Hamdan Abri: Two Decades in UAE Music, Crafting Opportunities and Finding Healing

After over 20 years as a professional musician in the UAE, encompassing solo work and band co-founding, Emirati soul singer Hamdan Abri has learned that sustained success hinges on self-creation. This involves a delicate balance between commercial endeavors, such as cover gigs and private performances, and the less lucrative yet vital creative acts of songwriting, recording, and performing original music at his own expense. "You need to keep things moving, and this is something I've learnt along the way. I'm actually seeing more artists doing that today," Abri shared with The National. He cited the local indie band Tasty Biscuits as an example of artists proactively creating and promoting their own shows, highlighting an evolving scene where musicians are building their own platforms and communities. This proactive approach is exemplified by his latest project, Abri and The Everlasting, whose debut album, The Healing, was launched with a concert at Dubai's Sabaa Events Space, a venue increasingly favored for showcasing local live acts. The band, featuring bassist Steven Bedford, singer Hamdan Abri, drummer Ratish Chadha, and guitarist Jerome Deligero, released their debut album in September. The concert celebrated the album's 10 tracks, a fusion of soul, psychedelic rock, funk, and reggae, marking the culmination of a five-year creative process that began with jam sessions post-pandemic. Abri noted that the album's spaced-out production and his hazy vocals capture the freedom and uncertainty of that period. "When I hear the record, I think the songs really speak of those times, from dealing with Covid-19 and lockdowns to where we are now, back out again and reconnecting with each other," he explained. "And that's why it's called The Healing, because it personifies where we are personally and collectively. This is what music does for us, and hopefully what it will do for everybody who listens to it." This album continues Abri's two-decade legacy of collaboration, which began with his eponymous band in the UAE's early independent music scene. Working with keyboardist and producer Julian Symes, they crafted a blend of soul, funk, and RnB on albums like Sunchild and Blank Notes before the members pursued separate paths. "Looking back on it now, I think it just felt like such a surreal moment," Abri reflected. "But at that time, it just felt like we were moving and trying to keep the momentum going as much as we could until everybody else had to relocate and decide on different paths in life." He continued as a solo artist, with his track (Re)birth gaining exposure on an episode of the American drama CSI: Crime Scene Investigation. Abri has also opened for artists like Sade and Erykah Badu and explored other projects, including the funk band Abri and Funk Radius and the electronic group Abri and The Dreamfleet. "I've always felt like I was a natural collaborator, and that's been really helpful because you can't do everything by yourself. Whenever I had writer's block, I felt like I didn't know which direction to take," he admitted. "But I've realised that projects like this one with The Everlasting come into my life and reignite my love for writing and making music, because it's not easy balancing all of that with everything else that comes with life outside music." A significant learning experience occurred when he performed with Herbie Hancock at the 2014 Abu Dhabi Festival, joining the jazz legend for a rendition of Sam Cooke's "A Change Is Gonna Come." Despite initial nerves, Hancock's encouragement to "relax and enjoy the process" and trust his collaborators was a profound lesson. "Hancock just told me to relax and enjoy the process," Abri recalled. "He was so reassuring. He said, 'Man, you do your thing. Don't worry, we'll follow you.' His musicians were amazing, but the lesson for me was to relax and trust the people you're working with. That's something I've been doing more with this album. "I always find it humbling to sit back and hear these different ideas and ride with them, as opposed to being forceful about my own ideas," he added. "It opens me up to different paths and ways of thinking about how to create or finish a song." Abri has observed significant growth in the UAE's music scene, noting an increase in venues and commercial opportunities for artists performing original English-language music. These changes contrast with his early years, where he faced the challenge of not only earning a living but also convincing his family that music was a viable career. "There were times when I wasn't making that much money and didn't have that many gigs. I kept having to prove myself, to my family, my friends and people in the industry," he remembered. These experiences have shaped his song "Nothing Left to Prove" on The Healing, reflecting a shift in his ambitions over two decades. "The piece, in a way, is really about being at peace with myself. I don't feel like I need to chase anything any more," he stated. "It's about feeling blessed that I can be inspired by great people, whether they're musicians or not, and just keep growing from that, to always be a student and continue learning."