E-Paper
Sign In
Meet the singer giving country music a UAE makeover
Crafting viral Nashville-style odes to Satwa and Jebel Jais, Lauren Claire Townley is proving that country music’s new heart beats in the Middle East
- PUBLISHED: Thu 19 Mar 2026, 1:50 PM
Have you heard these viral country songs on social media? “Take me home Sheikh Zayed Road to Deira... Nice and warm, stop at Satwa, I want a Ravi’s”, or “Out in RAK, I zipline off Jebel Jais Mountain... Stop in Wadi Shawka for a hike or a swim.”
They sound like love letters written while driving through a rustic highway in the US; except this one is addressed to the UAE. These playful, place-soaked lyrics belong to country songs reimagined for the Middle East by Lauren Claire Townley, a Manchester-born singer-songwriter who has found a second musical home under Dubai’s skyline.
Recommended For You
Lauren’s music lives at the intersection of storytelling and swagger; where Nashville meets UAE. Her latest single, Twang, is bold, unapologetic, and irresistibly fun: think Shania Twain’s pop polish colliding with the grit of Lainey Wilson, with the stage-filling confidence of a Carrie Underwood performance at a modern-day Gretchen Wilson honky-tonk.
Recorded in Nashville at Beaird Music Group, Lauren’s tracks feature elite session musicians whose credits include Taylor Swift, Blake Shelton and Tim McGraw. The result is a sound that moves effortlessly between country, pop, and rock, driven by punchy melodies, big choruses, and a vocal that is raw, gutsy, and instantly recognisable.
Making UAE Country
Now based in Dubai, Lauren is taking that Nashville spirit global. She is currently performing across the region as part of the Summer in Nashville UK and Middle East tour, with appearances on Dubai One TV and Dubai 92 radio. Her performance résumé spans the Abu Dhabi F1 Grand Prix, Sofar Sounds, Manchester Pride, Camp Bestival, La Folie Douce, and Steve Harvey’s Open Fire Food Festival, which is proof that her music travels just as easily as she does.
But it was a spontaneous, tongue-in-cheek cover that truly cemented her bond with the UAE. Reworking John Denver’s Country Roads with Dubai-specific lyrics, Lauren shared the video online and it went viral. TikTok and Instagram lit up. Lovin’ Dubai shared it. Audiences laughed, sang along, and then asked the most important question: Where can we hear more?
“That moment was eye-opening,” Lauren says. “I didn’t realise how many people loved classic country music here or how deeply a small lyrical twist could connect.” The response brought a flood of messages asking about her original songs, leading new fans straight to her Spotify and live shows.
What’s surprised her most is the warmth and attentiveness of Middle Eastern audiences. “They’re incredibly respectful,” she says. “They want photos, videos, they go out of their way to find my music afterwards and they listen.” That listening, she believes, is rooted in the region’s own rich musical traditions.
Meaningful collabs
Collaborating with Middle Eastern musicians has been a revelation. From the emotional depth of Arabic vocals to the unique scales heard even in the call to prayer, Lauren finds constant inspiration. “The melodies, the ornamentation, the feeling, it’s so beautiful,” she says. A country-pop-Arabic fusion track? “That would be incredible,” she adds, hinting at future collaborations already in conversation.
For Lauren, country music has always been global at heart. Rock, pop, country, they’re emotional languages more than genres. “My goal is simple,” she says. “Make people feel something. If they laugh, sing along, or get emotional. If that happens, it’s a real win.”
That ethos runs through Twang, a line-dancing, girl-power anthem built for festivals, and packed dance floors. It’s sassy, fun, and fearless, a song about knowing what you want and owning it. Her upcoming single, April Fool, due for release on 27 March, shows a softer side: nostalgic, vulnerable, and steeped in teenage first love, with hints of early Taylor Swift and Katy Perry’s Teenage Dream era.
Songwriting, for Lauren, almost always starts with lyrics; lines pulled from everyday conversation, moments overheard, feelings caught before they fade. A melody might follow, shaped alongside trusted guitarists, but a song isn’t truly finished until she returns to Nashville. “That room,” she says of the studio, “is where the magic happens. That’s when the song gets its wings.”
Whether she’s singing about first love, fierce independence, or late-night drives through Dubai, one thing is clear: Lauren Claire Townley is proof that country music doesn’t belong to one place. Sometimes, it belongs on Sheikh Zayed Road; windows down, chorus up, and the world singing along.