The legendary hall-of-famer spoke to students and provided insights into his stunning career
Students of GEMS Dubai American Academy (DAA) Dubai were treated to a real musical masterclass when one of the world’s greatest ever influences on pop culture visited the school speaking to them about his stunning career.
Nile Rodgers, the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee, a Songwriters Hall of Famer and multiple Grammy Award winning songwriter, composer, producer, arranger, and guitarist, shared his extraordinary story and wisdom with several hundred bewitched Dubai school students.
As the co-founder of CHIC, Rodgers pioneered a musical revolution that generated chart-topping hits like Le Freak, Everybody Dance, I Want Your Love, Dance, Dance, Dance (Yowsah, Yowsah, Yowsah) and sparked the advent of hip-hop with Good Times and Rapper’s Delight.
His work in The CHIC Organisation have sold more than 500 million albums and 100 million singles worldwide, while his innovative, trendsetting collaborations with Daft Punk, Daddy Yankee, LE SSERAFIM and Beyoncé have been at the vanguard of contemporary hits in recent years.
During his visit to GEMS Dubai American Academy (DAA), Rodgers assessed student performers with candid but constructive feedback and wowed an auditorium of teenage admirers from the school with a whistle-stop run-through of his life and times, good and bad.
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Afterwards, he explained why he so valued the visit: “When I was starting out, the people who made the biggest impression on me were people who came in and gave proper lectures or just came in and gave quick advice.
“But hearing it from people who are in the thick of it is very important because it’s easy to get frustrated. And when you hear from people who say, ‘stick to it, believe in what you’re doing’, it keeps you going through that frustration.”
He continued: “I always believed I would be a musician. When I was a child, I used to musically score my life, believe it or not. I would walk down the street, and I was quite into adventure as I am still, and in my head, I would score swashbuckling movies.
“I was really into pirates! So much so, that I would fantasise to correspond my life to the music score in my head. I saw the world through music and that was the way I would express myself.”
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