Hanaa and Lucien are BACK. The hosts catch up with each other, with Lucien discussing a recent long-haul trip back to the United States from Saudi Arabia (with 3 children in tow!). The hosts take some time to discuss their show’s recent deliberate break since the start of Ramadan, and why they paused for a bit during the regional conflict. They share some thoughts on where Saudi Arabia goes from an inflection point now that will ripple through diplomacy, business, and culture.

They also catch up with each other’s recent professional developments; Hanaa talks about her work building a new mission-led ed-tech agency and a forthcoming GCC book on women and vocational education. That led to Lucien’s curiosity (a mini interview!) in Hanaa’s views on how the advent of AI, already a major game-changer in labor and employment, will affect jobs and particularly youth as they enter key phases in the development of their thinking on career paths - something Hanaa has spent a great deal of time understanding.

The TWENTY30's co-hosts Hanaa Almoaibed and Lucien Zeigler sit down with Saud Alturki, Saudi music producer, curator, and founder of Brij Entertainment ahead of the release of his third album, High Octane. A project two and a half years in the making, the track list reads like a love letter to hip hop royalty. Busta Rhymes. Swizz Beatz. West Side Boogie. Rhapsody, whom Saud calls his favorite female MC alive today.

Working with his creative director Chindi, who turned every production conversation into something closer to a therapy session, Saud landed on a concept that's deeply rooted in where he's from, the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia.

Saud takes us back to the beginning: a freshman at McGill in Montreal, freezing through his first Canadian winter and discovering that music wasn't just something he loved — it was something he could do. A move to LA, a chance encounter at a Verizon store with a gospel-tinged R&B singer named Bernard, and seven years of patience later, he finally put out his first single. That story alone sets the tone for everything that follows: Saud is someone who builds slowly, deliberately, and for keeps.

But the conversation doesn't stop at the album. Saud talks about what it really takes to build a music industry in Saudi Arabia — not just a music scene. Venues, labels, studios, government support, festivals like Middle Beast that have built an entire ecosystem around artists. He's careful to say Saudi isn't quite an industry yet, but the infrastructure is finally arriving, and the talent — including his Brij Entertainment artist Hajaj, the first Saudi to perform at Grammy weekend in LA — is already outpacing it.

There's also a sharp, honest take on the streaming era, why dropping albums in 2025 is "not the best move" (and why he's doing it anyway), the emerging Saudi genre Hoppe — a fusion of Sambri and hip hop that he wishes he'd invented — and what he tells young artists in Riyadh who have every resource he never had at 17.

High Octane drops after Ramadan.

Andrew Pearcey, CEO of the World Defense Show (WDS 2026), joins hosts Lucien Zeigler and Hanaa Almoaibed for an exclusive interview and conversation ahead of the upcoming event set to take place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, from February 8 to 12. Andrew shares insights into the unique aspects of WDS and gives us a behind the curtain look at one of the world's premiere defense and aerospace exhibitions and gatherings for the industry, and highlights how the event differentiates itself with live air displays and a focus on integration across various defense domains. The conversation delves into the logistical complexities of organizing such a large-scale event, including collaboration with government entities and the importance of stakeholder feedback. As the show approaches, the TWENTY30 talks with Andrew about the innovations and growth expected at this year's event, aiming to solidify WDS's position as a leading global defense exhibition.

Before the conversation with Andrew Pearcey, the hosts catch up as they kick off programming for the new year and highlight some formatting changes going forward as the show continues to grow in audience and engagement.

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