Simply Abu Dhabi VIII

6 3 S I M P LY A B U DH A B I S IMPLY MUS IC W hen Abu Dhabi holds its Formula One Grand Prix each year, its already sumptuous levels of luxury are taken to new heights. Only the very best can get to the top in Formula One: it is the ultimate motor racing test. Victory requires the ability to combine immense skill and talent with the very finest in precision engineering – along with magisterial strategic planning. When the winners and runners-up take to the podium at the end, it is a moment of huge glory, both for the drivers and the teams behind them. During the weekend of the spectacular Abu Dhabi Formula One Grand Prix, when the Emirate plays host to the vast range of talented people who participate in the sport, as well as the sport’s sophisticated fans, there is a palpable excitement in the air. Abu Dhabi residents are keen to display the staggering heights of luxury that their Emirate has to offer, while visitors in turn are only too happy to discover its rich and sumptuous charms. One of the things we love most about the Formula One weekend is that anyone who holds an F1 ticket is able to watch not only the thrilling racing during the day, but also the concerts each evening, in which some of the world’s biggest musical stars perform. And on the first night, we could have hardly have been welcoming a bigger megastar to our glorious shores: we were going to be watching none other than Kylie Minogue. Seeing Kylie enter the stage in a beautiful blue one-piece suit, backed by a spectacular array of backing dancers in feather- trimmed, multicoloured costumes, we sensed that we were in for a thrilling night. The singer began strongly and ended even better, expertly mingling classic tracks like I Should Be So Lucky and Can’t Get You Out Of My Head with newer and less familiar material. Kylie has come a long way since she first entered the public eye as the character Charlene in the Australian soap opera Neighbours. Minogue excelled in the role, and even today her character remains one of the most popular ever seen on Australian television. By the age of twenty Kylie had won five Logies (the Australian equivalent of an Emmy) – she was the youngest actress ever to do so. In 1987 she won the Silver Logie for Most Popular Actress and in 1988 she was the first artist ever to win four Logies on one night, including the Gold for Most Popular Personality on Australian Television. Kylie’s recording career began in 1987, when she released the amazing Loco-motion, a wonderful song that topped the charts in Australia and Southeast Asia. After the deserved success of this release, Kylie began working with top British record producers Stock, Aitken and Waterman in London.