Hundreds flocked to Ramli Mall in A’ali to celebrate the kingdom’s National Day with 10-year-old Bahraini singing sensation Hala Al Turk.
The mall, home to one of the kingdom’s Lulu Hypermarkets, was surrounded by police cars and security guards directing traffic as fans queued as long as one hour to find a parking space in the pouring rain on Sunday night to attend a concert starring the popular schoolgirl who found fame on the hit TV reality talent show, Arabs Got Talent.
Families, sporting the national colours of Bahrain, gathered around a specially-constructed stage in the food court for an hour long performance where a patriotic Hala, dressed in a white top emblazoned with jewels of the Bahraini shield and red trousers took the stage accompanied by a band and her protective father, Mohammed, who also hosted the event.
In a nod to the true culture of Bahrain, traditional drums, a colourful audience and loud clapping echoed throughout the mall as Hala whipped up the crowd’s patriotic fervour with signature hits from Fairuz, a Lebanese singer who is among the most widely-admired and deeply-respected living singers in the Arab world, and even raised a storm with the ‘Beliebers’ in the crowd when she sang her own rendition of Baby by Justin Bieber.
Hala kept the audience entertained with her selection of songs, constantly working the stage as well as the audience. A couple of lucky fans even got the opportunity to get on stage with the young music maker as she posed for photographs before she waved the audience goodbye, showed her love for Bahrain and thanked everybody for coming.
Shahzad Sharafu, 12, was one of the many who drove from Manama to see the young prodigy on stage for the first time. Sharafu, from Umm Al Hassam, said: “It took my family a very long time to get through all the traffic. I had never heard her sing but I knew she was coming today and we thought it was a good way to celebrate National Day. I’m not familiar with Arabic songs but she sounded very good. I’m glad we decided to wait through the traffic.”
Zainab Sayed Ahmed, 12, only drove moments from her house in A’ali and was hoping she could have jumped on stage with Hala. “I was standing close to the front of the stage hoping I could get a photo taken with Hala … she’s amazing.
“I watched her on Arabs Got Talent and I think she should have won. It’s a nice and fun way to celebrate with all the people. Everyone’s dressed in the colours of Bahrain and it feels just like one big party!”
When Hala was just four she performed on the Arabic show El Tifl Al Ebdaee (The Creative Child) before winning first place on the Star Izghar (Young Star) show. The production team at MBC’s Arabs Got Talent saw her performances and were so impressed they got in touch with her to take part in the regional talent search, and she agreed.
Hala became an instant national treasure on Arabs Got Talent in 2011 where her father explained that she has shown a deep talent for music since a very young age and had started humming musical tunes before she even learned to speak.
Proud Mohammed has tried to shield his talented daughter from excessive media exposure and has declined newspaper interviews with his daughter, a pupil at Abdul Rahman Kanoo International School, to ensure she remains protected, happy and level-headed.
The TV show features contestants of a variety of talents which are judged by a celebrity panel including Lebanese singer Najwa Karam, the dean of the journalism school at the American University in Dubai, Ali Jaber, and Saudi actor and comedian Nasser Al Qasabi (who replaced Amr Adeeb in season 2). The show’s venue is in Lebanon and a third season will be aired in January.
Even though she didn’t win the contest, her appearance in the finals impressed the panel of judges and Hala was snapped up by Platinum Records to feature on an album of top Arab performers.
She has since appeared in a telecom TV advertisement, a Ramadan TV series and headlined several concerts. Her popularity, particularly with local children, continues to grow.
Reem Khalid, four, dressed head-to-toe in patriotic attire, begged her mother for just a quick glimpse of the star. Reem from Hidd, said: “I wanted to come today because she’s very beautiful and sings very well. I didn’t know she could dance so well. I am so very happy I saw her.”
Alongside the star’s performance were animal mascots for the children to take photographs and dance along with to the songs. For sisters, Zain and Lara Hesham, this was one of the highlights of the night.
Zain, seven, from Riffa, said: “I really wanted to see Hala in concert but the animal characters are also so much fun. We have been standing near them the whole time and dancing and taking photographs. It’s been such a fun event.”
Speakers were placed throughout the mall, with screens showing Hala’s performance giving shoppers an opportunity to be part of the experience.
An employee at the mall, Gielyn Balla, 30, from Ras Ruman, said: “I had never heard of Hala before tonight because I don’t listen to Arabic music but she was very good. I heard her singing Justin Bieber’s song too, it was excellent. I’m going to go home and YouTube more of her performances. She made the day at the mall a little more exciting than usual.”
