She’s the ubiquitous MBC presenter responsible for helming shows including the insanely popular Arabs Got Talent (AGT) and her self-produced movie news, reviews and interviews programme Scoop with Raya.
Boasting almost a million Twitter followers and close to three million Facebook ‘likes’, Raya Abirached is as famous a name as you’ll find in the Arabic-speaking world. Yet unlike many with such notoriety, to meet and witness her relaxed and friendly demeanour, you wouldn’t think this Lebanese star feels an ounce of pressure.
“The most stressful thing for me, really, is what I’m going to wear,” she says with a laugh upon being asked how she handles getting in front of a potential audience of 350 million each week. The answer is a pertinent one. We are meeting in a swish Dubai hotel. Raya is in her official capacity as brand ambassador for fashion label Banana Republic, so the early part of our conversation revolves heavily around clothes.
“Every occasion has its way to dress. You can’t overshadow Nicole Kidman on the red carpet if she’s going to win an Oscar. You have to be a little bit more demure.”
Constantly surrounded by screen icons, doesn’t she have one she would like to emulate?
“No, because bodies are different,” Raya says. “I may have the same body shape as Kim Kardashian, but I don’t want to dress like her! I might think Giselle Bundchen is extremely stylish, but I don’t have her body.”
“It’s more my European life that influences how I dress and how I do my makeup. I try to go a little against the wave of styles in the region, which are heavy on makeup and hair extensions. They look beautiful, but I wouldn’t wear it. Having lived in England for so long and seen how natural the styles are on TV, I couldn’t go the other way.”
Yes, despite appearing on a Middle East channel week in, week out, Raya has called London home for the last 15 years. Moving there to study for a Masters in broadcast journalism after college in Beirut where she also cut her presenting teeth at Murr Television, Raya secured a job with MBC when its base was still located in the English capital.
“They moved hub, but I didn’t,” she says with a trademark flourish of obvious determination. It is probably safe to say that if anyone were going to commit to the gruelling filming schedule in locations around the world, it would be Raya and her effervescent character.
“The commute is difficult when it’s award season and AGT live shows are on,” she says. “I’m going between London, Beirut, and L.A. every couple of weeks, plus a stop off here and there in places like Dubai. It’s a busy travel lifestyle. You need stamina.”
Why not move?
“I love London. You can be whoever you want to be. I don’t have to be ‘Raya from the TV.’
“Sometimes I take the bus down to Knightsbridge, which often has a lot of MBC viewers on it and I can hear them talk in Arabic. So just before I get off I say ‘very nice to meet you.’ That’s fun, but here I would get completely mobbed.”
Another aspect of being so visible both onscreen and online is the constant scrutiny from armchair reviewers. Anyone with a degree of fame has to put up with it, though Raya’s sizeable media presence means more than a fair share of comments come her way.
“It is important to be self aware. It’s easy to distinguish constructive criticism on Twitter from people who are just trying to be nasty. It’s all about the majority.
“It’s great when people love something you do! You hear a lot of praise.”
Being busy is something Raya says she thrives on and with the Oscars just round the corner, things are as hectic as ever. Although she laments not having the time to watch as many movies as she used to.
“If I’m stressed I go to the cinema by myself. Nothing changes my mood like watching a great movie. I am on a high for three days.
“I used to go to the Cannes Film Festival and watch six in one day. Now I have to prioritise the movies I am covering on Scoop. We only do big stars, so I only get to see big Hollywood movies these days.”
So, what does the future hold? Acting in her own film?
“No, I’m so terrible. I can’t act and I can’t sing!
“I think everyone has a calling and this is mine. Arabic TV is so buoyant right now. British TV will not evolve in the next five years because it is brilliant the way it is. It doesn’t need to. With Arabic TV the sky is the limit.”
