Dubai Design District (d3) — UAE’s undisputed hub for homegrown music and talent — will collaborate with music lovers from across the district to curate distinctive playlists that amplify the work of local artists. And they will be available exclusively on Apple Music.
Apart from supporting homegrown musicians during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond, the playlists will provide music fans with access to some of the hottest up-and-coming artists in the region with carefully curated soundtracks.
The avant-garde d3 has always shone a light on the region’s top emerging musicians and artists.
Khadija Al-Bastaki, executive director of d3, said: “Music is an intrinsic fiber of our cultural and social fabric. The decision to add more music-focused programming to our roster is part of a conscious effort to build a more nuanced, diverse and rich artistic community — one that we are pleased to influence and shape.
“Dubai has gradually grown in its popularity as a leading destination for musical talent, and is already home to many talented performers who deserve a chance to express themselves and earn their spot in the limelight. This initiative seeks to support the work of these artists and therefore, is a natural extension of our efforts to promote local and regional creative talent.”
The announcement adds to a series of music-focused initiatives within the community, such as d3 Unplugged and Last Seen Live. Both events have helped turn the creative district into Dubai’s launchpad for new music talent and a destination that has attracted world-famous artists such as pop star Rita Ora and US band Imagine Dragons.
d3 has continued to promote local music through initiatives such as d3 Unplugged, a series of weekly jam sessions launched in 2019 to bring live performances to the community’s Design Quarter. Every week it brought between four to five new artists ranging from DJs and rappers to singers, songwriters and acoustic musicians to perform outside Buildings 8 and 9.
Last Seen Live is a regular platform where artists and musicians from Dubai and the MENA region can debut new records and perform in a 1980s New York-style jazz lounge.
It was launched by a women-led film production house Phenomena. d3 restaurants such as Molecule and The Cave have hosted live shows in the past and the event’s producer, Hiam Salibi, will curate d3’s first five playlists in collaboration with Apple Music.
The growing range of music-focused initiatives at d3 demonstrates the creative community’s continued commitment and focus to curate an eclectic roster of global, regional and local musicians to demonstrate the region’s diversity of homegrown talent, further emphasizing d3’s growing importance for creative artists in the music industry.
