Nour Ardakani could probably use a nap. If you have been following the Beirut-based 19-year-old’s ascent, then you probably already know how in just 24 hours she went from nutrition and business student at The American University of Beirut  (AUB) to global pop sensation. What a difference a day makes.

Back in September 2020, Now United, the global pop group formed by Spice Girls and American Idol creator Simon Fuller, opened a global casting call to find their 16th member from the Middle East and North Africa. Thousands of candidates from across the MENA region applied before 13 hopefuls were invited to participate in a virtual audition.

“At the beginning of the whole process I just had to send in some videos of me singing and dancing,” recounts Nour. “And they kept asking for more. We were over one thousand people auditioning, and as time went on, the number of people kept getting less and less, until we were only two finalists, which was so crazy. I kept saying to my parents, ‘I won’t get it, there is no way I’m going to get it’.”

Co-ord, American Rag Cie. Boots, Steve Madden.

“For the final audition we had to go to the studio and record the song Habibi. It was my first time being in a recording studio, so it was a totally new experience, but I was so excited. After I left the studio that day, I thought to myself, even if I don’t get the opportunity to be the next Now United member, I’m thoroughly grateful for everything I have just done.”

But then, on September 21 2020, in a blink of an eye, Nour’s world changed overnight.

With her signature smile from ear to ear, Nour details the day she received the life-changing news. “The night before I found out I won, Now United’s team setup a call between me and Simon Fuller for the next day. They told me he just wanted to get to know me and my personality a bit more, so I didn’t think much of it. I was so nervous as it was my first time speaking to him and getting to virtually meet him. My parents both wanted to be in the room whilst the call happened, but said no, I need to focus! Of course, they were standing outside my door the whole time anyway,” she laughs.

“There were tears involved, everyone was so happy and excited. Then I was told I had a flight to Dubai the next day to meet the whole team.” Another 24-hours and one negative PCR test later, Nour touched down in the UAE, ready to begin her crazy new life.

Within months, her debut recordings with Now United went on to dominate the internet, with Habibi and Feel It Now hitting 14 million and 23 million views respectively on YouTube alone. The totality of band’s effect on the pop landscape has made their immediate predecessors seem almost passé. Now United currently has a social media following of well over 100 million fans worldwide, and scored a nomination for Best Group at the MTV Video Music Awards in 2020. The muchness of their online presence is overwhelming and kaleidoscopic, with every social media post and performance spawning fan accounts, compilation videos and ecstatic reaction videos.

Co-ord, Kage. Sneakers, Sivvi.

Now United has been going since 2017, but in 2020 they really came into their own. Simon Fuller described the group as “bringing joy and optimism to a dispirited and sad world”, which is exactly what they are. They are positivity in the face of catastrophe. The very essence of the group – as the name would suggest – is championing a united front. Each member of the group hails from a different country across the globe, meaning they currently represent Mexico, Brazil, South Korea, Russia, China, U.K., India, Philippines, U.S., Germany, Finland, Japan, Canada, Senegal, Ivory Coast, Australia – and now Lebanon.

The presence of the group – both online and offline – is palpable. On the day of Nour’s Cosmopolitan Middle East cover shoot in Dubai, word gets out around our office that Now United are in the building. Staff members slowly and stealthy start making their way up to the studio in the hopes of sneaking a selfie (most of whom succeeded) with the band member that represents their home country. This is just one small example of the relentless worth ethic and global reach of Now United. They have released a staggering 30-plus singles and music videos since the creation of the band, and in languages spanning Spanish to Tagalog.

And now, as the first Arab member, finally teenagers from the Middle East see in Nour someone whom they resemble rather, than one whom they wish they resembled.

Dress, Pretty Little Thing. Belt, BLSSD. Accessories, Aveen Jewellery.

“It’s a lot of pressure,” she says about being arguably the biggest Gen Z role model in the Arab world. “I know I have to work so hard to be able to be the best role model I can be, for young girls because I am representing the whole MENA region. But I feel like it had given me more purpose in life, and that is amazing.”

Her propensity to eschew the Arab archetype is quickly becoming the making of Nour. “The MENA region has never been properly portrayed in the media,” says Nour. “Having the opportunity to actually represent this part of the world, and show them the kind of hardworking talent we have here, was a goal of mine when joining Now United. I took it upon myself to teach everyone that we are a progressive nation, and to explain what being Arab is really like. It’s not only a desert, and we do not ride camels every day. So many Uniters around the world were so shocked that we have like snow and skiing in Lebanon!”

“I want to show the world that we have hardworking talent here, and we have people working hard in the MENA region, and to be able to do that with Habibi was amazing.”

Nour showcased both her talent and heritage in Habibi. Released on October 19, the track, which was shot in the streets of Beirut and Dubai’s Al Seef, marked Now United’s first foray into regional sounds. Co-written and produced by Grammy-nominated duo Jordan Orvosh and Emile Ghantous, who have created songs for every A-lister from Shawn Mendes to Sean Paul, the track’s pop vibe is infused with Arabic percussion and oud riffs.

Co-ord, Kage. Sneakers, Sivvi.

Now United went on to film a number of music videos in Dubai and Abu Dhabi, including the One and Only Royal Mirage, The W Dubai – The Palm, The Paramount Hotel,  Emirates Palace, and the historical Al Fahidi district. “We filmed the Lean on Me music in Emirates Palace. It has to be like one of my favourite music videos we filmed in the UAE. The opportunity to film at Emirates Palace was amazing. I last went to Dubai about 10 years ago with my family on holiday, so it was so exciting going back.”

Growing up, Nour, the middle child between two brothers, embraced theatre and music, often both at once. The pop star attended Sagesse High School, and finished just over one year at AUB before fame came knocking. “I was always singing in talent shows or like whenever there was an opportunity to sing or dance in anything. I even sang at my graduation ceremony,” she beams. “I was studying business and nutrition at university, but there was always something in the back of my mind that made me want to pursue my passion of singing and dancing.”

Both times I meet Nour Ardakani she seems like a regular, endearing, smiley, playful 19-year-old—except for the fans swarming to greet her, and when says she wants to finish university and sell-out arenas in the same sentence. In the six short months since she signed with Now United, she has risen to mind-boggling stardom, but right now it feels like I’m catching her in a relative calm before a storm as Lebanon are back in lockdown.

“It’s really hard for me to know what the next 10 years will look like,” she pauses to consider her circumstances, which are not so different from those of any teenager. With how quickly things have happened for me, I can’t even guess what they will look like in the next one year! I’m just want to finish my studies, continue to make music and be with my family, because family are the most important thing to me.”

Co-ord, Kage. Sneakers, Sivvi.

Words by Milli Midwood

Styling by Nimotalai Oki 

Photography by Mohammad Adel Rashid 

Make-Up by Yasmeen Vakili 

Hair by Adam Grier