Despite tough competition from four other talented contestants, Osama stole the judge’s hearts with his moving rendition of the popular hit ‘Back to Black’ by the late Amy Winehouse.
It was a fantastic show and full of firsts for The Dream Players, one being that the contestants were all male. “We were so surprised after narrowing down the applicants for the show that we were left with only males,” laughed production assistant, Mashal Abbasi. “Each contestant sang their hearts out, and truly raised the bar in terms of talent.”
The Dream Players also welcomed the first Emirati to the stage – 27-year-old singer Muneer Al Obeidly. He tied with El Kamel for the win, but ultimately, Osama walked away with the grand prize after further consultation by the judges.
Speaking about his performance, Muneer, a seasoned musician by night and doctor by day, said, “I loved that the show was friendly and competitive at the same time, and I appreciated the honest feedback from the judges.”
Other contestants were Ronnel Cabagnot from the Philippines, Hafiz Ur Rehman from India, and Hamoodi Rehman from Palestine.
Osama, an engineering graduate from the University of Sharjah, never expected to be winning accolades for his vocal skills. “Music and singing was never a big part of my school life, and it wasn’t something that was encouraged,” said Osama. “I used to listen to music and sing along to the songs I loved, but I never took singing seriously and didn’t think I had a good enough voice.”
Auditioning for The Dream Players for Osama happened completely by chance. “My friend sent me the link on Facebook, and I went through the website and thought it would be an interesting opportunity,” he said.
Within days of applying, Osama auditioned, was selected, and booked a complimentary photoshoot with Nabeela Huda, an extremely talented photographer and university student. Nabeela shot with Osama and was captivated by his smile as well as his personality. “Osama was such a fun guy, and I loved that he was so enthusiastic and involved in the shooting process.”
Osama only began singing a few years ago, and even then, only shared his talent with a few close friends. “It was these friends that gave me the push I needed to audition for The Dream Players which was my first live performance as a singer,” he said. “I had never participated in a singing competition before, and definitely have never trained professionally.”
Of all the prizes Osama won on the night of the show, the most exciting was an unexpected offer from Emirati judge and recording artist, Ahmed Al Suwaidi. Wowed by Osama’s spectacular performance, Ahmed generously promised Osama a chance to record in his studio and to collaborate on a track for his upcoming album due to be released at the end of 2012. “It’s going to be a fantastic opportunity,” said Osama. “I was caught completely by surprise, and would be honored to work with Mr Al Suwaidi.”
Another first for The Dream Players was an impromptu singing of The Beatles’ anthem ‘Hey Jude’ by all of the contestants after the competition. Surprising both the audience and judges, the five took the stage, accompanied by Hamoodi on guitar, and within a few bars had the entire room singing along.
“This is what The Dream Players is all about,” said Kera Thompson, judge and production manager of the event. “We take five people from differing nationalities and backgrounds, and bring them together to prove that we aren’t so very different from each other after all.”
“The feeling of community and togetherness that this show achieves is so uplifting and we are proud to provide it.”
By Sharon Carvalho
