Eve ready to rock Dubai

Rebecca McLaughlin-Duane catches up with the rapper and singer Eve ahead of her performance at Dubai's Cavalli Club.

The rapper and singer Eve. Courtesy Katch Management

As temperatures rise across the UAE, Cavalli Club has lined up a smoking hot list of musical acts for May, kicking off with the American rap star Eve tomorrow night. The actress, singer and producer is best known for hits such as Who's That Girl and her collaboration with Gwen Stefani on the track Let Me Blow Your Mind, which led the pair to a Grammy win. We caught up with the larger-than-life personality on the eve of her performance in Dubai.

Welcome Eve! You've been here a few times before; what do you enjoy doing as a tourist when you're in town?

This will be my third or fourth visit to the UAE and I will usually hang out at the hotel. I've had a chance to run around to the malls and go shopping before and on my first visit I had the chance to get on a yacht and sail around Dubai Marina, which was really nice. For me, it's always really interesting to see so many cultures come together so I really enjoy being here.

What can people attending Cavalli this weekend expect to hear from you?

Definitely a lot of my old stuff and I always try to warm up the crowds and see what songs they know as I like a lot of crowd participation. Then I may do some stuff from my new album. But mainly I'll just have fun, that's my biggest thing, so you'll hear some current hits just so I can make sure the crowd is staying hyped and having a good time. You'll hear a variety of things from me.

You're an actress, rapper, songwriter, producer and designer - which role comes most naturally to you?

I would say writing comes most naturally, because my music is my diary in a sense. I don't have a journal that I write in every day but when I write music, that's how I get my feelings out.

When will the new material you have been working on be released?

We are hoping by the end of summer to early fall, and there will be singles out throughout the summer.

Any major collaborations?

Right now we're still waiting on some collaborations - Snoop Dogg is on the album and we're waiting for Jill Scott and two or three more.

Do you have any plans to launch a new fashion label?

Well, I let Fetish go around two years ago, so if you see it, don't buy it, as I don't own it anymore! But hopefully with this new record, I do want to get back into clothing because I guess fashion is a fetish of mine. I'm not sure when it will happen but it will be after the album comes out.

What was the inspiration behind your paw-print tattoos?

I got them so long ago they are a part of me now. But when I first got them there were a few different reasons. I love dogs, that's a big thing in my life. But on top of that it was kind of like a dare from a friend of mine and I was worried they might come out lopsided but thank goodness they didn't! Once I did it, I loved it.

Tell me something people don't know about Eve?

I would say I think the one thing people don't know about me is that I love to read books. I read all the time and try to read two books a month. I just finished White Teeth by Zadie Smith which I loved and have read a couple of times before and now I'm reading a book called Dreams of Joy by Lisa See. I like fiction and a lot of books I read are period books - like this one set in China.

Name your most treasured possession.

Probably my precious dog, Spunky. Everything else is replaceable.

What's your favourite karaoke tune?

I love karaoke and I always start every session with Sweet Dreams by the Eurythmics.

What's the most overused word in your vocabulary?

Crazy! Recently that's become my word - everything is crazy for me right now.

What's your mantra?

My mantra would be "Everything happens in time". Meaning whatever is meant to be yours, will be yours in time. It's the thing that keeps me sane because obviously we can't control everything. And when I get to the point where I'm feeling out of control, I calm myself down with the thought that whatever is meant to be will be.

Eve will perform at Cavalli Club, Restaurant & Lounge, Sheikh Zayed Road, tomorrow. For more information, call 04 332 9260 or email [e-mail]

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