Hadi's music will carry you

Dubai - Dubai-based singer and songwriter Hadi talks to City Times about his new single, becoming a professional artist and what inspires him

Dubai based Lebanese singer-songwriter Hadi has a new single out. And we can't stop listening to it. Carry You, his fourth single for Universal Music, has an urban feel with just the right touch of pop and a little something else. It's modern, cool, authentic and Hadi's voice is impressive without even trying to be.
"I'm into music because it brings me joy and allows me to connect with not just myself on a deeper level, but with people around the world," Hadi says. "My goal is to be travelling the world playing my songs to people worldwide, sharing the stage with artists that inspire me and that I listen to on a daily basis. It's about building a platform that allows me to inspire and be inspired, and to share my stories and emotions with the world."
Since making the move into music in 2012, Hadi has had a pretty impressive ride so far. He's performed alongside Sting's guitarist Dominic Miller and UK pop star Jess Glynne and was recently picked up by Red Bull and MTV. Hadi's previous tracks: Sun Will Rise charted on iTunes in the UAE and both Sun Will Rise and Invincible made it big in America, charting at #12 on prominent New York radio station Brooklyn M3. More recently, his track Medicine was playlisted by Apple Music and Anghami, and was picked up on radio across the Middle East leading to a series of interviews and features on him. And now, he's released Carry You.  So how did Hadi get here? What's next for the singer/song writer? City Times wanted to learn more about Hadi and his musical journey and got right down to it.
Tell us about your new single Carry You.
Carry You is a song that tells the story of a person who is up at night feeling inspired to express something from that deeper place, right from the solar plexus. It talks about how when we create from that place of truth we feel inspired and in turn inspire others that come across our work. The chorus says "Saying words for a million lives", which refers to how when we speak through art, we are providing a voice potentially for millions out there who resonate with where we're at in life, and the themes, words, and melodies that we put out there.
How did you initially get into music?
I came across a video game called Music 2000 for PlayStation, which was basically like a digital audio workstation with heaps of samples, and I started making music. I had the bootlegged version of the game, which meant that I couldn't save the songs I'd write. So I'd write a song, listen to it a few times, shut the console down and the song will be gone. Shortly after that, I picked the guitar and that was it. I instantly just became obsessed and life kinda changed on me. I never had a strong affinity to many things before discovering music and the guitar. It felt like an extension of me.
What artists influenced you growing up?
I'd say Coldplay is right up there. Linkin Park, too. I think my favourite thing about both these two artists is that they seemed to venture quite bravely with each record and do things that felt right to them. I love that.
At one point did you know that you wanted to pursue being an artist in a professional capacity?
I think this stuff creeps up on you, and you only realise you're doing it after you're already doing it. Life has an interesting way of presenting you with situations that force you to make choices from a place of self love and honouring who you are, versus what is "expected" of you, or "prescribed" by what seems like the "normal" thing to do. I felt quite drawn to do something different mainly because I tried to not pursue music purposely and I wasn't happy at all. Maybe over a decade ago, I genuinely would tell friends that music is "just a hobby", but slowly I realised that I'm happiest and most alive when I'm dedicating myself to being creative and to self expression. And I decided to honour that and to provide that type of life for myself. It's a strange way to live, at times, but it's very rewarding and gratifying.
What is your process when you create a song / write lyrics? What comes first?
Ideally you'd want both the words and the chords/melodies to come together, and to inspire the production as well. I love writing that way because it feels like it's raining on you with sounds and colours. Having said that, it's kinda cool to write a piece of music with no words in mind, but then have words come to you as you listen to it the next day (or the day after the next day.or at some point, you know what I mean). So there's no rule here. Although, I used to obsessively only engage in writing songs when everything would pass through me like in crystalline form. But I find that a bit limiting nowadays. And Carry You is a song that came together over two separate days, one for music and another for lyrics and vocal melodies. 
Where do you hope to be as an artist in the next five years?
Man, I wanna be on a stage somewhere on tour playing to a few thousand people every night. I wanna tell stories through music and hear stories through the people I meet. It's all about being inspired, feeling that blue orbed solar plexus goodness flowing through my veins, and inspiring people with what I do.
What advice do you have for young artists who want to pursue a musical career?
The core of it is to know who you are. Know what your message is. Know what does/doesn't resonate with you sonically, lyrically, etc. I think that those are the most important things to any artist at any stage in their career. Because it's a labour of love and truth, and if the love for what you do and the truth in it aren't quite there then the path itself won't be as rewarding or resonant.
What are some of the misconceptions people have about being a musician?
A career in music, and any art form, is basically a landmine for misconceptions. Mostly because there isn't a clear cut road that leads you to defined results. For example, in order to get a degree in something you've gotta go to an institution that teaches it, get the course work done, score the right grades, and voila! It's much different in the field of the arts. And I think that's kinda the magic in it all. I'm a huge believer in the power of will and that we really do get that which we set our mind to. It's like a declaration that you make, and then there are subsequent miniature (but impactful) declarations that you make along the way. One of the main misconceptions for me early on ties into this, I used to (naturally) copy my idols and expect similar results. But it doesn't work that way. On one end, it is because the stories told only tell a few parts of the bigger picture, sometimes there's more to things than what we're told. And on another end it is because these things that happen take shape naturally and organically, they're not staged. So when we try and emulate them, the results will vary. The most important thing is to identify what you want, regardless of how silly or ridiculous it may sound. And then map out some steps to get there, but don't get too hung up on these steps and following them to a T, because chances are you'd be taken down different routes and detours.
What has been one of the most difficult obstacles in your career so far and how have you overcome it?
I think that one of the main lessons I've learnt is to not feel entitled. I think that we can easily carry the "struggling artist" mentality and that's simply because we decided to take on such a "difficult" career that things should be handed to us, and that people should support us.
That is pretty much the most impactful obstacle in any area of life, really.  It comes down to how we perceive ourselves, how much we believe, what we believe we're worthy of, and whether or not we trust ourselves to go out there and just do it.
This also, for me, lends itself to taking down the perfectionist attitude which in my opinion is the ultimate kryptonite for any artistic endeavour. Nothing can ever be perfect, and to chase perfection is to basically subscribe to restlessness and to never finding satisfaction. Allowing myself to make mistakes is something that I have and still struggle with, but it's all about having fun, right? What's the point of it all if it's not fun and if it isn't allowing us to just make a good mess of things (building castles in the sand style) How do I overcome it? Well, I think it's about being kind with yourself, accepting that you're going to make mistakes, but celebrating those mistakes and all the other moments where you get it right.
How important is social media for you as an musician/artist?
Social Media is the center piece of it all right now, and I love it. I think there's something really cool about being able to put yourself out there (or not) for your fans to get to know you outside of the thing(s) that you just do. One of my favourite things to do is to do live streams on Instagram where I play some songs, talk about song meanings, play some of my favorite covers, and literally just hang out with a few people. It really feels like the building of a closely knit community, it makes me feel close to people who resonate with my music on a personal level.
Where can we see you perform live next?
I'm playing on Friday, November 2 at The Fridge, and on Saturday, November 10 at Soho Garden. You can keep up with my dates and song releases on my Instagram at @hadiplaysmusic. Oh and as I mentioned earlier, I do a live stream once a week on the Insta-realms as well. So if you're into green tea, cats, stories, and acoustic jams, my streams are totally lit.

• Dubai