Eman Al Hashimi is an Emirati poet and writer who has just as an established academic background as her artistic career. She holds a Bachelor degree in Human Resources and graduated with excellence. She found piano first as a fan, then discovered her enjoyment while learning how to play. Now she uses melody and style to express her feelings and opinions with varying melodies. She is also the first singer of the UAE orchestra, the State Triangle abroad, to play the piano in Italy, “Milan Expo 2015”. Eman also holds numerous impressive titles including 1st female Emirati composer.
You're a poet and a composer, do you find that one comes more naturally than the other?
Art in general is another language that my soul speaks fluently to. Every art form is considered the expression of what the soul says, therefore I see music and composition as an independent art in itself and the same for poetry. Both allow expression in an artistic way through creating an aesthetic image of what is going on in your mind. The message reaches the surrounding world about the artist in a wonderful way, and thus I see that God Almighty blesses us all with a specific gift and a person must discover this divine gift.
How did your love of music and poetry start, was there someone in your family who heavily influenced you?
My family is my first and greatest cheerleader. My father bought me my first musical instrument and my mother was the first to listen to my melodies. Everyone in my close surroundings plays an important role in encouraging me, whether with praise or constructive criticism. As for poetry, my older sister is a poet and she was the first to encourage me to write. Our mother was the first to hear our poems together. My father is an avid reader and we inherited this appetite for books from him.
Many creatives said they suffered from lack of inspiration during lockdown, did you find it hard to tap into your creativity during this period?
Quite the opposite, in the lockdown period I developed the most beautiful melody and also made dozens of contributions via visual communications such as Zoom, Teams or Instagram Live.
The most beautiful thing is that for the first time I’ve collaborated with a professional ballet coach to design a dance on these melodies and teach her students through Zoom, performing the dance and incorporating it in a creative video. This is not to mention many of the self-development workshops where I practiced it in a completely different musical way from the rest of the curriculums.
I added music to my international certificate accredited in development, to create a new style during the lockdown period, and I also contributed daily to the Gulf newspaper by publishing my music clips as well as clips of some of the most important international and Arab musicians in a video that talks about their lives and their most important work. There are many interesting, useful and distinguished contributions.
What’s your creative process when it comes to composing? How does it differ to your writing process?
Honestly, I don’t have a specific process as the situation determines the way in which I would like to express what I want, sometimes I tend to write a story, poetry or prose and sometimes my expressions come up in painting forms. At other times I play music and compose. So, to sum it up I write often, compose sometimes, rarely draw and always love what I do.
Where do you draw your musical inspiration from?
From the environment that I live in, and the world as a whole. The important thing is that this affects me, and therefore my soul expresses its opinion through my music
Can you share any homegrown UAE musical talent you’re excited to hear more from?
Of course, Because I believe very much that we all created with a special talent and every one of us has an advantage that God has bestowed on him but his role is to discover this talent and to harness it in goodness and therefore I very much welcome Emirati talents and local partnerships as well as volunteer and specifically work with children, the elderly and people of determination
What would be your message to Emirati girls who would love to follow in your creative footsteps?
Praise be to God for the blessing of the Emirates 🇦🇪. Therefore, we must continue on our path no matter how difficult it seems because success is earned and not given.
Which composition are your most proud of?
Certainly, the operetta of the Year of Zayed which was composed and written by me, as well as the martyr’s piece, but in general I feel that every melody is my child and the mother loves all of her children equally, right?
What are your goals for the future?
I hope that my Emirati melodies reach the whole world and hear them in the world of Hollywood and Bollywood as well. I hope that my cinematic work spreads throughout the world as a screenwriter for long and short films, and also as a composer for the soundtrack for films. My dreams are endless and once I achieve them, new goals arise to make more dreams come true.
