Dana Al Fardan: A Qatari Musician With Global Melodies
The first of August 2018 will always live in the memory of Dana Al-Fardan, as the curtains were raised at the prestigious Theatre Royal Haymarket in London to the grand premiere of “Broken Wings,” a captivating musical inspired by Gibran Khalil Gibran’s namesake novel.
Written and composed by Dana, in collaboration with Lebanese-British actor Nadim Naaman, “Broken Wings” premiered in London’s West End, the historic district home to some of the world’s oldest theaters: an ultimate triumph for any show. Tickets sold out, and the audience utterly captivated, she could not have hoped for a better outcome to that evening.
It was a dream come true for the Qatari musician. An ambition she had since her mother took her to witness her first West End musical performance, the timeless classic Starlight Express. This unique and inspiring experience transformed the music-loving young girl’s life, as she realized deep inside that, one day, she will become a part of this magical world.
It all started when she was 10 years old. She fell in love with classical music and was tinkering on the piano trying to play her favorite tunes. Her talent was natural, and she was able to develop it in a very short time. From time to time, she would also come up with her own melodies. For her, music was a new language that she quickly learnt and mastered.
She still remembers every detail of these times: “When I was playing the piano, nothing else mattered to me. I was inside my own world, completely isolated from my surroundings. All of this developed into a lifelong passion that has been fueled by many composers and performers who inspired me over the years,” she said.
In the following years, Dana’s love for music never faded. She continued to learn and develop her skills in every possible way. She passionately watched one West End show after the other, and when she was attending live orchestral music concerts, she was keen on memorizing every detail and breaking down the instrumentation. Deep inside, she always wanted to be a musician, but when the time came to choose a career path, the decision seemed out of her reach.
As the daughter of renowned Qatari businessman Ali Al Fardan and the eldest of his six daughters, Dana’s career path was already set. Her logical and ideal career path was to work in the family’s Al Fardan Group, a business venture founded by her grandfather in the 1950s. All her decisions were planned accordingly, as she studied International Relations at the American University of Sharjah, and then moved to London to pursue a postgraduate degree in Gemology at the Gemological Institute of America, before returning home to assume her duties in the family business.
Throughout the years, she maintained her love for music, but did not have a chance to revisit her old dream. She dedicated her concentration fully to her work, and for years, there was little room to maneuver and find time for any creative side-projects. But everything changed in an inspiring moment that transformed her life forever. She became pregnant and found out she was expecting a girl. In Dana’s words, “I felt that something important was missing in my life. I was not shifting my perspectives or making a real impact. I could not imagine cultivating an honest relationship with my daughter if I was denying this huge part of who I was, a musician. I understood that if I wanted to be a role model for my daughter, I had to live my most authentic life and be true to myself. The life growing inside me was the ultimate source of the surge in my creative energy.”
During her pregnancy, Dana decided to record her first album. “Paint” featured nine songs that she performed, wrote, and composed by herself. It was recorded alongside classical music performed by members of the London Metropolitan Orchestra at the historic Abbey Road Studios in London, the place where all-time musical giants like “The Beatles” and “Pink Floyd” produced some of their finest works.
“Paint” marked a momentous first step for Dana to establish her name in the global music scene, while also receiving nationwide recognition at home as she became the first Qatari female singer to perform songs in English.
In the following years, Dana’s music career flourished. Her works mainly targeted Western audiences, but she was always keen on shedding light on Qatari and Arab heritage and culture.
“My pursuit of music was not only a vehicle to project myself or achieve glory on a personal level, as I also try to communicate stories that reflect my love for Arabic literature, philosophy, and history in the context of my rich cultural heritage,” she explained.
Dana released several music albums and singles, including “Sandstorm” in collaboration with the Qatar Philharmonic Orchestra, and “Indigo” which mixed classical music with contemporary songs and electronic technologies.
Additionally, she performed live at several local and international events, while composing special music productions for Qatar Airways, Hamad International Airport, Qatar Museums, and Qatar National Library. Dana’s contributions extended beyond the music industry, as she created music for various national events. This included the commemorative release “Raise the Flag” in 2019, which celebrated the historic victory of the Qatar national football team at the 2019 Asian Cup.
She was also eager to explore different artistic experiences. In 2017, she composed “Small Box,” a chart-topping Arabic hit song for renowned Syrian singer Assala Nasri, in addition to the soundtracks of “The Necromancer,” a British horror movie, and “Orca,” an award-winning drama film.
A pivotal milestone in her career is her work as a writer and composer for musicals, an endeavor she holds in high regard. Drawing inspiration from her idol, Andrew Lloyd Webber, she aspires to follow in his footsteps while uniquely spotlighting stories from Arab heritage. Knowing that he, too, began as a composer before ascending to a prominent figure in global musical theater, further fuels her determination to achieve this ambition.
After the Broken Wings successful premiere in 2018, the show was once again well received by the audience when it returned for an extended run at Charing Cross Theatre in London. It was also performed to a sold-out audience at the Katara Opera House in Qatar, the Beiteddine Art Festival in Beirut, Lebanon, and the Dubai Opera in the United Arab Emirates.
“Broken Wings will always hold a special significance for me, not only because it was my first musical, but also because it was my first attempt to introduce a prolific figure of Arab origin to a West End audience. It was extremely well received and set the foundations for an even greater appetite for content of Arab origin. This became my general mandate in my music career; to promote our vast and rich art forms,” she said.
After the challenging times of COVID-19, Dana collaborated on yet another musical with Nadim Naaman in 2021. Titled “Rumi” and penned by Everyn Sharma, the production delved into the life of renowned 13th-century poet and philosopher, Jalal al-Din Rumi. Captivating audiences once more, the musical enjoyed resounding success during its premiere at the West End and continued its success on the stages of Doha.
Dana believes that the future of arts in Qatar looks bright as most artistic fields continue to thrive and earn the respect and celebration of society, but she hopes her country can benefit from this at an economic level, as she says: “The real challenge now is to begin structuring an economic model around arts and entertainment, in a manner that suits Qatar’s development model. We should focus on making Doha a genuine hub for the arts; arts that we generate and not simply import.”
She is also confident that the music industry in particular has the potential to achieve considerable growth in Qatar over the coming years. “It is an important industry that generates billions of dollars for many countries around the world. The music industry in Qatar is booming. There are more opportunities to work in music compared to the past. I am also glad to see more Qatari women emerging in this field,” she added.
Dana’s next major project will also be a musical. This time the show will recount the fascinating story of Elissar, also known as Dido or Elissa, the daughter of the king of Tyre, who defied all odds to establish the kingdom of Carthage in the ninth century BCE and rise as its first queen. What sets this production apart is its unprecedented focus on Elissar as the central heroine, a departure from previous depictions. “I am very excited about this. It is the first musical that I write about a woman, so this has become quite personal, and it is a beautiful opportunity for growth and introspection. It is set to premiere in London on Woman’s Day, and I hope to bring it to Qatar soon after that,” she said.
Just like any other working mother, Dana aims to find the right balance between work and motherhood, which sometimes looks like a juggling act. For her, family will always come first, as she describes: “There is nothing more important in my life than my daughter Layla. She is at school now and it is essential for me that I take an ongoing and genuine interest in her education and all her after-school activities, which to my delight, include learning the piano. We share a huge passion for music, and she will always correct me if I get a lyric or key wrong. I am also blessed with a husband who is a very proactive and engaged father. It helps enormously.”
She never regrets the time she lost before deciding to shift her career to music, as she believes that everything she learned and every experience she acquired during studying and working, have helped build her character and vision, while providing her with the capacity to navigate through challenges.
In just under a decade, Dana established herself as one of Qatar’s top artists and helped enrich the musical field in her country while bolstering her global status. She considers all what she achieved a huge source of pride, but for her, it is also just the start of a journey to bigger dreams.
Among her future goals is adapting more classic novels about the Arab world not only into musicals, but also into movies and TV productions. On top of her list are George Strickland’s “The Lion of Africa,” which tells the story of Hannibal of Carthage, and Amin Maalouf’s “Samarkand,” which is woven around the history of the manuscript of Omar Khayyam’s Rubaiyat. She also hopes to collaborate with Arab authors in the future to produce her musicals for the Arab-speaking audience.
Many hope to start a career in music, but shy away from taking such a step due to the fear of failure. Dana, a seasoned musician herself has the following advice for them: “Music is the greatest universal language. It is a unique way to express yourself. Through music, you will have the wings that will help you overcome all obstacles and reach new horizons. Gibran Khalil Gibran once said: “Sincerity is what makes all our deeds beautiful and honorable.” You need to be true to yourself and to express yourself in the most authentic way possible. As long as you will have your own voice and a distinctive direction, people will listen to you.”
