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Arab pop sensation The 5 are this summer offering four of their biggest fans the chance to write lyrics that will be included in their upcoming single.
The group launched the #SeeTheRealMe initiative on May 1 as part of a partnership with skincare brand Clean & Clear. The social media campaign will see fans contribute lyrics for the band's new single 'See The Real Me'.
The campaign has been divided into three stages, beginning with the writing competition, which took place in May. The band encouraged fans to send in their lyrics and four have been chosen to join the second stage, which will be a summer writing camp in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, in July.
In the second stage, the girls and The 5 will together brainstorm lyrics for their song, giving fans a unique insight into the music industry. The winners, who have not yet been named, include a makeup artist, writer, photographer and singer. The third, and final stage, is the release of the single at the end of August.
The 5 is one of the region's leading boybands and its members include Ahmed Hassan (Egypt), Adel Echbiy (Morocco), Kazem Chamas (Lebanon), and Said Karmouz and Mohamed Bouhezza a.k.a BMD (Algeria). The group were put together last year when they took part in the Arab version of The X Factor TV reality singing competition.
Singer Adel Echbiy explained the thinking behind the #SeeTheRealMe campaign: "We want them [the fans] to show us what they have... Most of the girls have abilities and capacities but they are afraid to show it, so we are giving them the chance just like we had our chance on The X Factor. That's the main concept."
Changing mindsets
The band's goal is to put the spotlight on the issue of self-confidence and self-acceptance for female Arab youth. The 5 believe this can be achieved through art and music. "In the Arab world most of the girls are so shy to show their talents or what they love to do. Clean and Clear and The 5 are trying to break that wall between being shy and seeing the real you," said Ahmed Hassan.
The 5 are very proud of their Arab roots and their aim is to introduce Arabic music to the international stage. "We're not just hoping, it's a goal we are trying to achieve," Echbiy said.
The band is often referred to in the media as 'the Arab One Direction' and the comparison with the British boyband, which was discovered by Simon Cowell on the British version of The X Factor, is one The 5 don't seem to mind. "They're an amazing band. They're like one of the greatest bands in history," Kazem Chamas said of the rival band, before pointing out some of the unique qualities that differentiate The 5 from One Direction. "Firstly, we sing in Arabic and they sing in English and we're from different nationalities, so that's what makes us different."
There is one element where the two groups really differ, said Mohamed Bouhezza, also known as BMD, the rapper in the group. "We have rap, they don't," he said proudly. The boys were keen to highlight their unique approach and are not just another boyband with an expiration date, something they hope to prove with the #SeeTheRealMe campaign.
© Zawya 2016
