Abu Dhabi's Emirates Palace is the backdrop for global pop group Now United's latest music video.
The band, which is made up of 16 members for 16 different countries around the world, have spent the past few months in the Emirates, following the search to find their newest member from the Middle East region.
After the band's manager, Simon Fuller – who was also responsible for making a phenomenon out of the Spice Girls – selected 19-year-old Nour Ardakani from Lebanon, the group have been busy recording new music and shooting videos in various locations around the UAE.
For their latest single, Lean on Me, the music video takes place in the luxurious halls and grounds of the capital's five-star Emirates Palace hotel.
The video opens with a sweeping shot of the hotel, before switching to 11 of the band’s 16 members performing choreography in the grounds of the resort.
The video also includes clips of band members dancing through the hotel’s gold-infused halls and outside terraces, with the city’s skyline visible in the background.
There’s even a line in the song dedicated to the emirate: “I’ll probably be out in Abu Dhabi, chilling in the lobby, at the after party,” they sing.
The video went live on the band’s YouTube page on Friday, January 15, receiving more than 2 million views in the first 15 hours.
The band have been putting out new music at an impressive rate, with four new songs and videos released in the past two months.
Their track Habibi was released in November to officially welcome Ardakani into the band, with the music video shot partly in Dubai's historic Al Fahidi district, as well as in her native Lebanon.
There have also been music videos shot at W Dubai – The Palm and The Paramount hotel.
Members of the band have been in the UAE since September, and have released several vlogs showing their time in the Emirates, which have seen them visit the Dubai desert, Yas Island’s theme parks, and a number of hotels and attractions across the country.
The ever-growing band aims to connect fans from across the world through music, and its members currently represent 16 countries across the globe – Mexico, Brazil, South Korea, Russia, China, UK, India, Philippines, US, Germany, Finland, Japan, Canada, Senegal, Australia and now Lebanon.
Speaking to The National after becoming the newest member of the group, Ardakani said: "I am ready for the responsibility," she says. "I am not only representing the Mena region and Lebanon, but also the youth who come from here. This only makes me want to work harder and I can't wait to get started."
