JEDDAH — Alaa Wardi, a Saudi based YouTube sensation, is a singer, songwriter, gifted music composer and currently the most coveted YouTube personality. Born and raised in Riyadh with an Iranian background, Wardi studied music in Amman. His incredible knack to make music and not compose it electronically sets him apart. Wardi generates sounds of all musical instruments in the song he performs using just his mouth, hands and well his body. Wardi is also part of “Hayajan” an alternative Arabic rock band that performs through out the Middle East. “I have a lot of original music on my channel and I've just released an album with my band ‘Hayajan' where I'm the songwriter.” His a capella versions of Bollywood, Arabic and Hollywood singles are a rage on YouTube. “Pehla nasha” has over 1,102,772 views and “Jiya re” has 683,926 views. He recently did a cover for Rihanna's single “Stay” in his studio. Wardi said watching American guys making a cappella videos online inspired him to go public and share his work on YouTube. “They were getting a lot of attention so I thought I'd make one in Arabic. And I got lucky, that it went viral so I kept making more and more.” As a non-Hindi speaker, you will be amazed at his talent for singing a few of the most beautiful Bollywood songs on YouTube. In fact some say Wardi sounds better than some natives themselves, hitting a variety of notes and the right chords. So if your love for Bollywood is resilient you will easily fall in love with him. “I used to watch a lot of Hindi films with my mother and sister when I was a child so I started picking up words since then. I still love and watch Hindi movies and I understand Hindi but my speaking is terrible and I can't read or write.” It is exceptionally challenging to be a young talented Arab musician with an inborn talent such as his and to go public with it in Saudi Arabia. Wardi said: “It is hard because opportunities are so limited and also to make a living out of it. But public support and reactions have been great. Of course you'll always find people who are against you no matter what you do but the majority has been nothing but supportive and proud of me.” Talking about how much effort goes into making one video, Wardi told Saudi Gazette about the extensive process. “It takes a lot. Each video takes me about one month to make. I start by arranging the song and thinking about the different parts and how I want it to sound like at the end. “Then recording starts where I record each sound separately and double them etc after words editing, mixing, mastering. “Then I go to preparing my room for video shooting, shot video then edit the video and we're done. Oh then I have to publish the track for license clearance and release it on iTunes before the video is released.” He added: “After that I start another song.” He said his motivation comes from all his listeners or friends as he calls them. “Watching their reactions to my videos and music motivates me to make more and more. Makes me feel like I'm apart of this world, I have a purpose. This is my way to give back, to help make this world a better place for everyone.” When asked about the significance of music and how it applies to his artistic soul, he said he felt lucky, as it is a job that brings a fair amount of attention. “It's also the coolest job ever. It might be unfair to other professions, we rarely find a famous doctor that people want to take pictures with even though doctors save lives.” Modest in his answers, he said he is not looking for fame. “Well, I'm not that famous at all; it is a good feeling for sure but not something I'm looking forward to. It's not my motivation at all.” Wardi has earned international praise and has been noticed by the likes of Oscar winner Indian musician A R Rahman.
