The Private World of Kadim Al Sahir

موضوع: The Private World of Kadim Al Sahir 11/10/2012, 11:00

The Private World of Kadim Al Sahir

Kadim Al Sahir

Photo Credit: Courtesy of Kadim Al Sahir

The Iraqi superstar talks about his life, his work, and his role on ‘The Voice’

By Adam Grundey
October 08, 2012

“MY PROBLEM,” SAYS KADIM AL SAHIR, “is that I’m very emotional.” The Iraqi singer and composer is talking specifically about the challenge of picking contestants for the Middle East version of The Voice, for which he’s one of the coaches. But when it comes to the difficulties resulting from heeding his heart over his head, he could be referring to any one of several areas of his life: from the trouble it caused him as a kid lost in his own thoughts; through his refusal to comply with requests to alter his style to fit the expectations of others; to the undefined anxiety that, in recent years, resulted in a gradual withdrawal from public life – although he still performed live – and weeks at a time spent holed up in one of his several homes around the world (including Paris, Morocco, the U.A.E. and Cairo).

We meet at Al Sahir’s apartment in Dubai – a bright, airy, very white space many floors above the sea. He’s joined by his eldest son, Wissam (and granddaughter Sana) and his manager, Dergham Owainati. It’s been a while since Al Sahir did a press interview and, at first, it shows. His answers are (very) short and to the point, and he doesn’t give much away. Some of this may be due to an unfounded lack of confidence in his English. Mostly, though, it’s just that he really doesn’t like doing interviews. “I don’t always want people writing about me in magazines, gossiping, blah, blah, blah,” he says. “I want a very peaceful life.”

After a while, though, he relaxes and becomes more animated, leaping up from his seat to show me the results of his latest hobby, sculpting. He only started recently, and the results are surprisingly accomplished. “No one taught me anything about it, I just woke up one day and thought, ‘I can do something with this,’” he says, as he presents a carefully detailed clay figure modeled on one of his friends. It looks a little like Buddha. “Well, he looks a bit like Buddha,” Al Sahir says, laughing. “He loves to eat.” Sculpting is just the latest creative outlet for Al Sahir; there’s a Jackson Pollock-inspired painting spread out on his pool table in the lounge, which he’s been working on over the past week, and he’s become a keen gardener, transforming his small farm in Morocco. (“I love gardening,” he says. “I bought, like, 300 palm trees. That land, from one year ago to now…[it’s been transformed].” He also keeps chickens there. “But no one can hurt them,” he adds quickly. “They’re my friends.”) And, as the white piano that dominates the living room suggests, he’s a prolific composer who’s written hundreds of songs, ranging from pop hits to classical ballads that can last for an hour or more.

It’s clear Al Sahir has a lot of energy, both mental and physical (he goes to the gym at least five days a week, he says, and for a 55-year-old he’s in ridiculously good shape). It’s also clear that he enjoys his own company. Most of his hobbies are solitary affairs.

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reference

موضوع: رد: The Private World of Kadim Al Sahir 11/10/2012, 13:23

شكرا لك اختي بشرى
يا ريت تكون هناك ترجمة للى ما يعرف انجليزي.

موضوع: رد: The Private World of Kadim Al Sahir 11/10/2012, 18:13

I want a very peaceful life
عاشت الايااادي شكرا بشرى

موضوع: رد: The Private World of Kadim Al Sahir 24/10/2013, 19:19

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