Kadim Al-Saher

Hailing from Mosul, Kadim Al-Saher has dedicated his life to becoming one of Iraq’s finest and most widely recognised musical exports. Never afraid of using his platform to share socially and politically charged messages with the wider world, Al-Saher’s innovation within the scope of classical Arabic music has seen him tour the USA and represent UNICEF as an official Goodwill Ambassador.

Like many of his peers, Al-Saher’s family neither expected nor supported his path to musical stardom. However, having developed an early love for music and a knack for songwriting from the age of 12, he took the leap as a young adult to enroll at the Baghdad Institute for Music, where he would go on to study for more than six years. Though his music drew scorn from purists for its references to Western pop, Al-Saher silenced doubters in 1999 with ‘La Ya Sadiki’, an hour-long piece that made history with its use of scales not heard in Iraqi music for an entire generation. Lauded for its innovation and creativity, ‘La Ya Sadiki’ brought Al-Saher a host of opportunities to work with Western stars like Quincy Jones, Sarah Brightman and Lenny Kravitz, and to perform at the US Congress and London’s Royal Albert Hall. The latter show featured a performance of ‘Tathakkar’, a song dedicated to the plight of Iraqi children struck by conflict, marking the beginning of his ongoing career in humanitarian work. Recognising the song’s contribution to children in need, UNICEF invited Al-Saher to act as their ambassador to Iraq, where he continues to raise awareness of the social and economic issues facing his home nation.

Having won countless awards for his musical and humanitarian contributions in both the Arab and Western world, Al-Saher has undeniably earned his nickname of ‘Iraqi Ambassador to the World’.