One of the important stars of the Middle East, Iraqi Al Sahir continues his musical career in Cairo, Dubai, Beirut, and Paris as he has been banned in his country for a long time.
Do not think that I am exaggerating when I say "one of the most important stars of the Middle East". Having to leave his country after the Gulf War in the late 90s, Al Sahir moves to Lebanon. There they perform about 30 songs with the Syrian poet Nizar Qabbani (who wrote the lyrics for stars such as Abdel Halim Hafez and Necat el Sağira in the 1960s and 70s). All very emotional songs that describe the tragedy of the Iraqi people. His fame spreads all over the Middle East. The rest of the world knows him for his 1998 UNICEF Award for his song Tathakkar.
Kadim Jabbar Al Samarai (born September 12, 1957), better known by his stage name Kadim Al Sahir, is an Iraqi singer, actor, and composer. He typically performs with an orchestra of twenty to thirty musicians on Arabic percussion, oud, qanun, nay, and a full complement of strings (violin, cello, and bass). While some of his work makes use of electronic musical sounds, he avoids the use of synthesizers to imitate acoustic instruments. His work frequently features Iraqi folk instruments, rhythms, and melodies.
The following year, it is included in the album Homage to the Pope with the Italian Symphony Orchestra. Then he gives concerts with Sarah Brightman and Lenny Kravitz. He records with Grammy Award-winning KC Porter and Quincy Jones. In 2011, he visited his country for the first time in 14 years as UNICEF's goodwill ambassador. In 2020, he gives his first hybrid solo concert with the support of the Abu Dhabi Cultural Fund and is on the cover of Vogue Man Arabia. Everyone in the Arab world, from young to old, loves Al Sahir very much.
News from January 2003
Iraqi's problem is the superstar's love life
While the United States continues to build up troops in the Gulf, the confused love life of the famous Iraqi singer of the Arab world, Kadim Al Sahir, distracted the public from the thought of war. Newspaper sales started to explode after the allegations that Kadim Al Sahir, whose cassettes sold more than 30 million copies in the Middle East, had left his wife for another woman. The most curious issue in Iraq these days is whether Kadim Al Sahir, one of the most famous songwriters and singers in the Middle East, left his wife for another woman. While the news about Kadim Al Sahir increases the circulation of the newspapers, there are speculations among the public about the lover of the singer for whom he left his wife. A woman shopping in a boutique in Karrada, one of the stylish districts of Baghdad, says, "She married him in Paris," and her friend next to her interjects, "I think she's Spanish," and says, "In any case, she's free to do whatever she wants" ' says. Valid Halid, who works in the chain of music stores owned by the Kadim Al Sahir family, said, "No, no. This is not true,” he says. Newspaper dealer Abbad Jassem says that the sales of Magazin newspapers and magazines have increased because of Sahir's love life. “When there is news about Kadim, newspapers sell three times more than usual,” says Jassem.
The government's Al Cumhuriye Newspaper, which was disturbed by the news in the media, asked Kadim Al Sahir for an explanation. The Iraqi pop singer has been living in Cairo, Egypt, since the mid-1990s with his Iraqi wife and 2 children. One of Seher's songs, which appeals to all audiences with his songs and is thought to be extremely humble, was ranked 6th on the BBC's 2002 best songs list.
THE OPERA GILGAMIS IS WRITING
Kadim is considered the superstar of the Middle East. El Seher, whose albums sold more than 30 million copies in 10 years (2003 figures), whose concert tickets were sold out instantly, is known for his romantic songs. Kadim, born in Northern Iraq in 1961, started playing the guitar at the age of 10, then continued with the oud. Entering the Baghdad Music Academy at the age of 21, El Seher wanted to enter the pop music industry as a songwriter and singer. However, he suddenly became famous after his "Ladghat E-Hayya" (Snake Bite) video, which he made in 1987, leaked to TV. While banned for his lyrics, El Seher became a familiar name, starring with the song "Abbart-El Shaat" (I Went to the Beach). After some of his professors from the university said that he was doing cheap jobs, he proved that he had taken his lesson on traditional Iraqi music by writing and reading an epic 50-minute work called "La Ya Sadiki" (No, My Friend). Trying to write an opera about the Epic of Gilgamesh, Seher says, "Music is my life and I live for it".