If Olly Wood bumps into Pharrell backstage at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, there’s going to be trouble.
Wood is one half of the UAE dance-pop duo Hollaphonic, who hold the distinguished honour of knocking their co-headliner's mega-hit Happy off the top of the Saudi Arabian iTunes charts, with their recent single Runaway.
“He’s going to be devastated when he hears that,” Wood deadpans. “If I’m let anywhere near him at any point, I will make it my business to tell him.”
And how does the MC/producer intend on getting close to “The World’s Most Popular Man”?
“I’ll wear my ‘I love Pharrell’ T-shirt and stand around looking innocent – if that doesn’t work, I’ll charge him,” he says.
Wood is, of course, joking, but the image he paints isn’t such a crazy one. The Dubai MC is, after all, like Pharrell, playing the main stage at the biggest event of the UAE music calendar. And the band’s last single, featuring a guest vocal by the Grammy Award-nominee (and Justin Timberlake collaborator) Aaron Camper, did top charts regionally (at the time of writing, Happy was back on top in KSA). But it’s understandable if Wood feels starry-eyed – no other English-language UAE act has ever enjoyed the unprecedented international showcase that is offered by playing the F1’s Yasalam After-Race Concerts as Hollaphonic will on Friday, November 21, when they warm up for Armin van Buuren. The following night, Pharrell will headline.
“Playing the F1 is one of those bucket-list things I didn’t even have on the list,” says Wood. “It’s like, I always wanted to do that – I just never knew it.”
It’s the latest pinch-me moment in an incredibly fast – and monumentally fortuitous – career. Signed to EMI before they even had a record out, the surprise pairing of Wood – then better known as a drum’n’bass MC, with Greg Stainer, 37, a commercial club DJ – saw Hollaphonic hatched fully formed early last year
Their debut single I Don't Want It to End topped regional download charts in February last year and a month later, the band made their live debut to 40,000 people at the Dubai World Cup.
More hit singles followed – Found You (Stay Alive), featuring Dia of the UAE rockers Juliana Down, and Fabric, featuring Kevin Murphy – as they picked up regional airplay. The duo even survived a global artist cull when EMI merged with Universal Music.
Hollaphonic are no strangers to Yas, playing an opening set at Creamfields Abu Dhabi last year. But that gig doesn’t compare to the F1 slot, a fact that has clearly not been lost on the pair, who promise an entirely fresh show.
“We actually knew about it for three weeks before it was announced – I virtually had no lip left I’d been biting it so hard,” adds Wood. “We’re just looking at everything we can do to make it the best gig we’ve ever done. We’ve really pushed the boat out on this one.”
That proverbial boat includes a brand-new light show put together by Ross Marshall – “the guy who does the lasers for Muse” – while the guest vocalists Dia, Murphy and Brit Chick will all be taking to the stage.
Camper is sadly busy touring with JT, but he is filming a fresh video specially for the big screens. Wood, meanwhile, is promising to sing lead vocals (rather than MC) for the first time on some new material. “I don’t get nervous until a few minutes before,” says the 31-year-old, “and then nobody can find me.”
The band’s label is also ensuring their entire set is uploaded to the music-recognition app Shazam so a casual international crowd can clock them instantly and download the music.
It’s a smart move – because there’s little doubt that when Hollaphonic leave the stage on Friday night, they will have picked up a few extra fans.
It is a pattern we can expect to see repeat itself when Hollaphonic's long-awaited debut album Personal Space drops in February, which is set to be introduced to a UK audience with a new single featuring the former X Factor and The Voice finalist Vince Kidd.
The band are already prepping a new merchandise line, a range of headphones, international advertising tie-ups, and they are touting plans to record alongside the Qatar Philharmonic Orchestra.
“We’ve been very lucky,” admits Wood, in a rare moment of earnestness, “but we’ve also worked really, really hard. It’s been a surreal road to get here, but every day we wake up to a new opportunity.”