie Saab create the magic,” said mother of the bride Marla Maples at the time, according to People magazine.

Boulos is of Lebanese and French descent and grew up in Lagos where his father, Massad, runs Boulos Enterprises and is the CEO of SCOA Nigeria.

The family is also linked to the world of Hollywood through Michael’s brother Fares, who is an actor and appeared in a 2017 episode of “The Crown.”

Boulos and Tiffany were engaged in January 2021, the day before Trump left office following defeat in the 2020 election.


Camila Alves McConaughey shines in Elie Saab at Riyadh event

Updated 20 January 2025
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Camila Alves McConaughey shines in Elie Saab at Riyadh event

DUBAI: Lebanese couturier to the stars Elie Saab took to Instagram to give a shoutout to model Camila Alves McConaughey, who wore the label to the recent concert “Life is a Dream,” led by Hollywood giant Anthony Hopkins in Riyadh.

“@camilamcconaughey attended the ‘Life Is A Dream’ concert composed by Sir Anthony Hopkins with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra alongside her husband Matthew in an ELIE SAAB Spring Summer 2025 look,” the label captioned the Instagram post.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A post shared by ELIE SAAB (@eliesaabworld)

Alves McConaughey, who attended the event with her actor husband Matthew McConaughey, wore a striking yellow gown to the event, with flowing caped sleeves and a plunging neckline.

Meanwhile, US pop sensation Christina Aguilera, who performed at the Joy Awards ceremony over the weekend in Riyadh, also opted for an Elie Saab creation for the first part of her performance.

Aguilera took to the stage in a dramatic burgundy gown from Elie Saab’s Haute Couture Autumn Winter 2024 collection. The glittering gown saw Aguilera channeling old-school 1920s Hollywood glamour. The dress flowed into a feathered train, and she completed the look with a chiffon scarf, draped over her head and shoulders.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A post shared by ELIE SAAB (@eliesaabworld)

The same event saw Alves McConaughey opt for another yellow gown, this time from Oscar de la Renta.

As for the symphony concert, in a captivating blend of art and humanity, Hollywood icon Hopkins graced the Bakr Al-Shaddi Theater in Boulevard City, Riyadh, with a performance titled “Life is a Dream” as part of the Riyadh Season festivities.

Introduced by fellow actor Morgan Freeman, Hopkins opened his speech with the Arabic greeting, “As Salaam o Alaikum,” setting a tone of cultural respect and unity.

Hopkins shared his reflections on life and art, drawing from the words of Edgar Allan Poe: “I have always believed that all we see or seem is but a dream within a dream.”

Reflecting on his life, he described the path from “the son of a simple baker” in South Wales to a world-renowned composer and actor.

“My life, to me, is a profound mystery,” he said. “It’s impossible to understand or take credit for the blessings I’ve been given. That’s why I believe life is a dream, and this piece, ‘Life is a Dream,’ was inspired by my dreamy childhood in South Wales, my wonderfully supportive mother and my father, who was larger than life and worked tirelessly throughout his life.”


Italian sculptress Ariana Palmieri contemplates world’s cyclicity at Tuwaiq Sculpture 

Updated 20 January 2025
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Italian sculptress Ariana Palmieri contemplates world’s cyclicity at Tuwaiq Sculpture 

RIYADH: With the theme “Then and Now: Joy in the Struggle of Making,” the sixth edition of the Tuwaiq Sculpture symposium has brought together 30 sculpture artists from around the world.

Among them is Italian artist Ariana Palmieri, whose piece “Motion of Revolution” was inspired by the movement of the solar system around the sun. Depicting the inevitable cycles of birth and death, the work contemplates the notion that birth is conditioned by assured fatality. 

Adriana Palmieri at her Tuwaiq Sculpture symposium booth. (Instagram)

“It’s all about the circularity of life — you are born, you are a child, then you are an adolescent, then you grow older, and then you die. But your life will continue after this, and we give life to other things. So it’s more about how everything is connected and a circularity of life; as humans move within the planets, the planets are moving around the sun,” Palmieri told Arab News. 

Originally from Milan, Palmieri moved to Carrara, a town known worldwide for its white marble, to study sculpting. She graduated in 2023 and the 26-year-old is one of the youngest artists amongst the group at the symposium.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A post shared by (@palmieri.sculpture)

She says it is an opportunity to learn and grow as an artist. 

“It’s like a dream. I didn't think they would choose me because I am so young,” she said. “The last edition was more about people that had experience. This edition, they tried to concentrate more (on) the artwork and the background of the artist,” she said. 

The finished works will be exhibited from Feb. 12-24 and moved to various locations across the city as part of Riyadh Art’s initiative to beautify the capital.

“Public art is the main thing that our sculptures can achieve because you can do big stuff and they will be like a journal in some way. I’m really, really happy that I can do something so big that will stay there so much longer than me,” she said. 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A post shared by (@palmieri.sculpture)

Palmieri’s work is not merely a reflection of planetary movement but contemplates the existence of the human race and its role within a larger picture. Her work itself is a representation of this thought: As every human diminishes, remnants of them and their work on earth will be set in stone — waiting to be discovered by another. 

“I thought about nature a lot, and all of humanity. I hope at least that my art can get through this idea, to connect all the people,” she said.


Review: ‘A Man on the Inside’ – comedy series on Netflix

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Updated 19 January 2025
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Review: ‘A Man on the Inside’ – comedy series on Netflix

  • Dressed in impeccably pressed suits and armed with plenty of trivia about architecture, he saunters in, shyly at first, then begins to find his footing

“A Man on the Inside” is an eight-episode comedy series that premiered on Netflix in 2024, blending humor, heartfelt storytelling and a touch of mystery.

After retired professor and widower Charles Nieuwendyk (Ted Danson of “The Good Place”) speaks to his concerned only daughter, Emily (Mary Elizabeth Ellis), he decides to make a change. A year after her mother’s death, Emily encourages her father to find a new purpose; to take a class or try a new hobby.

With a love of newspaper cutouts (he would often clip and mail interesting articles to Emily), Charles finds an intriguing yet vague job listing in the classified section.

He is soon recruited by Julie, a private investigator (Lilah Richcreek Estrada), who reluctantly enlists his help to uncover the whereabouts of a stolen necklace in a local San Francisco retirement community.

At its heart, the series explores the evolving father-daughter relationship between Charles and Emily, along with her husband and three teenage sons.

It also shows Charles making friends and trying out new things at an age and stage in his life when he thought life ended with his wife’s death.

Dressed in impeccably pressed suits and armed with plenty of trivia about architecture, he saunters in, shyly at first, then begins to find his footing.

“He’s like if a podcast wore a suit,” one staff member aptly describes him.

Then another valuable item is stolen from the community. Then another.

Stephanie Beatriz (“Brooklyn Nine-Nine”) co-stars as Didi, the sharp and determined managing director of the retirement community, bringing her trademark wit and charm to the role.

The whodunit-style show examines coping with grief, lost love, and the excitement of new beginnings from the perspective of seniors.

Whether you’re here for the mystery, the comedy, or its effortless charm, the series delivers a family-friendly binge-worthy viewing experience.