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THE IRAQI SUPERstaR TALks ABOUT His LIFE, His WORK AND His ROLE On ‘THE VOICE’ B y ADAM GRUNDEY The Private World of Kadim Al Sahir 58 • Rolling Stone, October 2012 Rolling Stone, October 2012 • 59 kaDIM AL saHIR y problem,” says kadim al sahir, “is played it to my teacher, he asked who’d 1 2 that I’m very emotional.” The Iraqi singer given it to me,” he says. “He wouldn’t be- lieve I’d composed it.” Not long after- and composer is talking specifically about wards, he tried his hand at writing lyrics the challenge of picking contestants for the too. “It was just saying that ‘they’ wanted to keep me away from my guitar, my po- Middle East version of The Voice, for which etry, everything that I loved,” he explains. he’s one of the coaches. But when it comes He admits it was a “pretty heavy” song for to the difficulties resulting from heeding a 13-year-old. By now, Al Sahir had already made up his heart over his head, he could be referring to any one of several areas of his mind that he wanted to be a musician. ‘hisM life: from the trouble it caused him as a kid lost in his own thoughts; His parents weren’t so sure. “No one ac- through his refusal to comply with requests to alter his style to fit the ex- cepted it in the beginning,” he says. “They thought it was a waste of time.” Ignor- 3 pectations of others; to the undefined anxiety that, in recent years, result- ing his parents’ wishes for him to become WORLD TRAVELER ed in a gradual withdrawal from public life – although he still performed a doctor or lawyer, Al Sahir continued to (1) Al Sahir performs at the BBC live – and weeks at a time spent holed up in one of his several homes compose, often finding inspiration in Ara- bic poetry that he read in magazines. One World Music Awards around the world (including Paris, Morocco, the U.A.E. and Cairo). in London in 2003. man’s work, in particular, resonated with (2) With the late the teenage Al Sahir; that of Syrian poet Syrian poet Nizar We meet at Al Sahir’s apartment there. “But no one can hurt them,” he Nizar Qabbani. “I chose a lot of his poems Qabbani, whose in Dubai – a bright, airy, very white adds quickly. “They’re my friends.”) And, to compose music to,” Al Sahir says. “He’s work has inspired space many floors above the sea. He’s as the white piano that dominates the liv- very articulate when it comes to writ- dozens of his joined by his eldest son, Wissam (and ing room suggests, he’s a prolific compos- ing about women; the way he expresses compositions. (3) In Iraq in the early granddaughter Sana) and his manag- er who’s written hundreds of songs, rang- his feelings. Very sensitive. Extremely ro- one day Al Sahir received a sum- Eighties. (4) On the er, Dergham Owainati. It’s been a while ing from pop hits to classical ballads that mantic. I love it. Every day you feel there mons from a government minis- set of The Voice. since Al Sahir did a press interview and, can last for an hour or more. is something new in the words.” ter. “It’s just a love song,” he says. at first, it shows. His answers are (very) It’s clear Al Sahir has a lot of energy, Throughout his teens, Al Sahir contin- “But because it was released to- short and to the point, and he doesn’t both mental and physical (he goes to the ued to practice and perfect his playing and wards the end of the war with us, you have to change.’ I give much away. Some of this may be gym at least five days a week, he says, and composition. He was accepted into Bagh- Iran, maybe they thought that said, ‘I can’t.’” due to an unfounded lack of confidence for a 55-year-old he’s in ridiculously good dad’s prestigious Académie des Beaux- ‘snake’ was related to Iran. So It helped that Al Sahir in his English. Mostly, though, it’s just shape). It’s also clear that he enjoys his Arts, where he spent six years studying they interpreted it in a political had plenty of self-confi- way.” The lyrics, Al Sahir says, dence. In the Eighties, he are “something like, ‘If anyone says, when he was doing gets bitten by a snake, he’ll be his national service, he ‘‘THE DIFFICULtiES OF LIFE IN IRAQ ENCOURagE afraid of a rope.’ Or ‘Once bitten, told his friends in the twice shy,’ as you might say in army that “next year will IRAQis TO GO DEEPLY INTO THINgs. IF LIFE isN’T English. In Egypt they say that if be my year. You will see.” anyone gets burned by soup, he’ll “No one believed me,” he ALwaYS EasY, it CAN MakE YOU stRONGER.’’ blow on ice-cream.” The govern- 4 continues. “But when I ment ended up banning the song listened to the songs, I from TV and radio. Which may have been students to sing with me. There was a big knew that I could do something, that that he really doesn’t like doing inter- own company. Most of his hobbies are sol- Arab and Western classical music and disheartening, but also helped boost Al concert at Baghdad Theater for academy there was something different. Some- views. “I don’t always want people writ- itary affairs. Iraqi folklore. He cites his teachers there Sahir’s profile. He began to receive invita- students, all the ministers were there, all thing here.” He taps his chest. “When I ing about me in magazines, gossiping, as one the biggest influences on his music. tions to perform outside of Iraq. the teachers, and Munir Bashir. I wasn’t sang in front of people, just a small con- blah, blah, blah,” he says. “I want a very ven as a child, al sahir But not all of them would necessarily have In his final year at the academy, he meant to be performing – he was so upset cert with friends, I could see people’s re- peaceful life.” says, he was a loner (despite hav- been pleased about that at the time. composed one of his most popular pop that he’d told the organizers he didn’t want actions. I could see the ladies, like [his After a while, though, he relaxes and ing seven brothers and two sis- songs, “Abart Al Shat” [I Crossed The me to participate. And when I came on jaw drops]. So I knew there was some- becomes more animated, leaping up from Eters). He was born in Mosul in l sahir was already River]. It was a huge hit (although Al stage with the oud, he shouted at the other thing there. Then I released ‘Ladghat El his seat to show me the results of his lat- northern Iraq, but his parents moved to trying to kickstart his music Sahir says he still hasn’t received any teachers. My friend just said, ‘Start! Start!’ Hayya,’ and boom!” est hobby, sculpting. He only started re- Baghdad when Al Sahir was still young, career while still a student at money for it – “not even enough to pay And when I started singing, he [went Contrary to the advice of industry exec- cently, and the results are surprisingly and he was raised in the capital. “I was A the academy. He wasn’t hav- for the recording”), and has been cov- quiet]. At the end, he [gave me a standing utives, Al Sahir continued to compose his accomplished. “No one taught me any- a daydreamer, always imaginative,” Al ing much luck, though. Most producers ered many times since. “That was real- ovation]. He told me, ‘This is your style. dense, complex ballads inspired by poet- thing about it, I just woke up one day and Sahir says. “I always wanted to be by my- he met with wanted him to sing covers of ADIM AL SAHIR,2; COURTESY OF MBC ly the one that broke me across the Arab Not the others. I don’t care if you get fa- ry. This wasn’t, he says, a conscious stand K thought, ‘I can do something with this,’” self, just walking, and I would always Arab standards, or to perform songs writ- world,” he says. “Even now, in concerts, mous or not. This is what you need to do.’” against pop music: “I like pop music. I he says, as he presents a carefully detailed imagine that I had a girlfriend with me, ten by their in-house teams. Neither op- they still shout for that song.” Not every- think it’s beautiful. But I prefer the clas- clay figure modeled on one of his friends. and make up stories about them. I don’t tion interested Al Sahir. By now, his com- one was a fan, though. Especially not at t w a s n ’ t t h e f i r s t t i m e sical Arab music. I want to feel. When I It looks a little like Buddha. “Well, he know. I was always thinking about ro- positions had grown to encompass a more the academy. he would face opposition to his write songs, I have to feel it. And the dif- looks a bit like Buddha,” Al Sahir says, mantic things.” Naturally, Al Sahir was modern, pop feel (although he was still “When ‘Abart Al Shat’ became famous, musical choices.

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