RIYADH: Renowned artist and producer DJ Khaled made a surprise appearance at XP Music Futures in Riyadh on Wednesday ahead of his headlining performance at the region’s largest music festival, MDLBEAST SOUNDSTORM 2022. The musician sat down in a panel with music producer Larry Jackson and American rapper Fat Joe to discuss the global music industry, their experiences as experts in the field and the bright future of Saudi talent. Despite his extreme fear of flying, DJ Khaled made the trip to the region right after a stop in Paris to recreate the Air Jordan Jumpman logo, “Air Khaled,” with fellow musician and longtime friend and supporter Fat Joe. The industry legend said: “To come all the way to Saudi Arabia to be able to represent hip hop is a proud moment for me. I’ll speak from my own experience, coming from (being) in my garage with two turntables and a drum machine and a bunch of vinyl records to where I’m at now, it was something I knew I was going to do for the rest of my life.” The producers can spot hit songs from a mile away, Chief Creative Officer of MDLBEAST Ahmad Al-Ammary said, which requires great experience in knowing the wants of a global market. “For me, it’s all about feelings…If it touches my soul a certain way, I just know,” DJ Khaled said. Regardless of genre or the feel of the song, the music needs to resonate with not just local, but international audiences. he explained. The DJ said that there are many hit records that they have worked on that have made it onto the main stage, engaging audiences to sing to every word, but in other circumstances, the emotional connection to a track or an album trumps the chart numbers. “It’s not always about a hit record that we all strive to make the No. 1 record on Billboard…There (are) other records that we consider (hits) that are personal to somebody’s life. I have a song out called ‘GRATEFUL.’ It might not be the No. 1 record on the album, but everybody loves that record because it’s talking about being grateful for all the blessings, and people can resonate,” DJ Khaled said. For the talent, staying grounded and being family oriented are priorities. DJ Khaled credits his success to God and the support of his parents, who stood by him while he was still building his career. “I feel like God has put me on this earth to try to make the world better…I want to find a way to make the world better and make the world happier because I have kids, and I want them to come out to the real world and make sure they’re safe,” he said. Coming to the region for the first time, his experience of the culture and people was unlike any other. The quality of life and overarching excitement appealed to the artist. “When we were driving over here and I was looking around, I put my head out the window and somebody screamed ‘Khaled!’ and I appreciate the love, and I said ‘Joe, man, people here are just happy,’” he said. The esteemed guests showed their support for the growing talent in the region and the rise of the industry regionally. “I’m so fascinated and so compelled to see what’s going on (in Saudi Arabia) culturally right now because I’m telling you…the next big artist could come from Saudi Arabia, I swear to God. I’m telling you, there are no gatekeepers right now,” Jackson said.