Why Saudi DJ KEH quit his job to focus on music

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DJ KEH does not regret quitting his job at Saudia to work as a professional DJ. (Supplied)
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Updated 12 August 2022
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Why Saudi DJ KEH quit his job to focus on music

  • DJ KEH: In 2017, I went to an event in the Philippines to attend an international DJ (event), and from here the spark started
  • DJ KEH: The nice thing about being a DJ is that you can create a common bond between you and the audience and take them on a journey through music

RIYADH: Though delivering beats and remixes for a living may seem risky, Saudi DJ KEH does not regret quitting his job at airline carrier Saudia to work as a professional DJ.

“My music career started in 2017 with great potential to make a huge difference in the (electronic dance music) scene in Saudi Arabia due to the popularity and unique style,” he told Arab News.

“In 2017, I went to an event in the Philippines to attend an international DJ (event), and from here the spark started,” he said, adding that he was transfixed by the way the DJs at the turntables bewitched audiences with their shows. 

“There, I realized that I wanted to be a DJ. I didn’t even finish my vacation,” he said. “I went back to start learning, but my family was not supportive at the beginning because, as always, there is something strange about anything new … but after a while, my mother supported me in every possible way.”

Now DJ KEH gets requests to play at public and private events, and has played across a whole raft of events in Saudi Arabia.

“The nice thing about being a DJ is that you can create a common bond between you and the audience and take them on a journey through music,” he said of his profession. “Through music, you can enter the hearts of all people without saying a single word.”

He added that he thinks that it is important for music classes to be introduced into all communities.

“It is very important to have music in the community to learn about other cultures. The language of music brings all the world together,” said the DJ.

He says his musical journey has been influenced by many DJ’s, including a close friend.

“I was inspired by my friend and my first supporter, Hani Al-Bangari, and there are many local talents. Globally, there are many, starting with David Guetta and Martin Carol Cox,” he said.

Sharing his future plan, which is to represent his country at the biggest international events as well as possible, he said: “I want to prove that we are successful in all areas whenever the opportunity arises.

“I think the government is giving space to talented local musicians, and this is one of the directions of Vision 2030. Now, my goal and the goal of all DJs is to develop the DJ profession in Saudi Arabia.”


Ghiya Rushidat’s album ‘Chasing Dopamine’ seeks to help listeners with ADHD

Updated 01 July 2025
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Ghiya Rushidat’s album ‘Chasing Dopamine’ seeks to help listeners with ADHD

RIYADH: As the awareness around neurodiversity spreads, composer and pianist Ghiya Rushidat and cognitive scientist and author Dr. Scott Barry Kaufman have co-created a genre-defying musical experience tailored specifically for people with ADHD, or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.

Symptoms of ADHD include inattention (not being able to keep focus), hyperactivity (excess movement that is not fitting to the setting) and impulsivity (hasty acts that occur in the moment without thought).

The upcoming collaborative album, “Chasing Dopamine,” blends neuroscience, ambient soundscapes and special composition into a powerful auditory journey designed to enhance focus, emotional regulation and mental clarity.

The album cover for the upcoming meditation album. (Supplied)

“What I’m really hoping is that when people listen to this, whether they have ADHD or not, that they not only feel compassion for themselves, but they also are able to achieve their goals, or at least feel better about their day-to-day life,” Saudi Arabia-born, Jordan-raised composer Rushidat told Arab News.

Set to release this summer, the album is anticipated to be the first in a series tackling different neurotypes, including OCD and autism.

The tracks will feature guided spoken word by Dr. Kaufman, layered with original music composed by Rushidat. Each track is tailored for different ADHD states: Hyperfocus, feeling emotional overwhelmed, low dopamine, task initiation, creativity, and grounding.

“It’s more of a storytelling kind of track for each topic, rather than just one basic music track that doesn’t change or do anything. That’s more stimulating to the ADHD brain, and that just doesn’t allow you to get distracted during the meditation, but rather just be focused, because you don’t really know what to expect afterwards,” Rushidat said.

“The album, the seven tracks, take you through that process (of) overcoming brain fog, and then overcoming procrastination, and then how to ground yourself and how to feel good about yourself and not beat yourself up because you’re not getting enough things done.”

After her late ADHD diagnosis, Rushidat found that none of the existing meditation albums were compatible with her brain’s wiring. “I couldn’t sit still for five minutes or focus on my breathing at all,” she said. She decided to create her own affirmations that worked for her, prompting her interest in creating a collaborative album with Dr. Kaufman.

“ADHD comes with challenges as well as gifts. If we can help quiet the ADHD mind just enough to get into a creative flow state; there is no limit to what people with ADHD can achieve,” Kaufman said.

Considering his cutting-edge research in creativity, neurodivergence and positive psychology, and Rushidat’s award-winning background in music composition, the work aims to be a science-informed, musically immersive tool for the ADHD community.

“Of course, you don’t expect people to just heal from this. As cliche as it sounds, but ADHD is a superpower because there are so many advantages to it. Once you figure out and realize that this is what you have, then you just navigate through life with that diagnosis,” Rushidat said.

Kaufman is a professor of psychology at Columbia University and director of the Center for Human Potential.  He has written for The Atlantic, Scientific American, Psychology Today, and Harvard Business Review, and he is the author and editor of 11 books. Rushidat is a Grammy, BAFTA and Emmy voting member and has scored films, games and performed at Carnegie Hall. She works between Los Angeles, Dubai and Riyadh.


US revokes Bob Vylan’s visas over Glastonbury chant

Updated 01 July 2025
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US revokes Bob Vylan’s visas over Glastonbury chant

DUBAI: The US has revoked entry visas for members of British punk-rap duo Bob Vylan following their Glastonbury Festival set, during which frontman Bobby Vylan led the crowd in a controversial chant against Israel’s military.

Performing on the festival’s West Holts Stage on Saturday, the artist shouted “Free, free Palestine” before encouraging the audience to chant, “Death, death to the IDF (Israel Defense Forces).” Video of the moment quickly spread online, sparking backlash.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A post shared by Bob Vylan (@bobbyvylan)

On Monday, US Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau announced the visa revocation on social media platform X, stating, “Foreigners who glorify violence and hatred are not welcome visitors to our country.” He confirmed that the State Department had rescinded the band’s US visas due to their “hateful tirade.”

The group was scheduled to begin a US tour in late October, as previously announced on their official Instagram account.

The visa decision comes amid growing scrutiny from US authorities under what they describe as a tougher stance on individuals accused of promoting anti-Semitism or inciting violence. The State Department has recently implemented stricter policies on visa restrictions in such cases.

Bobby Vylan released a video statement on social media on Monday.

"First it was Kneecap, now it's us two," he said.

"Regardless of how it was said, calling for an end to the slaughter of innocents is never wrong. To civilians of Israel, understand this anger is not directed at you, and don't let your government persuade you that a call against an army is a call against the people.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A post shared by Bob Vylan (@bobbyvylan)

On Tuesday, the band took to Instagram to share an official statement.

“We are not for the death of Jews, Arabs or any other race or group of people. We are for the dismantling of a violent military machine. A machine whose own soldiers were told to use ‘unnecessary lethal force’ against innocent civilians waiting for aid. A machine that has destroyed much of Gaza,” read a part of the statement.

“We are being targeted for speaking up. We are not the first. We will not be the last. And if you care for the sanctity of human life and freedom of speech, we urge you to speak up, too,” they ended the post.

Meanwhile, UK police are reportedly investigating the incident.

Their Glastonbury set is the latest in a wave of pro-Palestinian expressions from artists amid Israel’s ongoing war in Gaza.


Review: ‘Holes’ is a prime example of quiet, impactful storytelling

Updated 30 June 2025
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Review: ‘Holes’ is a prime example of quiet, impactful storytelling

DHAHRAN: Saudi film “Holes” continues to make its mark with screenings at film festivals around the world. The quietly arresting drama follows Rakan, a man in his mid-40s, as he returns to his hometown to be with his wife, Reem. He struggles to re-enter a society that no longer trusts him — and one that he also does not fit into.

The film starts with a literal clock — which we don’t see — persistently ticking in the otherwise vacant interior of a residence, the loud but constant sound in the midst of silence sets the tone.

With a fiery but contained temper, eyes welling with sadness, we find out that Rakan is prone to fits of rage. He is portrayed as only having a soft spot for his aging mother and his wife, all while dodging men from his past who haunt him.

The film doesn’t linger on the specifics — there are many gaping holes in the story. Instead, it centers on how the weight of reputation, judgment and suffocating silence shapes a person trying to begin again.

It stars Mariam Abdulrahman and Meshal Almutairi and was produced by Ayman Alnaqeeb and Abdulrahman Altikhais.

Abdulmohsen Aldhabaan, the director of “Holes,” is an independent Saudi writer and filmmaker. He co-founded Talashi Films in 2008 and has directed several shorts and a TV series.

Aldhabaan‘s debut feature film, “Last Visit” (2019), gained international recognition, becoming the first Arab film selected for the East of the West Competition at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival. It also earned the Jury Award at the Marrakech International Film Festival.

With “Holes,” Aldhabaan continues his signature style of quiet, impactful storytelling marked by restraint and emotional depth.

In “Holes,” Aldhabaan crafts a slow, thoughtful narrative. Rather than relying on heavy dialogue or exposition, the film builds its emotional landscape through atmosphere — solitary walks at night, avoiding tiny puddles in the alleyways, prolonged pauses and distant glances — to explore isolation and inner conflict. The pacing may feel slow to some, but it seems deliberate — offering space for reflection and tension to build.

A persistent image in the film is a literal hole in the wall of Rakan and Reem’s new home. It is never ignored but also never fixed, and that choice is telling. At one point, it gushes water as Reem tries to stuff pretty-colored cloths to stop it — to no avail. It floods their bedroom and the couple tries to contain it together.

The hole becomes a powerful metaphor representing wounds that haven’t healed, things left unresolved, and the parts of a life that remain open to scrutiny or misunderstanding. It defines the space around it — the hole is a character all its own.


Palestinian solidarity takes center stage at Glastonbury

Updated 29 June 2025
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Palestinian solidarity takes center stage at Glastonbury

DUBAI: Glastonbury Festival 2025 is making headlines not just for its music, but for the powerful pro-Palestinian messages echoing across its stages and crowds.

Irish rap group Kneecap drew one of the festival’s largest crowds at the West Holts Stage. Dozens of Palestinian flags flew in the crowd as the show opened with an audio montage of news clips referring to the band’s critics and legal woes.

Mo Chara of Irish rap group Kneecap wearing a keffiyeh at Glastonbury festival. (AFP)

Between high-energy numbers that had fans forming a large mosh pit, the band members — sporting keffiyehs — led the audience in chants of “Free Palestine” and “Free Mo Chara.” They also aimed an expletive-laden chant at UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who has said he didn’t think it was “appropriate” for Kneecap to play Glastonbury.

One member wore a T-shirt emblazoned with “We Are All Palestine Action,” referencing the direct-action network that targets arms factories supplying Israel.

Earlier that day, punk duo Bob Vylan also stirred controversy with a performance that included the chant “Death to the IDF.” The statement has prompted a police investigation and sparked a broader debate over the limits of free speech in live performance.

Across the festival, Palestinian flags were visible in every direction — raised by artists, waved in the crowd, and printed on T-shirts and posters. Activist installations, including a projection mapping Gaza’s destruction, drew foot traffic near the Apocalypse Museum area, while several artists circulated an open letter calling for an immediate ceasefire.


REVIEW: ‘The Bear’ season four is a triumphant return to form

Updated 28 June 2025
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REVIEW: ‘The Bear’ season four is a triumphant return to form

DUBAI: We should’ve had more faith. Fears (including from this reviewer) that “The Bear” was floundering after the glacial pace of its third season can now be put to bed. Season four is pretty much everything fans of the show could’ve wanted: tense, dramatic, joyous, thought-provoking, funny and deeply moving. And with plenty of further proof that this might be the most talented ensemble cast currently on our screens.

Season three ended with the fate of the titular restaurant in the balance as the team — led by star chef Carmen “Carmy” Berzatto (Jeremy Allen White), his mentee Syd Adamu (Ayo Edebiri), maître d’hôtel Richie Jerimovich (Ebon Moss-Bachrach), and business manager Natalie “Sugar” Berzatto (Abby Elliott) — awaited a make-or-break review in the Chicago Tribune. That’s quickly resolved: Despite some highly positive comments, the review is ultimately a dud — thanks largely to Carmy’s stubborn insistence on changing the menu daily; a choice that isn’t just leading to inconsistent performance from his team, but in heavy hits to the budget as they can’t bulk buy from suppliers.

So, that old enemy time takes center stage, as financial backer Uncle Jimmy (Oliver Platt) and his ruthless cost-cutting friend The Computer install a countdown clock in the kitchen, giving the team 1,440 hours to save itself. That clock hits zero in the excellent final episode.

In between times, the development of several characters’ back stories that contributed to the feeling of aimlessness last year starts to pay off here, as much of the action is taken out of the kitchen and into a deeper exploration of what the show is really about: family — the ones we’re born into, the ones we choose, and the ones that choose us. Once again, there’s a Berzatto (extended) family get-together at the season’s heart in a one-hour episode set at Richie’s ex-wife’s wedding. The stage is set for another dysfunctional social disaster. Instead, we get something altogether warmer but equally dramatic. It’s exceptional television.

At the heart of it all is the characters’ continued quest for self-improvement — from Tina’s attempts to improve her cooking speed, through Syd’s efforts to silence her self-doubt, to Carmy’s endeavors to allow emotional connections into his life and stop self-sabotaging.

This season may still be a little too slow for those pining for the claustrophobic hyperactivity of season one, but the creators have found a sweet spot here between that and the stagnation of season three. “The Bear” is back.