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| Robbie Williams,
who Kazem El Saher is being liken
to. | |
It's only Iraq 'n' roll but we like
it
MICHAEL HOWIE
HE is Iraq’s answer to
Robbie Williams, drawing huge crowds in his homeland where he
is a massive celebrity.
Now singer Kazem El Saher is
being lined up to play 2700 miles from Baghdad at a
prestigious world music awards ceremony in the Capital.
Kazem has been tipped to be among the international
music stars to appear at the Radio 3 Awards for World Music,
taking place at the Usher Hall in the spring.
Iraq’s
biggest pop star regularly plays sell-out concerts across the
Middle East, and bootleg copies of his albums are said to fly
off market stalls in downtown Baghdad.
He may be far
from a household name in the UK, but his profile in Scotland
is set rise after emerging as a favourite to land a prize at
the unique event, which takes centre-stage in Edinburgh on
March 9 and will be broadcast across the country on Radio 3
and BBC 4. Radio 3 producer Roger Shaw said the prospect of
Kazem playing in Edinburgh was a major coup for the city and
the station.
He said: "He’s one of the biggest singers
in the Arab world. In fact, it’s not a bad comparison to say
he’s the Robbie Williams of Iraq.
"He was brought up
in Baghdad under Saddam’s regime and studied classical lute.
He benefited from Saddam’s policy of promoting pop music among
the youth. Kazem ended up leaving Iraq because you couldn’t
break through into the international market if you remained in
Baghdad. Now, he splits his time mainly between Canada,
Tunisia and Germany.
"He’s definitely Iraq’s biggest
pop star. The last time I was there I noticed there were heaps
of bootleg CDs and tapes of his music being sold. The market
for bootlegs is high because most people cannot afford
original copies."
The 42-year-old was on the brink of
stardom when the Gulf War broke out in 1991. Determined to
pursue his career, he moved to Lebanon where he was warmly
embraced.
He began to perform across the Middle East
and achieved widespread fame for his sentimental pop songs,
which are full of nostalgia for Iraq.
One of his most
popular numbers is Salamtak Mnel Ah, which he wrote unveiled
when at a celebrated Egyptian debut in 1995. He has gone on to
produce four big-selling albums.
Kazem has been
nominated for the Middle East category of the awards,
alongside three other performers from Turkey and Algeria. The
Iraqi has been tipped to win and it is hoped all the winning
artists will perform before 2000 fans at the Usher Hall
ceremony.
Other potential highlights for the Edinburgh
audience, revealed in the list of nominees released today, is
Cuban singer Ibrahim Ferrer, who starred in the surprise smash
hit film Buena Vista Social Club.
Four musicians have
been nominated for eight categories: Africa, the Americas,
Asia-Pacific, Europe, Middle East, Boundary Crossing, Newcomer
and Club Global.
Some 20 countries are represented by
singers such as Sevara Nazarkhan, from Uzbekistan, to
guitarist Bob Brozman, from the United States.
Winners
from the categories will be chosen by an expert panel of
judges and revealed on BBC Radio 3’s World Routes on Saturday,
January 31.
A compilation CD is to be released in
March to coincide with the two-hour concert.
The first
two awards ceremonies took place in London and guest
presenters have included heart-throb film star Johnny Depp and
Blur singer Damon Albarn.
And event co-ordinator Alex
Webb revealed he was keen to attract more celebrities to the
Edinburgh ceremony.
He said: "We certainly will be
hoping to bring in some big names. There’s a strong tradition
of roots music in Scotland and you have a fair share of film
stars, so we’ll be looking to attract some well-known Scottish
faces.
"It’s going to be a big show. There’s probably
going to be something like five of the acts performing on
stage. There’s no other award like this in the world."
Karl Chapman, manager of the Usher Hall, said he was
delighted the event was coming to the city.
He said:
"We have worked really hard to bring this to Edinburgh so we
were really excited when we got it.
"That has
translated into looking forward to the best in world music.
"It’s going to be a big event for Edinburgh, and
reflects the work the Usher Hall has put into developing a
culturally diverse programme with international appeal.
"The cameras will be turned on the Usher Hall, which
is great." |
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