It is estimated that between 6,000 and 8,000 Greeks expats live in the United Arab Emirates, a majority of whom reside in Dubai and work in banking and finance, construction, health, and hospitality sectors, and among those Greek expats is Nikolas Papakonstantinou - the only known Greek professional singer in the country.
The rising entertainer spends his time between Greece and the UAE, but is now spending ever more time in Dubai as he sings in most of the prominent Greek restaurants and venues of the city. He has even experienced the COVID-19 pandemic in Dubai while keeping up his efforts to promote Greek music.
In a special interview with Greek City Times, Nikolas revealed the launch of his new album "Maskes - Μάσκες". The album that was produced with an Athenian record company was officially launched in Dubai, making it one of the rare Greek music projects to be launched from the cosmopolitan jewel of the Gulf - Dubai.
"I am currently being inspired to write more songs from Dubai. I want to introduce Greek Music to the existing cultural mosaic in Dubai," he said to Greek City Times.
Nikos also revealed to the correspondent based in the UAE, George Eid, that he is currently shooting a video clip in Dubai for a new Greek song to be released soon.
The young Greek singer who is part of a flourishing Greek community in the UAE said that "although the Greek community seems to be silent in the UAE, it maintains a significant presence in many industries."
Nikolas is also part of the ongoing efforts to organise the first Greek Festival of Dubai, which is being led by George Eid, a Lebanon-born journalist of Greek descent. The project that is being developed is a continuity of the Greek festival of Lebanon organised in 2019.
Nikolas Papakonstantinou added: "I feel that my presence in Dubai is a duty to promote our culture and music in a city that welcomes so many cultures. And I do feel with every performance I give how much people enjoy Greek Music."
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