Watch the world's most smallest singer's soulful rendition of the UAE national anthem

Ahead of the Golden Jubilee celebrations of the UAE’s National Day on December 2, Tajik internet sensation Abdu Rozik has come up with a stirring rendition of the country’s national anthem and also shared the video exclusively with Khaleej Times.

The one-minute-long heart-warming video clip shows the tiny man effortlessly singing Ishy Bilady dressed in national attire.

Rozik, 18, who stands a little over 94 centimetres (cm), is the world’s most diminutive professional adult singer.

Recently, he was granted the coveted UAE Golden Visa. Since then, he has been living in Dubai, teaming up with ace songwriter producer RedOne and Oscar-winning musician AR Rahman during their visit to the UAE’s most populous city.

“The lyrics of the UAE national anthem are beautiful. Singing and learning the words filled me with a sense of pride and joy,” Rozik said speaking through an interpreter.

Yasmine Safia, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the International Fighting Championship Management (IFCM), which is managing and sponsoring Rozik, said he memorised the lyrics of the song within a few hours.

“He is exceptionally gifted and has big plans in the UAE,” she said.

Rozik, who was born into a poor family of gardeners in the Bangkent region of Tajikistan, suffered from rickets – a skeletal disorder that stunts growth among children.

As a child, he would make out a living by singing songs at a local bazaar, often earning less than Dh2 a day.

Today, Rozik is a household name in Central Asia with millions of followers on Instagram and TikTok.

However, last fortnight, he lost access to both social media platforms after a fallout with his associates, who were handling his social media accounts in Tajikistan.

Since then, Rozik has managed to get back control of his verified Instagram account where he has almost 1.8 million followers. The influencer has alleged that his former associates held his social media accounts to ransom and profited from it. "They used it to make money but didn't give anything to me in return. When I protested, my social media accounts were held to ransom," he alleged.

Safia said Rozik had no clue of his earnings as he is unlettered. "He is pinning his hopes on the UAE to restart his career and build new relations," said Safia.

She added that “IFCM is enrolling Rozik in a school and also giving him language lessons so that he could educate himself and have a fulfilling career”.

mazhar@khaleejtimes.com

• UAE