Moroccan singer and rapper Manal Benchlikha, who is all set to perform at the upcoming Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Awards Abu Dhabi on September 16, believes in being authentic and keeping things real.
Read the full story here: https://gulfnews.com/entertainment/music/meet-manal-the-arab-pop-idol-and-top-performer-at-nickelodeon-kids-choice-awards-in-abu-dhabi-1.98051795
See more videos at https://gulfnews.com/videos
Read more Gulf News stories here: https://bit.ly/2HLJ2km
Subscribe to Gulf News on YouTube and watch more of our videos: https://www.youtube.com/user/GulfNewsTV
#UAEnews #music #Moroccan
Read the full story here: https://gulfnews.com/entertainment/music/meet-manal-the-arab-pop-idol-and-top-performer-at-nickelodeon-kids-choice-awards-in-abu-dhabi-1.98051795
See more videos at https://gulfnews.com/videos
Read more Gulf News stories here: https://bit.ly/2HLJ2km
Subscribe to Gulf News on YouTube and watch more of our videos: https://www.youtube.com/user/GulfNewsTV
#UAEnews #music #Moroccan
Category
🗞
NewsTranscript
00:00Thought about empowerment, it's very socially charged, I must add.
00:11So is that one of your recurring themes in the way you work?
00:15You want your composition to be like, I suppose, a weapon of change.
00:21I just want my music to make sense.
00:23I mean, we have a lot of amazing artists that sing and express themselves about important
00:33topics.
00:34And for me, my music has to make sense.
00:37I have a purpose.
00:38I want to share important messages.
00:41I want to help people overcome their fears, traumas, feel that they are not alone.
00:47So for me, it's very, very important to share implicit messages through my music.
00:54No, I love it.
00:56You know, yesterday I was watching this movie with Shah Rukh Khan.
00:59And he was, it's called Jawan.
01:01And he was talking about the right to vote and how you should exercise that in a democracy.
01:06It's funny.
01:07And I was talking about how celebrities that are soft, you know, they're so good in terms
01:12of being a cultural soft power.
01:14And I think artists, to a large extent, you know, they are soft powers, don't you think?
01:20Of course.
01:21Today, we have the chance to have large platforms where millions and millions of people follow
01:30us on a daily basis.
01:31They see what we do.
01:32They see what we eat.
01:33They see random things we do.
01:38So I think we have to use these platforms to share more important messages.
01:43Of course.
01:45And in this era of oversharing, like you said, you know, everything is shared on social media.
01:50We know a bit too much about you.
01:53How do you ensure that you're relevant?
01:56I just make sure to be 100% myself.
02:00I'm not scared to show my flaws.
02:02I'm not scared to show my imperfections, my insecurities.
02:06I try to, I know that I'm followed by little girls, teenagers, and I know how social media
02:14can be triggering to them.
02:16I know how people can have anxieties.
02:20They can be depressed just due to social media.
02:23I think that people created social media to connect people.
02:27But today, for me, social media can be very tricky because, of course, it's amazing.
02:33We can talk, like I can get to talk to you.
02:35Who would have said that one day we would have meet?
02:40And for me, what's super important for me is just to share what's real.
02:46I always try to share the real things we live because when you get, like when you have this
02:54idea about an artist, you're like, oh, they're living the dream life.
02:58They travel everywhere.
03:02They travel in the best places.
03:04But the reality is completely different from that.
03:08We live on a daily basis, the challenges, the problems, the mistakes, and I really try
03:15to make it real on my social media so that people can get to know the real me and at
03:21least feel good about themselves, too.
03:25Of course, I like that, especially because, like you said, you are an idol to several
03:29impressionable teenage girls and boys.
03:32At the end of the day, they just think that what you show is real.
03:35I'm not very sure if they're mature enough to filter what was orchestrated.
03:42You seem far more mature beyond your years.
03:47Did you just learn it early or did fame teach you that?
03:51Did fame teach me what?
03:54That you need to be real because most young artists are troubled.
03:59They don't know how to process fame, etc.
04:00With you, has that been an issue?
04:03I never thought about this, actually, but I don't think so because for me, fame is just
04:10a consequence.
04:11I never wanted to be famous.
04:12I wanted to sing.
04:13The only thing I knew is that I wanted to sing.
04:16Since I was a little child, I told everybody, I want to be a singer, and I didn't know the
04:24things that would come with it.
04:26So being recognized on the streets, getting to talk to people, I don't know, but they
04:33know me, I don't know them.
04:34For me, it's amazing that people tell me, oh, I saw that you were eating this.
04:39I saw that you were there.
04:40I saw I'm a fan of your songs.
04:43I love what you do.
04:44Your song helped me overcome my depression or something like that.
04:48And for me, it's just amazing.
04:50I try not to take it too seriously.
04:53For me, it's just a bonus, the fact that people love you without even knowing them.
05:00For me, it's amazing.
05:02I know I was looking at your social media account, and it has several million followers.
05:06And I'm like, that is something that an established singer, perhaps not so young, would get.
05:11But you seem to be.
05:12So how do you filter all the hate as well that comes with it?
05:15I mean, I'm sure you get a lot of women telling you or young girls telling you that you helped
05:19me go through a dark phase.
05:20But what about the hate that comes to you?
05:22How do you handle that?
05:23Of course, of course.
05:25For me, at the beginning, it was really hard because I thought it was personal.
05:29But I learned to deal with it because I know hate is never personal and everybody gets
05:39hate.
05:39Whatever you do, you can't please everyone.
05:44That's for sure.
05:45And when I learned how to deal with it, it was fine for me.
05:50I just learned that when someone says something about you, it has nothing to do about you,
05:56but it has more to do about them.
05:58So when I when I learned this, it switched in my head.
06:04That's lovely to hear that, you know, you are learning, you having coping mechanisms,
06:08so to speak, because I don't think you ever learn how to deal with it.
06:14How much are you looking forward to being in Ambadabi, meeting your fans in person?
06:19You know, it's like one event, I think, where you get to meet your fans, isn't it?
06:23Otherwise, there's always boundaries.
06:26Yeah, yeah, yeah.
06:27I always get surprised when when I travel abroad and people tell me, we listen to your
06:32music like in my head.
06:34My music is just on my phone.
06:36And when I swear and like when I when I travel and people tell me that they listen to my
06:43songs, I'm so happy.
06:45And this is the magic of music.
06:47Music has no boundaries.
06:48Language has no boundaries.
06:50I know that our dialect, Moroccan dialect, is is a bit complicated.
06:56So like even if you're you're Arab, you live in Arab countries, I know it's hard to understand
07:02our dialect.
07:03But but some people can listen to me even though they understand nothing to my dialect,
07:09but they just vibe with the with the music.
07:12And that's the magic of it.
07:15No, I love it, too.
07:16Like, I couldn't understand.
07:17I have been in this country for 17 years, couldn't understand, but I could get like
07:21you said, the vibe was real.
07:23Is that what you want to do as well?
07:25Because I feel Arab, you know, this country has so much of talent.
07:29I mean, untapped talent.
07:31And just to be noticed is so difficult.
07:33And you've done that.
07:35Even if, like you said, language is not a barrier.
07:37But how do you want your music to be perceived, Manal?
07:41Even if I don't know Arabic, how should I know your music?
07:44How do you want people to know your music?
07:47I just want them to feel that it's authentic, that it's my real self, that I try to express
07:58myself in the most genuine and real way and that they see that we, you know, making music
08:07is very is very hard because when you create music, you're being very vulnerable, vulnerable.
08:15And you create music that resemble to yourself, but you never know what people may feel about
08:21it.
08:22They might love it.
08:23They might hate it.
08:24They might relate to something and and not to other things.
08:30So when people tell me we felt this for me, I won.
08:34And I just want people to feel that anything I do is is comes from a real place.
08:43That's the most important thing for me.
08:45No, I love that.
08:45It comes from being authentic is not easy.
08:48And you also said something very interesting about making music.
08:50How difficult is it as a writer?
08:53There have been many times when I don't want to write like I refuse.
08:57I will take my dog out for a walk, whatever it takes just to put it off.
09:02How are you?
09:02What would you like to tell young people who want to write but can't write it stuff?
09:08What would you tell them?
09:09Just to never force it, because to never force it, but at the same time, never give up on
09:16yourself.
09:17I mean, even if you feel not in the mood, even if you don't want to do it, just try
09:23to overcome it, because whatever makes you feel good and whatever helps you overcome
09:29your fears, overcome your laziness, overcome the fact that you don't want to do it.
09:34But don't force it.
09:36If you feel that you can do it, don't do it, because nothing good will come after it.
09:41That's for sure.
09:42But just never give up on yourself and put yourself first, because doing like writing
09:49either like an article or a song or a book or whatever it is, you need to be in a safe
09:57in your head and in a good place to be able to express yourself in the best way possible.
10:03So these two things for sure.
10:07For sure.
10:07And Manal, there's always this stereotype attached to teenage idols that they are often
10:13they don't know, you know, they're troubled.
10:15They don't know how to handle all this kind of popularity, etc.
10:18Do you think that's a very fair analysis that when you find fans young, when you find
10:23popularity young, it's difficult to what would you say to that perception that it's difficult
10:29to be a teenage idol?
10:30Look at Justin Bieber, maybe.
10:31I'm just saying.
10:32Yeah, yeah, yeah.
10:33Of course, I think that what's important is your is the people around you.
10:39This is crucial.
10:40People around you should always remind you of who you are, of your true self, of the
10:46real things in life, of your values, of your education.
10:51For me, this is the most important thing, because fame sometimes can get really easy
10:56to like someone's head.
10:58And for me, being close to God, because I'm very.
11:06How can I explain it in English?
11:08But let me try to find the word.
11:15I'm very spiritual.
11:17Yes, and I think that the most the closer you are to God, the small smaller the things
11:26seem to you.
11:27So so I think that just being connected and being grounded and and having a strong support
11:36system around you can help you overcome all these all these things.
11:41Of course, of course.
11:42And do you have idols that you look up to perhaps emulate like, you know, especially
11:48in the Arab region?
11:49Do you do you look up to somebody and think, OK, maybe this is a career I want to I want
11:54to perhaps mirror, not copy them, but more like I like the way he or she has conducted
11:59herself or her work speaks to me.
12:02You know, I'm going to tell you something very personal.
12:07When when I used to see like succeeding people, I always said, I really want to be like this
12:15person, but you never know what it takes from them to be this famous and to to be this
12:20successful.
12:21I know a lot of people, you know, everything has a price.
12:25So if you want to be successful, you either learn to live a life where you don't see your
12:31family, where you have no social life, where you have a lot of things you you give up to
12:38be able to to be this successful.
12:40So I really want to be I have a lot of people that I see.
12:45And and when I look at them, I'm like, I'm sure they they they deserve where they are.
12:51They went through a lot.
12:52They work hard and a lot of women figure as well.
12:57But I just try to to to do it the healthiest way possible and and the most authentic way
13:06possible.
13:07So I don't have expectations.
13:12Yes, I just want to I just want to I just want to share things and whatever it takes
13:17me, it's it's fine if you if you if you know what I mean.
13:21I like that.
13:21I think in some way it's liberating as well.
13:23Right.
13:24When you say, OK, I'm going to do my best, leave the rest like the trappings that follows
13:28a byproduct.
13:29Great.
13:30If it happens.
13:30But otherwise, in your case as well, like what kind of a performer are you?
13:35Like if on stage, do you have a process like I've read so many copies where people say
13:41I eat seven M&Ms, which is just such a process that you follow.
13:46You can be honest.
13:47I won't judge you.
13:48Of course.
13:48Of course.
13:49I just like before getting to stage, I just don't talk to anybody.
13:53I need to be alone because I need to focus.
13:56And I try to like isolate myself somewhere just for like five or 10 minutes just to focus
14:03and to remember my remind myself of like myself, because I also dance like I perform and dance
14:11at the same time.
14:12So like I try to remind myself of the steps of what I should be doing, what I should not
14:17be doing.
14:18And like just a silent treatment to everybody next to me.
14:24That's good.
14:24You block people out.
14:25It's your zone.
14:26You just need to focus and then give.
14:28I've seen Beyonce performance stage, and I thought she was like the queen of, I don't
14:32know, live performances in Dubai for a private hotel opening.
14:35But I was there.
14:36I was there as well.
14:40I thought, wasn't she amazing?
14:44She's amazing.
14:45Yeah, but I saw the work she put into it.
14:48And her husband, Jay-Z, was looking at her closely, following her every move.
14:54And I was like, my God, she has a tribe supporting her.
14:57Who is your tribe like that?
14:58I mean, do you have somebody watching you closely as you perform to tell you later,
15:03listen, this is the postmortem.
15:04This is what you did, what you didn't do.
15:07Of course, my husband is my backbone.
15:10We work together.
15:11He's my producer.
15:12He was my manager five years ago.
15:17So my husband is my mirror.
15:19He's my self.
15:21So when I ask him, I know that it's going to be myself telling the same advice or remark.
15:29And I'm very well-rounded.
15:33I have Anissa, who's my manager.
15:34She's amazing.
15:35She's my support system.
15:37I'm so grateful because whenever I meet someone and they're like, what's your advice?
15:42I'm like, get to work with the people you trust and the people who love to see you shine.
15:49And trust me, it's so hard to find the right people because I've been through the other
15:54side and I know what it's like to be surrounded with the wrong people.
15:57And now having people surrounding me, protecting me, wanting me to be the best version of myself
16:05is great.
16:07I love it.
16:08I love it.
16:08And what's next for you as well?
16:10This is my last question.
16:12I know we are going to see you in Abu Dhabi.
16:13Very excited about that.
16:15But in terms of work, what's the most challenging thing on your plate right now?
16:22I have a lot of songs coming out.
16:23I've been working on my new album.
16:26It's called Arabian Heartbreak.
16:29It's such a challenging and important project for me.
16:35I'm going to be releasing the second song of the album on October.
16:42And I have another release before on September.
16:44So I'm so excited for you guys to discover what's coming up next.
16:48Of course.
16:49Thank God for heartbreaks.
16:50I think it fuels the entire music industry.
16:53I mean, when I think, was it Star is Born or something was released?
16:56I remember everybody jumping onto it.
16:59I think heartbreak is a great fuel for musicians.
17:02Of course.
17:05Do you have ideas on how to get over a heartbreak after you worked on this album by any chance?
17:10Or the answer is still elusive?
17:14I think time heals everything.
17:16And women have superpowers.
17:20So I think women can overcome everything in life and still put a smile on their face.
17:26And I'm so glad to be a woman today.
17:30And I'm so glad to be surrounded with women like you.
17:35So I'm not going to say much about it because it has a lot of surprises.
17:41But I'm super excited about it.
17:44I hope we get to hear a bit of it at the awards night as well.
17:47You never know.
17:48Just imagine a teaser to your fans.
17:50You never know.
17:51But we are definitely excited.
17:52Thank you so much.
17:53Is there anything you want to add?
17:54I would be happy to in the article that you want to perhaps tell your fans.
17:58Anything that you want to put out there?
18:01Just that I'm super grateful to have fans everywhere in the world.
18:08And I hope that they will like the new album.
18:16For me, it's my biggest project so far.
18:19It's my little baby.
18:20So I'm very excited about it.
18:24Great.
18:25You're showing that women can have it all.
18:27Or at least their version of all.
18:28Which is good.
18:29Of course.
18:30I'm happy that you're making music.
18:32Thank you for entertaining us.
18:33And I'm sure there's like an army of fans waiting to see you in Abu Dhabi in action.
18:39I really hope so.
18:40Thank you for having me.
18:41And hopefully we meet in real life soon.
Be the first to comment