Hot seat: Princess Bee

You’ll be hearing plenty about Princess Bee, the lawyer/charity worker/model/pop singer, in the near future. Born in Italy, she now spends three months a year in Dubai and has even written a song about the city, called, funnily enough, ‘Dubai’. But first she has a UNESCO-backed charity single ‘Angels’ to promote. Discuss this article

© ITP Images

What was the inspiration behind the song, ‘Dubai’?
I first visited in 2002 and immediately felt something positive about the place. In 2006 I wrote the song ‘Dubai’ which will be part of my forthcoming album. It is dedicated to the new generation of this country, especially the young women. The subject of the song, ‘Umm Sultan’ is a real person, one of my best friends. I wrote the lyrics in English then asked my friend to translate a part of the chorus into Arabic. My friend speaks the words, ‘Dubai the land of the future/Dubai the beautiful city,’ then the song starts by talking about the story of Umm Sultan.

What do you consider to be your day job?
I have a law degree and I work with my father in the educational field training Gulf students in Italy. I also do a lot of modelling work. Then I have my own job writing songs for other artists. I create the music with my co producers and I write the words.

Do you have record company backing?
I am still independent and have not needed it so far. ‘Angels’, which I will release first, is a non profit venture that I will release under the patronage of UNESCO. They endorsed it because it fits with their values – peaceful coexistence between people and nations. It is a song dedicated to the children who are victims of conflict. In my song, they are now angels who invoke peace from heaven.

How will you promote the song?
‘Angels’ will be ready soon on my website – www.princessbeemusic. com. I will promote it via a press conference in Italy where I will also be appearing on TV and in cinemas. Hopefully I will launch the video clip through MTV Arabia, so the Middle East will see it first. People will be able to donate through my website or by dialling a special number which generates one Euro. We will spend this money to support children in war zones who cannot afford medical treatment, and we will pay for surgery in Italy.

Law, modelling and then music – that’s a diverse career path
When I was a child I studied ballet and I would write poems and sing. Then I studied law because my father said it was a good idea. At first I only did it please him, but now I thank him because it has been very useful in my life. And I have always written songs for other artists in Italy. Then in 2005 a group of producers said to me, ‘You have the songs and the voice, why don’t you record your own album?’ So I started working on it and now it is ready.

Do you see yourself as a pop singer or a charity worker?
I will keep doing what I want to do, but I see myself doing charity work and staying in the performing arts. If arts means music, which is what I have done since I was a child, that’s OK. But I still want to do what pleases me. Performing and writing makes me happy. If it can raise awareness, then that is great – even better. Through my music I would like to contribute to a better world. I don’t want to sound naive but that’s my dream.

Any plans to perform your charity single here in Dubai?
I may perform the song at some Palm hotels when they open as it will suit the occasion. But first I will be singing live in Italy at the Vatican City. It’s a charity concert that will feature Sting and Bono. I am lucky in this respect, I didn’t expect this to happen so soon. But I really struggled to make this song and fight against barriers and prejudices in the world. The children don’t care about nationality, they aren’t racist. This is the message of my song, it has nothing to do with politics, it is just about humanitarian issues.