Through the years, Taha has brought down several artistes and events to Qatar, including WWE Raw with John Cena and others, and Qatar Pro Wrestling.
A heartening testament to the boundlessness of music, the story of a group of retired Cuban musicians becoming super famous as Buena Vista Social Club is one of music’s most inspiring tales. Before bowing out of the scene, the 13-member Orquesta Buena Vista Social Club for the first time — and what is also certain to be the last time — will perform in Doha as part of its ‘Adios’ farewell world tour, which they embarked on last year. The tickets for the show are available for QR350 (Regular) and QR 700 (VIP) at FNAC, Virgin Megastore, and Q-Tickets.
The Buena Vista Social Club used to be a members’ club in Havana, Cuba, that shut down in the 1940s, and then later was a 1990s band, a 1997 album, a 1999 film, and an unofficial brand name representing the musical spirit of the original Havana club. The original Club held dances and musical activities, becoming a popular location for musicians to meet and play during the 1940s.
As Rolling Stone puts it, Buena Vista Social Club wasn’t actually a proper band “but a confluence of veteran Cuban musicians brought together for a recording session by American guitarist Ry Cooder after a 1996 trip to Havana.” Rolling Stone, in its biography of the group, points out: “The project became the surprise hit of 1997 when its resulting album, Buena Vista Social Club, wound up selling over five million copies, largely by word of mouth, and won a Grammy for Best Tropical Latin Performance. The Buena Vista Social Club did more internationally for Cuban music than decades of cultural exchanges ever could and simultaneously helped popularise the world music genre in the late-1990s.”
In a chat with Community, Bilal Taha, CEO of Phoenix Entertainment, speaks about everything from the importance of roping in such pedigree of shows for Doha to what Qatar’s entertainment scene demands.
As a live entertainment company, how is Phoenix Entertainment different from the event management companies that operate in Qatar?
As a live entertainment company, Phoenix Entertainment brings different kind of live shows including family entertainment, stand-up comedies, music concerts, and more to Qatar. Being part of Al Manara Holding serves as a strong backbone that enables us to finance all the events ourselves. This, in turn, gives us the freedom to look for international events, artistes, concepts and even entertainment ideas from all around the world. We choose them, study them, scout potential venues in Qatar, prepare our own sales and marketing strategies, and if we are convinced of all these factors, then we take up the risk, invest in it and execute it from A to Z.
Professionally, have you dealt with such responsibilities before?
I was born and raised in Munich City, Germany, and did my graduation in Spain. In 2008, I arrived in Qatar. Ever since, I have had the opportunity to bring many events and artistes over the years like Ed Hardy Fashion Show, WWE Raw with John Cena and others, Qatar Pro Wrestling, stand-up Comedians like Ahmed Ahmed, Dena Edwards, Edwin San Juan and so on, and even hip hop and R&B artistes like Sisqo, Montell Jordan, Hot Rod (G-Unit), Horace Brown and others. From 2012 onwards, I became an entertainment and event consultant for several concepts and clients and turned more towards the “entrepreneur” world. Beside the events business, I am the co-founder of The Gaming Lounge and TGL Toys in Qatar, and have been busy establishing on an entrepreneur level, new business ideas and concepts in Qatar.
Why did you feel the need to start Phoenix Entertainment in Qatar? Is there potential in the entertainment market here?
During 2008-2012, we were very successful and we have seen that the market needs entertainment and events. Between 2012 and 2016, I noticed that no international entertainment company was established in Qatar to continue bringing live entertainment to Qatar. I have decided this year, with Phoenix Entertainment, to continue what I have started with a strong team and good references from world entertainment, driven by an aim to take Qatar to the next level.
Buena Vista Social Club is one of world music’s greatest success stories. How challenging has it been to get them down to Qatar as part of their ‘Adios’ tour?
While every event poses its own set of challenges, in this case with Orquesta Buena Vista Social Club, one of the main challenges for us has been to arrange the visas for the Cuban artistes. Another challenge was to find the right venue and fulfil the group’s technical requirements. But so far we have been able to handle all potential challenges and are very excited to host this event on Thursday at Sharq Village & Spa.
This will be a very nostalgic concert for the many fans of Buena Vista Social Club. Personally, how significant is this show for Qatar?
Personally, it’s a dream come true for me to watch them live and meet them in person. For a couple of years, I used to live on the Canary Islands in Spain and I’ve been a big fan of their music since then. Bringing them to Qatar is an absolute honour. To have Qatar as a tour date and plan on their ADIOS Tour, is a historic and special day. It will be unforgettable.
Could you share some of the upcoming live acts that are being brought down by your team over the coming months?
We have several amazing events in the pipeline, and we will be announcing them very soon. Mostly, these events will be about family entertainment. Post-summer, Qatar must brace itself for a very well-known music artiste, details of which we shall reveal soon.
How do you think can Qatar stand out as an entertainment hub in the region?
The unique difference between Qatar and other GCC countries is Qatar’s refreshing development in approach towards events and a notable change in its opening up more for entertainment solutions. Qatar is asking for these events and people need to de-stress through entertainment. While there may not be enough entertainment alternatives yet due to many reasons, people are ready for this kind of entertainment options and are craving for high quality shows and top-of-the-line production.
