Lovin Meets

The talented Shebani. During lockdown, she recorded, filmed and edited her new single, Higher. Now she's taking a much-needed break. Not *just* a beautiful voice, she's the manager, the admin, the PR.... the creative AND the business. Now, she's sitting back and taking time to concentrate on the music. Her new single Higher is out now. Give it a listen @ShebaniMusic

A strong voice promoting body-acceptance in the UAE, Danae Mercer is responsible for an Insta account with more than 1.2 million followers where she promotes self-love and body acceptance. Her goal is to 'lift the curtain' back on the reality of Instagram and she's steadily growing the largest online community of body-confident women in the UAE.

From meeting Jason Derulo to hobnobbing with Fazza, the UAE is an interesting place to be a magician. Magic Phil, one of the UAE's top magicians spilled the beans on his intriguing career, his new children's book and, most importantly, how to make a straw REALLY disappear 😊 #lovindubai @1magicphil

"The reason we're talking about modest fashion today is because of these modest fashion bloggers who catapulted this niche underground trend into this mainstream movement".Hafsa Lodi is a journalist and author of  Modesty: A Fashion Paradox and her book is an investigation into the global rise of modest fashion. A style we're used to in Dubai, but in the last decade brands worldwide have latc...

“I know have a responsibility to be transparent with my followers... that it’s not all so realistic” ‘Influencers,’ ‘content creators,’ ‘bloggers’...today’s internet celebs: Mr Moudz is one of the OG UAE content creators; starting his career as a buyer in Level Shoes and now a luxury lifestyle content creator who travels worldwide. In the few years since content creators have found mega fame and b...

‘Virtual training gives you the confidence to follow something on your own” COVID-19 has meant the closing of gyms... but Dubai-based fitness personality Salma Ismail sees Virtual Training becoming the next big thing. She  talked about how she deals with negative body comments, her involvement with the Ramadan Month of Good campaign and training in car parks in this week’s episode of The Lovi...

Nathan Eccleston was 25 when he left professional football... "I had to make a logical decision rather than an emotional one, against everybody... my mum and dad were like, "you can still play", but at the time I got to the stage where I lost love for the game". With his eyes on a business empire from early on and a move to Dubai in the making, Eccleston is now the co-founder of lifestyle fitness...

"I don't think this is for everyone. People think it's easy to just quit your job and follow your passion" Coping with self-isolation, discovering a love for the outdoors, an injury that left her in a wheelchair for four months, how the outdoors became her therapy and ultimately leaving a desk job to follow her passion. Thank you @monkyseemonkydo for sharing your story on The Lovin Show

Now more than ever, we should try and focus on mental health well-being. This week on The Lovin Show we were joined by Ebru Goksu Yildirim to talk discuss recommendations for people isolating alone, how parents can somehow balance their current work/parental/life load and how you can help you community

'There wasn't an "I'm good at this" for a long time actually. I had to try very hard... 'cus everyone's like, 'oh that's the young kid'. Which little did they know I actually took it a little bit further than a lot of the older generation'.Born in Syria, raised in Saudi and one of the biggest names on the local music scene and beyond, it was great to have @MohFlowMusic on The Lovin Show this week...

Kristel Bechara on feminism: "I try to depict women throughout their lives, the experiences we go through, showing her in her diff forms, whether she was in pain, happy, strong, all kind her emotions. Women we are very versatile so this is how I like to represent her and showing her in her different walks of life"

"People are much kinder in Dubai. I've modelled in New York,  I've modelled in Africa it's not as easy as in Dubai, people are much nicer, the fashion industry is good here".' Chanel Ayan broke the mould as the first black model in Dubai when she arrived over a decade ago. Now, she's built a hugely successful career and is proud to live and work in a city which is so open to diversity.

"It's nice to talk to someone I've been in isolation for a couple of days" As the majority of Dubai experiences self-isolation for the first time, The Lovin Show had its first Zoom interview, with Dubai-based fitness expert Rob Sharpe. With an app that encourages home workouts to his name, (@trainsharpe) Rob acknowledged it's a strange cross-over to fully training at home, but it's not all about w...

“They say you have to hit rock bottom to get back up. Well, I hit rock bottom super hard. Lost $1.5 million in an investment, my father passed away, lost a love relationship, got diagnosed with diabetes all at the same time….. So I started cramming myself with positive messaging to rewire my brain”. Psychologist Hiba Balfaqih consumed positive content religiously before turning it on its head with...

Can 5 dominos change your life? Omar Al Duri joined the Lovin Show to talk about RESET, his domino philosophy (and published book) that works as a passport for mental and physical health 🙌@omaralduri #lovindubai

When you get a coupon to trial one month at a dance studio... and turn that into your life's work. Pierre Khadra has choreographed shows for MTV, reached the finals on “So You Think You Can Dance” (Arabia) and worked with the likes of Ricky Martin and Andrea Bocelli to Elissa, Tamer Hosni, Nancy Ajram, and more. And now, if you've been to SKY. 20 he's the man that puts those insanely cool, (indust...

Jalal Luqman is the author of a graphic fantasy novel, the pioneer of digital art in the region and he's displayed his work at museums worldwide... but most importantly, an absolute legend to chat to. Had so many laughs this week, come back any time!

The story of how they met sounds like destiny 😍Nadine aka @glorygirlfit has lived in Dubai for almost 17 years. 2 years ago she met @fitlikeric and this year they'll leave Dubai. Together, they aim to inspire people to live well and put simply; how to be good humans. If you're interested in personal growth and a self-reflective journey, pop on your headphones, sit back and give this a listen #lov...

Sumayyah AlSuwaidi was a trailblazer when she first begged for a computer and Adobe Photoshop at just 16 years old, (this was the year the internet came to the UAE for the very first time) and not much has changed since.  With creativity at the heart of everything she does, Sumayyah works in fashion, jewellery, art and digital media. Thanks for sharing your story @sumayyahalsuwaidi #lovinduba...

Nicole is Dubai's most famous personal shopper and stylist 😍The lady behind @nicole_ontrend has stories to tell. How she fell into a position of a personal shopper to the city's elite, the story behind some controversial Insta posts and the key investment pieces your wardrobe will thank you for 

LISTEN: "Food was my therapy... it was my saviour'" Zahra Abdalla, aka Cooking With Zahra, went from blogger to TV chef, to author, to cooking entrepreneur but it hasn't always been an easy path.  Great to have a genuinely kind and talented Dubai chef AND the brains behind @Zahra's Kitchen join the show this week #lovindubai

Introducing Yuliana Grasman, aka Afra Drift. The world's first 4×4 female drifter and she lives in Dubai. Taking on the adrenaline-fuelled sport just two years ago, Afra's skill has taken her to various rallies across the Middle East, seen her living in the desert for 28 days surviving on little food, and now she's bracing herself with new challenges for the year to come. 

LISTEN: With a lot of money at stake and many fakes floating about, Sevgi Eren has her work cut out as a diamond expert and trainer. She's also a Dubai resident who doesn't sit still, an extraordinary businesswoman with a love for Harley-Davidsons. 

LISTEN: Take inspiration from Lara Tabet. Previously a presenter on Dubai’s first-ever English TV channel, Lara’s career in media includes meeting the world’s biggest celebs, (*cough Morgan Freeman, *cough George Clooney) working with couture designers, being awarded Global Influencer of the year, working as a luxury brand ambassador, to establishing her own brand; Lara’s non-stop work ethic could...

LISTEN: The perfect Christmas present for HH Sheikh Hamdan? Arzoo Malhotra joins The Lovin Show for the Christmas Special. To talk about the Dubai comedy scene, the first time she realised she was funny, and how a Dubai audience is actually the best audience for any comedian to go up against.