While his star has rocketed since appearing in the record-setting Netflix show, Dubai Bling, Marwan Al Awahdi (aka. DJ Bliss) has long been a stalwart in the UAE music industry.
Here he talks to Esquire’s Matthew Baxter-Priest about the impact that Dubai Bling has had on his life, his latest track ‘Hala Walla‘ with Reggae star Shaggy, and being totally under prepared to run the New York Marathon.
ESQ: Hey Marwan, how’s it going? Let’s get the formalities out the way, what do we call you?
DJ Bliss: Whatever you like! My mum and dad call me Marwan. Also I think it’s kind of weird for someone I know to call me ‘DJ Bliss’, so people call me ‘Bliss’, and my close friends all call me ‘B’. So ultimately, whatever you like, there’s a whole bunch of options there!
We’ll go with Mr. Bliss, because you’re a TV star now. Congratulations on the success of
Dubai Bling.
Thanks, man. Did you watch the show? Did you enjoy it?
Yeah, I did. I’m not a big reality TV guy but, you know what, I watched it because it is a show about my city. I knew the locations, the people and the reference points…
I am hearing that a lot, actually. What was great was how much of the city we were able to show. Y’know, Dubai can be a little sensitive when it comes to filming stuff, so it was great that we managed to get cameras everywhere. Also, I think the real magic of the show is how relatable it is, especially in the Arab world. The fact that both Arabic and English is spoken throughout the show is something that hasn’t really been done before in the reality TV space.
I want to clear something up. On the show, you have a story where you’re weighing up undergoing a surgical operation to get six-pack abs. How much of that was legit, or just producers making TV drama?
Ha! Well, before filming the show the producers were asking questions about my life, and health. They asked if I wanted to have a six-pack and I was, like, absolutely! So then they came up with the idea to go visit a doctor, although I had no idea that it would be a really invasive surgery. I just thought it would be like, cupping or something! I don’t think I was ever actually going to go through with it…but don’t tell my wife I told you that [laughs]!
Don’t worry, we won’t tell a soul…
Do you know how many Personal Trainers have contacted me since watching the show, telling me that they can get me abs the proper way? Loads!
I mean, you’re a pretty healthy guy anyway, right? Didn’t you recently run a marathon?
Yeah! In New York. I’d never done one before, and I thought doing it in New York would be fun. But, man, was I wrong! To be honest, I never really imagined what 40km was like. In Dubai, we don’t really do things in kilometers. If I’m driving, I know that I need to take a left at West Zone Supermarket, and I know that Abu Dhabi is ‘about an hour away’. I don’t know how many kilometers things are, or how the fuel per gallon of my car—all those things are very unDubai things! So it didn’t really occur to me just how far running 40 kilometers was. Ultimately, I didn’t train enough.
Do you know how many Personal Trainers have contacted me after watching the six-pack surgery bit of Dubai Bling? Loads!”
DJ Bliss
How long did you train for?
I signed up for the marathon six months before, but only started training in the last three. Although, that was also during the time that Dubai Bling was coming out, so I had to do a whole bunch of promotional stuff and the launch party etc., so I wasn’t really able to give it my all in probably most important final weeks of training. That’s the time when you get up to the 30km and 40km runs.
How far was your longest run?
About 15km. Which was far from what I should have achieved…
Ouch. So it was bad times?
You know, even though it was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done, it was an amazing experience. It is a constant mental battle where you know that you could stop, but you just keep pushing and pushing yourself. I remember messaging my wife while I was running asking her to come pick me up when I got to Central Park corner. I just thought ‘I can’t do this anymore’. I had pain in my hip and my calves, I was going to quit. But then as I’m running over Manhattan Bridge and saw a sign saying that I had already done 28kms. I thought, there was no way I am going to quit with just 12km left!
Did you?
Those last 12km were super hard. I was taking painkillers from the medics, and they were strapping ice packs to my legs! I had an ice pack on my back. I’m walk-running, run-walking, being driven on by all the people lined along the street cheering. Then when I reach the 40km mark, I’m looking around for the finishing line and can’t see it. So, on my watch I ask Siri, ‘how far is 26.2 miles in kilometers?’ It said, 42.2km. I nearly died! [Laughs] Those last 2.2km were harder than the whole first 40 put together! I think they alone took me an hour. But I finished.
Now you’re over 40, it’s easy to forget that you’re not indestructible anymore. Speaking of which, you’re very much considered one of the senior figures of the music industry in Dubai. How does that status sit with you?
It’s funny, because at the same time I feel like I’ve achieved a lot, but I’m also just getting started. Growing up, there weren’t any Emirati DJs who I could look up to as role models. When I first started on radio, I’m pretty sure I was the only guy with an Arabic name on air. Now, I almost feel like I not only represent me, but I represent my city and my country, and am an example for younger Emirati people who want to DJ professionally, or be on the radio, or even make music.
You mention making music. You recently released a new track ‘Hala Walla’ with Shaggy. Tell us a bit about it…
Yeah, I did, and I’m really proud of this one. I actually had the song with me for a while. I’ve recorded a bunch of songs with Shaggy, but this one I felt was going to be a hit. It was originally called ‘In These Jeans’ but I thought it was missing something. I wanted to add in more of an Arabic flavour, so I took out the chorus and replaced it with two guys from Kuwait and Bahrain, called Daffy and Flipperachi, to sing in Arabic. I’m super proud of this track, and I think it showcases a strong idea of who I am and what music from Dubai can be.
In Dubai Bling you’re rarely seen without a hat on. The brimmed hat certainly became a whole thing for you…
The brimmed hat is my go-to for a more formal look but, man, it’s hard to travel with! I have a lot of caps, and they are already hard to pack, but the brimmed hats are another level. I bought one recently in LA and I had to wear it on the plane for the whole flight so it didn’t get ruined. On the show we do work with stylists, but a lot of what I wore is my own. When we first started I told the stylist that I wanted them to push me out of my comfort zone, and elevate my style and, in a way, my identity too.
This interview was originally recorded as a Podcast. You can stream the full interview via The Esquire Podcast Network on Spotify now.