Exclusive | Sheikh Ali Al Maktoum who made waves in Hong Kong appears to have alter ego as singer with fan base in Philippines
- Checks find sheikh setting up US$500 million family office in city bears striking resemblance to singer known as Alira
- Alira attracted strong following among Filipinos after his performance of Tagalog songs went viral in 2022
A Dubai prince who made waves in Hong Kong recently appears to have gained fame as a singer-songwriter with a fan base in the Philippines before he decided to set up a US$500 million family office in the city, the Post has learned.
Two sources said that Sheikh Ali Rashed Ali Saeed Al Maktoum was also known as Alira, while checks by the Post of the performer’s videos available online and a now-defunct website about his showbiz career showed a striking resemblance between the two identities.
The official website of Alira is now inaccessible, but screen captures of it in 2021 displayed photos of the artist with a full beard and long eyelashes, looking exactly like the prince except he was not wearing an Arabic robe or thawb as he was during his visit to Hong Kong last week.
The website introduced him as an “Emirati singer and songwriter” and a “global artist” who also sang in Tagalog, Hindi, English and French.
