“Dubai Will Always Win” Global Release on May 22

A Message of Hope Dedicated to Dubai — Interview with Swiss

Engineer Gustavo Montero

Q1. On May 22, the song “Dubai Will Always Win” will be released worldwide. First,

please introduce yourself and tell us how long you have lived in Dubai.

A. My name is Gustavo Montero. I am Swiss and an engineer by profession. I have been living in Dubai for around 11 years now. I moved here with my wife and daughter 11 years ago. My daughter is now 19 years old and currently studying in Paris.

Our family has had an incredible experience living in Dubai and the UAE. The reason I created this song was because I wanted to contribute, even in a small way, to help this wonderful country, its remarkable leaders, and its great people overcome the difficult times we are currently facing together. That is how the idea for this song was born.

Q2. What was the exact moment or spark that inspired you to write and produce

"Dubai will always win"? Was it a specific event, a skyline view, or a broader feeling about the city's trajectory?

A.This happened about two weeks ago. I was speaking with several friends here in Dubai, and I sensed that many people were feeling very down and almost emotionally stagnant. So I asked myself, “What can I do?”

I’m just an engineer running two companies, but I wanted to do something meaningful, even in a small way, for this city and its people.

Then the idea suddenly came to me: “Why not create a song?” A song that supports Dubai and the UAE. I’m not a musician, but I have worked with artificial intelligence technologies for the past 40 years. I thought perhaps, with the AI tools we now have, it might be possible to create a song. That night, I made the decision. I said to myself, “Yes, let’s create a song for Dubai, the UAE, its people, and its leaders.” I hoped it could give people strength and become something they could sing together. Maybe one day everyone will sing this song together.

Q3. Dubai is a city known for rapid growth and immense ambition. How did you translate that unique, energetic “Dubai spirit” into music and lyrics?

A.Exactly. Dubai is a city that always wins. During my 11 years here, I have experienced two major crises in this city. Yet every single time, Dubai rose again in extraordinary ways. The same can be said for the UAE as a whole.

That made me realize that this country, its leadership, and its people all possess an incredibly positive spirit. I simply needed a medium to express that energy — and this time, that medium became music. When you listen to the song, you will feel that positivity. It includes the glamorous side of Dubai, but also its simple, everyday beauty.

This is a city where singles, families, professionals, and people from all walks of life live together. And we are warmly welcomed by the local people.

I tried to capture all of those elements in the song. I wanted to express the spirit of a city that rises again as a winner no matter what crisis it faces. That is why the title is “Dubai Will Always Win.” The song also reflects the UAE spirit that “Everyone is Emirati.” It means that all of us living here share a deep sense of belonging and positivity within this city and country. If you help spread this song across the UAE and make it go viral, that would be absolutely fantastic. This is a completely pro bono project. There is no commercial intention behind it at all. I would be happy to attend any event and speak about the song.

In fact, tomorrow evening I will be presenting the song at a small event for entrepreneurs.

Q4. How did you settle on the specific musical style and tempo for this track? What elements did you feel were essential to make it feel both modern and inspiring?

A.Because I’m not a musician but an engineer, I thought carefully about what makes people enjoy and sing along with a song. One important factor was the tempo. So I wanted the song to have a relatively fast pace.

While working with AI, I tested multiple fast-tempo variations and selected the one I liked most. For the lyrics, I first wrote the initial drafts myself and then entered them into the AI system. The AI generated several suggestions, and I selected the phrases that best matched the mood and energy I wanted.

Ultimately, the fast tempo, positive atmosphere, and hopeful words became the core elements of the song.

Q5. What was your process for writing the lyrics? How did you balance specific nods

to Dubai’s identity with universal themes of resilience, triumph, and ambition?

A.Resilience, success, and ambition are all embedded in the song. Even if those exact words are not always used directly, the spirit behind them is present throughout, because this city itself inspires those emotions.

You have lived here too, so you understand how strong and resilient this city and country truly are. I first wrote several versions of the lyrics myself. Then I fed them into AI, which provided different expressions and ideas. From those, I selected the ones that felt closest to the emotion and message I wanted, and combined them with the music.

Another thing I would like to mention is that the song also includes very impressive graphics.

My friend Alex Curson helped with the graphic work. He is a professional DJ, graphic artist, and an internationally awarded creative talent.

I asked him, “I’m working on this project — would you help me with the visuals?”

So the final piece became a combination of AI-generated graphics, lyrics, music, and tempo.

In many ways, it is a creative fusion of existing technologies and artistic elements brought together into something unique.

Q6. Since this was created as a YouTube song, visual storytelling is essentially half of the experience. How closely were you involved in shaping the video concept to ensure the visuals perfectly matched the song’s energy?

A.We went through a tremendous amount of iteration. We continuously adjusted and recombined the visuals, music, and lyrics.

We also asked AI to generate different creative ideas throughout the process.

When you watch the video, you will notice that the imagery aligns very naturally with the lyrics. We worked hard to create harmony between the music, visuals, and words. Honestly, AI was an incredible tool throughout this entire project.

Q7. Who was the primary audience you had in mind while for this song? Local residents, the global business community, innovators, or the next generation of dreamers coming to the UAE?

A. My most important audience is everyone living in Dubai and the UAE.

Right now, many of us are going through somewhat difficult and uncertain times.

My biggest goal was to give hope and encouragement to the people living here.

Of course, I’m also very happy that the song is now being introduced to countries such as Korea. But at its core, the project was meant to encourage people who may be feeling emotionally exhausted. I hoped people could sing it together and regain strength from it.

Q8. Dubai’s growth is anchored in the clear vision of its leadership. In what ways does the song pay homage to the forward-thinking, "nothing is impossible" philosophy of the emirate?

A.This song is both a tribute to and an expression of respect for the leadership of this country. It reflects a leadership that always remains positive and future-oriented while striving to create an environment where everyone can live happily.

The leadership of the UAE and Dubai is truly extraordinary.

I wanted the song to capture that spirit and the direction of its forward-looking vision.

Whether I fully succeeded or not is for the audience to decide, but I genuinely tried to express that mindset.

Q9. What made YouTube the ideal platform to launch and distribute this specific project compared to traditional distribution channels?

A.Honestly, because it was the easiest platform to use. Creating the song and uploading it to YouTube was very simple. Later, it will also be shared on Instagram and other platforms.

And because this is a non-commercial project, YouTube felt especially appropriate.

I do not intend to earn a single cent from this project. This is simply a gift to the people of Dubai and the UAE.

10. Do you see “Dubai Will Always Win” as simply a tribute song, or is this the beginning of a larger creative initiative to showcase the UAE's culture and ambition through multimedia?

A. I truly hope this song becomes a starting point.

I hope it inspires more people to create their own songs, artworks, and creative projects supporting Dubai and the UAE. Multimedia is an incredible tool for making that possible.

Someone else may create a huge painting or another artistic expression. The form itself is not important. What matters is sharing with the world the positivity of Dubai, the UAE, its leadership, and the life people experience here.

This country has given my family, my daughter, my wife, and me an extraordinary chapter in our lives. And I wanted to share that story with the world.