Rapper Mvrs meets with students
Local rapper and Qatar Foundation alum Mvrs, (pronounced Mars), discussed his experience as a singer/songwriter and producer with students for the “Exploring Global Media” masterclass.
Mvrs (Ammar Abouelghar), who took animation classes at NU-Q and attended Carnegie Mellon in Qatar, talked about his journey to becoming a rapper and his excitement in discovering emerging artists here in Doha. He said that he enjoys collaboration opportunities with other artists, including Rosegold and Trak.
“Each song I write comes from a true and relatable story or experience,” said
Professor Jairo Lugo-Ocando, who teaches the masterclass and invited Mvrs, said that as one of the most creative and innovative rappers in Qatar who knows how the music industry functions and is trying, with others, to push forward his own creative talent in the market, Mvrs was an ideal guest speaker for the class.
“Each song I write comes from a true and relatable story or experience. I strive for authenticity in everything I do so that ultimately, I’m revealing something to my listeners that they might not otherwise know about me or my background.”
“This masterclass is about studying music and other creative industries – from comics to advertisement and film,” said Lugo-Ocando. “It is about understanding not just how the industries operate but how to operate effectively as an individual professional within them, so having Mvrs share his personal expertise with us on exactly that was invaluable.”
Mvrs explained to the students that media outlets often wait for a buzz to develop around an artist or for something new to happen in the music scene rather than searching for something new. He recommended using social media and events to generate hype, be seen, and grab the attention of those writing for blogs or news sources in the region.
He also discussed how to set goals and what it looks like to work hard achieving them in what he called a “high-risk, high-reward industry.” He urged the students to keep striving at whatever they love to do and remember, “Every push backward you receive should be considered a push forward in another direction.”
