Kadim Al Sahir

Kadim Al Sahir
كاظم الساهر
Born	Kadim Jabbar Al Samarai كاظم جبار إبراهيم السامرائي (1957-09-12) 12 September 1957 (age 67) Mosul, Kingdom of Iraq (present-day Iraq)
Occupation(s)	Singer, composer, songwriter
Years active	1980–present
Musical career
Genres	Classical crossover, Arab pop, operatic pop, folk pop, world
Labels	Al Nazaer Media Group, Stallions Records, Relax-In, Rotana Music Group, Platinum Records
Musical artist

Kadim Jabbar Al Samarai (born 12 September 1957),^[1] better known by his stage name Kadim Al Sahir (Arabic: كاظم الساهر), is an Iraqi singer and composer. Dubbed The Caesar, he has earned numerous local, regional, and international awards.^[2] One of the most famous singers in the Arab world, Al-Sahir has sold more than 100 million albums and written more than 40 hit songs, including "Ana Wa Layla" (Me and Layla), "Salamtak Men Al Ah" (Get Well Soon) and "La Titnahad" (Don’t Sigh).^[3]

In 1980, Al-Sahir started teaching music. Two years later, he pursued studies at the Institute of Music of Baghdad.^[4] By 1988, he gained popularity in many Arab countries with compositions such as "Ladghat El-Hayya" and "Abart El-Shat". His musical career was hindered by the outbreak of the Gulf War in 1990. After leaving Iraq, his songs and titles championed the Iraqi people while they lived under Saddam Hussein's rule and Western sanctions.^[5] In 2011, he was named a goodwill ambassador by the UNICEF.^[6]

Al-Sahir has performed a wide range of Arabic music from pop to classical and singing in most Arabic dialects.^[7] His music is known for fusing traditional Arabic melodies with diverse international music forms. He has collaborated with international stars such as Quincy Jones, Sarah Brightman, Lenny Kravitz, and had frequent partnerships with the revered Syrian poet Nizar Qabbani. His romantic poetry in music has established him as a cultural icon.^[8]

He appeared as a judge in the television show The Voice: Ahla Sawt from 2012 to 2015, alongside Assi El Hallani, Sherine, and Saber Rebai.^[9] In 2020, he appeared on the frontpage of Vogue Man Arabia.^[10]

Al Sahir was born in Mosul, Iraq on September 12, 1957, to a Sunni father and a Shia mother from Najaf. His father lived in Baghdad but was a Samarra native from the tribe of Darraj.^{[citation needed]} Kadhem Al Sahir grew up and spent a large part of his life in Al-Hurrya neighborhood in Baghdad.

Apart from his mother, Al Sahir's family were never supportive of his direction in becoming a musician. They had no faith in him that he would become successful, and instead wanted him to become a doctor or a lawyer. Al Sahir's brother once took him to different places where people usually sang, and told him it was his choice to sing in a respectful way, or he could choose to do it the bad way. He said that the only way to achieve success is for one to respect his music and respect himself.^[11]

Al Sahir left Iraq in the early 1990s after the Gulf War. He did not have a permanent residence and frequently moved, mainly between Cairo, Dubai, Beirut, and Paris, though as of 2022 he settled with his family in Rabat, Morocco. He has two sons, Wisam and Omar Al Sahir, both of them married.^[12] Kadim is also a grandfather to Wisam's daughter Sana.^[13]

In February 2019, Kadim officially asked to change his last name from Al Samarai to Al Sahir.^[14]

He later moved to Lebanon, where he met and formed a songwriting partnership with Syrian poet Nizar Qabbani in 1996;^[15] Qabbani wrote lyrics to his music before settling permanently in Cairo. Qabbani, who previously wrote lyrics for superstars of the 1960s and 1970s like Abdel Halim Hafez and Najat Al Saghira,^[16] wrote the lyrics to more than 30 of Al Sahir's songs. In addition to Qabbani's poems, Al Sahir sang both political and romantic songs for Iraq and Baghdad, highlighting the feelings of the citizens of Iraq as well as their tragedies.

Al Sahir continued to release albums and tour, having become a big name in Middle Eastern music. His ballads grew bigger and more romantic, but he would also write classically influenced works, even when they might hurt his popularity.

By 1998, he had ten albums under his belt and was lauded as an artist, not just a pop star. That prestige brought him wider fame and a growing international reputation that won him a UNICEF award for his song "Tathakkar", which he performed in the U.S. for Congress and the United Nations–one of the first real post-Gulf War cultural exchanges. The following year, he recorded a tribute to the Pope with the Italian Symphony Orchestra.

Releasing numerous albums and touring extensively, Al Sahir has become both a high-grossing superstar and a respected musical artist. His reputation has continued to grow through collaborations with European and North American artists, including Sarah Brightman and Lenny Kravitz. He continues to live abroad, residing alternately in Cairo, Dubai, Paris, and Toronto.

Following the U.S. invasion of Iraq in 2003, Al Sahir's music changed to reflect new regional and global attention to Iraq during wartime. As scholar Christopher Phillips writes in Everyday Arab Identity (2012):

"Although Iraqi singers were not historically that well known due to their isolation from the wider Arab world during Saddam Hussein’s rule, Kathem al-Saher made a name for himself after 2003, singing in classical Arabic, often about the destruction of Iraq under occupation and war. His success might indicate a certain level of Arab solidarity, with viewers opting to show their support for Iraq through the purchase of songs depicting its misfortune."^[17]

In 2004, Al Sahir collaborated with Lenny Kravitz and released an anti-war song at Rock The Vote, titled "We Want Peace", and shortly afterward released a song entitled "The War Is Over" (Entahat al harab) with Sarah Brightman, which was released on her album Harem and his album Hafiat Al-Kadamain. Both of these international duets were executive produced by Dergham Owainati, of EMI Music Arabia, for Kadim's part.

In 2004, Al Sahir continued to work with various international artists including Grammy Award-winning producers KC Porter, and Quincy Jones. His collaboration "Love & Compassion" (Hob Wa Haneen) was the title track for the Arab American National Museum Collector's edition honoring the artists that have made the most significant difference with international audiences. The track features Grammy winning singer/songwriter Paula Cole, Def Jam recording artist Karina Pasian, and Luis Conte and was produced by KC Porter and Dawn Elder.^[18]

In 2004, he participated in the worldwide broadcast concert special "We are the Future" produced by Quincy Jones and coordinated by Dawn Elder at the Roman Maximos Stadium in Rome for the benefit of the children of the world. In December 2004, he participated in the opening of the Gulf Football Championship (Khaleeji 17) in which he performed the return of Iraq Operette which was broadcast live on 10 satellite channels. Additionally, in 2004, he was the first Arab artist to participate in Unity, the official album of the 2004 Summer Olympics.

Releasing his album Ila Tilmitha on November 11, 2004. The album contains collaborations with the Moroccan Asma Lamnawar whom Kadim Al Sahir discovered earlier and introduced to the Arab world in her first due song with Kadim "ashko ayaman". The album also included the song "Ahbeni," written by poet Nizar Qabbani, shot as a video clip by Husien Duibes; it became a major hit in the year 2004 alongside the song "Ila Tilmitha."

UNICEF named Al Sahir as the new Goodwill Ambassador for Iraq for the year 2011. For Al Sahir, this was a compelling reason to visit his country after 14 years^[19]

He sang Bokra ("Tomorrow"), a charity single that was released on November 11, 2011, at 11:11 pm, along with Rim Banna, Akon, Tamer Hosni, Diana Karazon, Marwan Khoury, Latifa, Souad Massi, Hani Mitwassi, Saber El Robai, Wa'ed, Sherine, and other Arab artists. The single distributed the proceeds of its donations to various organisations, especially institutions and charities with arts and culture programs. The eight-minute song was written by Majida Al-Roumi and was produced by Quincy Jones and RedOne.

He debuted as a coach for MBC The Voice Kids, and his team member Lynn Hayek from Lebanon was the winning contestant in the Season 1 Finale held on March 5, 2016.

In collaboration with an Abu Dhabi cultural foundation, he performed solo in his first virtual hybrid concert in 2020 due to the pandemic.^[20]

• شجرة الزيتون (The Olive Tree) (1984)
• غزال (Ghazal) (Gazelle) (1989) Music Box International
• العزيز (Al Aziz) (The Beloved) (1990) Al-Nazaer Media Group
• هذا اللون (Hatha Alloun) (This Color) (1992) Stallions Records
• لا يا صديقي (La Ya Sadiki) (No, My Friend) (1993) Music Master
• (Banat Alaebak) (Your Tricks are Over) (1993) Stallions Records
• (Salamtak Min El) Ah (Your Safety From Hardships) (1994) Rotana Records
• بعد الحب (Baad ElHob) (After Love) (1995) [Relax-In Records]
• اغسلي بالبرد (Eghsely Belbarad) (Wash In The Cold) (1996) Rotana Records
• في مدرسة الحب (Fi Madrasat Al Hob) (In the School of Love) (November 23, 1996) Rotana Records
• انا و ليلى (Ana Wa Laila) (Laila and I) (November 28, 1997) Rotana Records
• حبيبتي والمطر (Habibati Wal Matar) (My Love & The Rain) (January 1, 1999) Rotana Records
• الحب المستحيل (Al Hob Al Mustaheel) (The Impossible Love) (July 27, 2000) Rotana Records
• أبحث عنكِ (Abhathu Anki) (Looking For You) (September 28, 2001) Rotana Records
• قصة حبيبين (Qussat Habebain) (A Story of Two Lovers) (January 1, 2002) Rotana Records
• حافية القدمين (Hafiat Al Kadamain) (Barefooted) (June 29, 2003) Rotana Records
• الى تلميذة (Ila Tilmitha) (To a [Female] Student) (November 11, 2004) Rotana Records
• انتهى المشوار (Entaha Almeshwar) (The Journey Is Over) (November 1, 2005) Rotana Records
• يوميات رجل مهزوم (Yawmyat Rajoul Mahzoom) (Diary of a Defeated Man) (March 29, 2007) Rotana Records
• صور (Sowar) (Pictures) (September 29, 2008) Rotana Records
• الرسم بالكلمات (Al Rassem Bil Kalimat) (Drawing with Words) (October 12, 2009) Rotana Records
• (Latizidih Lawa'a) (Don't Add Anguish to Him) (January 2, 2011) Rotana Records
• كتاب الحب (Kitab Al Hob) (The Book of Love) (September 20, 2016) Platinum Records
• مع الحب (Ma'ah Al Hob) (With Love) (February 14, 2024) Kadim Al Sahir

Kadim Al Sahir tours around the world performing for his mostly Arab fans. He has performed in many countries, including the USA, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Australia, and England. Major venues include:

• Royal Albert Hall in 1997, 2004, and 2006
• Sydney Opera House, 2002 and 2022
• Sydney Olympic Park, 2016
• Beacon Theatre in New York, 2003
• The Circus Maximus in Rome where Kadim was a part of "Live from Rome's Circus Maximus" (May 16, 2004). Participants in this concert included other artists such as Carlos Santana, Alicia Keys, Norah Jones and Andrea Bocelli. Famous international producer Quincy Jones warmly introduced Kadim Al Sahir to Rome's concert attendees whose number exceeded 500,000.
• Hammersmith Apollo in January 2019 (Middle East Eye)

• Kadim Al Sahir on Facebook
• Kadim Al Sahir on Twitter
• Kadim Al Sahir on Instagram
• Kadim Al Sahir on Spotify
• kadim Al Sahir on genius
• Kadim Al Sahir on Apple Music
• Kadim Al Sahir on YouTube Music
• Kadim Al Sahir on Deezer
• Kadim Al Sahir on Anghami
• Kadim Al Sahir on Tidal (service)