‘Like football, music connects and unifies...I want to inspire girls and women across the region’

Qatari artist Aisha

* How did you feel performing alongside Davido and Trinidad?It was very surreal. I would say it was a dream come true, but I like I said, I never thought I would ever be able to sing with such big stars in the industry at such an early stage of my career. As you can imagine, everything has been very fast-paced and very unexpected, but it has been a blessing. I felt very proud and excited to be able to work with distinguished artists from the industry.* Tell us about how you felt while performing during the Final Draw.Performing in front of that many people, and this is excluding the people who were watching from around the world, is naturally scary for anyone. Leading up to the performance, I felt very nervous. What helped was the morning before the performance was the release of the song, so I was occupied with the positive reception we were getting. I was ecstatic and it made me feel calmer about the performance. It is my first song to ever be released so that made it even more meaningful for me. Before going on stage, as expected, my heart was beating fast. I was both nervous and excited. So I took a deep breath and let the adrenaline rush take over. When I got on stage, I just connected with the music and began feeling more confident. From there, it became a completely different experience. I was just enjoying every minute of it.

* What do you hope audiences from around the world learned about Qatar through your work?I hope that this song starts a new narrative about Qatar being a hub of talent and a place where people can be and are creative. I also hope it shifts any negative perspectives people might have about the region and gives them a closer look into our culture and traditions, and also highlights the great strides we are making on the global stage. Everybody on stage that day was representing Qatar to the world. I am confident that this performance has made people more excited about coming here.