Today's Edition
KUUMAR SHYAM (ABU DHABI)
A French-Indonesian teen girl and a resident of Dubai has been making waves on her CV as a rising singing star, with two latest and biggest highlights of her career coming from Abu Dhabi. Celinedee Matihari is just 16, yet she already has big dreams of striking it big on stages across the globe, not just physically but in spirit as well.
Born to a French father and an Indonesian mother, she recently performed with her inspiration, the famous Oscar-winning Indian composer AR Rahman, at the Etihad Arena, and followed it up this weekend with a performance at the Qasr Al Watan to receive the new Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto on his state visit. With this feather in the cap, she has now performed for two Presidents, having earlier done a presentation for Subianto’s predecessor, Joko Widodo, last year.
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The past fortnight in Abu Dhabi is a taste of things to come. Even before her birth, her trysts with star names was destined when her mother Purwanti bumped into the Canadian singer Celine Dion, the “Queen of Power Ballads” at a press conference. Celinedee’s father Frederic occasionally plays the piano, but it would be a big statement to say the name and her career path were meant to happen in some kind of genetic destiny.
“I always liked to sing in different languages, I think that makes me more complete,” said Celinedee in an exclusive interaction with Aletihad. Her parents, in tow, lead the conversation where father Frederic Paille is in the publishing industry while mother Purwanti is a human resource professional.
Both have supported her career graph which has been interspersed with performances in some quality collaborations and big names despite her young age. Besides the entertainment industry, she performed in front of a state minister from Indonesia, who in turn presented her when former president Joko Widodo came visiting in 2023.
Growing up and studying at home, Celinedee picked up words and songs in Malayalam and Hindi from a family friend and neighbour, Dr Neetu Nicholas. That’s when she came across the songs “Vande Mataram” and “Chinna Chinna Aasai” of AR Rahman, who is a regular to the UAE and where his Firdaus orchestra is working with local talent.
In January this year, Celinedee was invited to a meet-and-greet with him at the Dubai launch of a Tamil animation movie Ayalaan, but Rahman could not make it to the venue while getting stuck in traffic. Celinedee performed “Vande Mataram” as planned in a repeat of her performance at the Climate Control Awards the previous month. Rahman, stuck outside in the car, recorded the performance with his phone and posted it on his Instagram account. The clip went viral, generating over 57 million views.
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The bond story with Rahman has been nurtured since, this time with the scenery setting changed to Abu Dhabi. At the IIFA Awards, she met Rahman on the green carpet where the composer remembered her. A few days later, the family got called by his team following which it looked to Celinedee and her parents that the young lady may be helping with the rehearsal for Rahman’s concert at the Etihad Arena on November 2.
“Two days before, we got the impression that she may actually perform on stage. And then when the show started, Celinedee was called up on the stage from the crowd and it was such a great moment,” said Paille senior. Celinedee sung “Chinna Chinna Aasai” this time in Tamil, surprising Rahman’s fans, who are familiar with his desire to explore themes of humanity through his music.
Her latest performance in front of political elite in Abu Dhabi has only provided a royal sheen to a bright future outlook.
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RECENT RISE OF CELINEDEE: |
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During the COP28 last year, after impressing Erick Tohir, Indonesia Minister of State-Owned Enterprises, Celinedee was invited to sing to for then Indonesian President Joko Widodo in his suite in the presence of other dignitaries. |
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In March, Forbes USA invited Celinedee to sing at the opening of their 30/50 Summit in Abu Dhabi, for which Shania Twain was the chief guest. Twain arranged a private audition with Celinedee, during which she sang “Stay”, her original song, which Shania called fabulous. |
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On June 15, Celinedee got the opening act at the Earthsoul Festival for Jason Derulo at the Coca-Cola Arena, with a 20-minute set in front of 7,000 people. |
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Sixteen years after her parents met Celine Dion in Dubai and named their daughter after that encounter, Celinedee made a cover of the Paris Olympics' closing song posted on the global star's Instagram in August. |
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AR Rahman’s Dubai-based Firdaus studio invited Celinedee to record at their facility as part of their Notes from Firdaus programme. This will pre-empt two of her songs for the soundtrack of Viktory, a new audiobook based on a cricket prodigy, in the wake of India winning the ICC Cricket World Cup. |
