Bad experiences can sometimes lead to creative outcomes. Being bullied at a young age in school inspired and motivated 14-year-old Kuwaiti student Noor Qaddoumi to compose beautiful songs that have useful messages. Noor, a talented student of Kuwait English School, participated in the ‘Little Big Stars’ talent show broadcast on MBC.

“I saw an advertisement about the audition of this program on TV. The same day I went to the audition with my family. It took place in September in Kuwait, and the team chose those who qualified. Then we traveled to Lebanon in October, where the show was filmed. The episode where I participated was broadcast earlier this month (December),” she told Kuwait Times.

Noor’s talent is in writing and composing songs about humanitarian issues such as bullying, pollution, injustice and others. ‘Little Big Stars’ is not a competition but rather a platform to showcase children’s talents. It includes various themes such as singing, mathematics, exercise, athletics, cooking and other talents.

Kuwait Times: Why choose humanitarian issues for your songs?

Noor: I feel it’s important to be able to discuss and present a message. Some people are feeling depressed due to being bullied, and I want to help them. This is a kind of support for them, and to tell them they are not alone. Through my songs, I want to encourage them to speak loudly about their problems.

‘Don’t Hide It’ is the name of the song that I composed on bullying. Through this song I tell victims of bullying not to keep this bad experience to themselves, but to speak about it to get help from others. As I went through this experience, it made me able to compose this song. I also presented this song at an anti-bullying conference and during a school show, where I ranked third among the participants.

When I was a child at school, some older students used to bully me, especially since I wear glasses. They used to threaten me and ask me to do things that would make me get in trouble. At first I kept it to myself and was sad, as I didn’t want my mom to get upset. I even told my mom I don’t want to go to school. But later I decided to tell my parents, who informed the school administration.

KT: Which musical instrument do you play?

Noor: It’s called a ukulele. It’s kind of a small guitar with four strings. I like this instrument as it makes me happy whenever I play it. I learnt playing it on YouTube, and now it’s almost a year that I’m playing the ukulele. I feel it produces happy melodies. I only write songs in English but I wish to write in Arabic as well in the future, when my Arabic gets better. I’m also learning to play the guitar and piano, in addition to ballet.

KT: When did you start composing songs?

Noor: I started at the beginning of this year, so it’s been almost a year now. I registered with the school choir in third grade. They trained me how to sing and taught me how to do notes. I also participate in the British School in Middle East music festival every year. I compose songs on injustice, pollution, gossiping and bullying, and am working on ideas for new songs. I would like to become a lawyer. I want to defend those who suffer from injustices, as I lived through this experience. I also want to become a popular singer. Music is a great way to express yourself and your feelings - it’s my way to send a message.