Zaid Ali: Interview
From the cheers, clapping and screaming, it was clear who the Slough crowd had paid to see, Zaid Ali T. Zaid Ali received a huge cheer as he entered the stage. Not only were the youngsters on their feet but the aunties of Slough were in eager anticipation for Zaid’s performance. As the final act of the night Zaid certainly stole the show. This was the last day of the United We Stand tour put together by Islamic Help. The team had been touring across the UK, from Glasgow to London. The event was in aid of the mothers of Syria. A motivational speech was given helping the audience to reflect on the situation.
Armed with a lota, Zaid Ali performed a number of skits related to the Desi culture. Zaid spoke about typical Asian parents, Asian food, how brown girls take selfies and even invited members of the audience to join him on stage.
Zaid describes how he came to produce his first video and subsequently become a YouTube sensation. The video was related to an experience with his mother where he felt he was being blamed for every little thing. After making a video about the subject, Zaid noticed it had gone viral on Facebook. He continued creating desi cultural videos and is now a YouTube star in the Asian community.
Zaid Ali told us that he had always wanted to come to the UK but didn't imagine it would be on such a grand scale. He mentioned that he has many fans in the UK, especially in London. One woman whom Zaid had called up on stage told him that she was planning a trip to Canada in order to see him perform live, and that his visit to the UK had saved her the trip. Zaid Ali was clearly overwhelmed by this news.
Also on tour were Saif Adam, Preacher Moss, Mesut Kurtis and Harris J – watch our interviews with them.
Video of the entire tour