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Rida Al Abdulla (born Abdulridha Raheem Abdullah) is perhaps the brightest rising star out of Iraq, although these days—little surprise—he lives in Dubai.Al Abdulla merges Arabic classical music (maqam) with popular styles of his region and beyond.His superb voice and composing and arranging skills, and deep familiarity with classical tradition, have invited inevitable comparisons to Iraq’s best-known modern singer, Kazem Al Sahir.But Al Abdulla is eager to be seen as his own man, with a unique story and vision of music.Like other giants of Middle Eastern song, Al Abdulla often composes songs based on the works of great regional poets, but he also writes his own lyrics for key songs, and is rightly seen as an artist with things to say.Whether singing his own words, or those of others, he is especially keen to break new ground in exploring the dynamics of romantic relationships in today’s society.
Born in Baghdad in 1966, Al Abdulla showed early talent, and with the support of his parents embarked on a rigorous and promising study of classical music.With the rise of Saddam Hussein, Al Abudulla sought refuge in music, but as the regime began pressuring talented musicians to sing its praises, he could hide for only so long.As the Iran-Iraq war came to a bloody head, Al Abudulla immersed himself in conservatory studies for six years.Under the tutelage of the great Munir Bashir, he studied composition and excelled on the oud.His troubles began in earnest during the Gulf War when he composed a song advising his peers to pick up musical instruments rather than weapons.
Upon his graduation from the Academy of Arts, Music and Theatre in 1993, Al Abdulla was inscripted into the Iraqi army.His parents were harassed and imprisoned.When he attempted to escape the military, he was jailed, tortured, and sentenced to a long prison sentence and, in a dark twist, to have one of his ears removed.Relatives helped him escape this fate in 1997, and Al Abdulla soon found himself slipping across the border into Jordan, broken and emaciated, but ready to start a new life.His performances in the university town of Irbid led to his discovery, and a move to Dubai, where his serious recording career began.
Among the songs that put Al Abudulla on the map is “Hali (My Family),” a somewhat risqué tale of a young man who defies his family and marries for love.Al Abdulla’s debut CD Zalim (2000) solidified his reputation in the Gulf region and beyond.His deep knowledge of classical music placed him in a different class from most other popular singers.And his subtly provocative lyrics complimented his complex sound.When a man wonders about the source of his lover’s anger and sourness, suggesting that some outside force must be corrupting her natural good nature, keen listeners may infer a wry commentary on the darkening mood of the region’s politics.Al Abdulla’s musical prowess and chilling personal story loan weight to his adventurous songcraft, and his reputation has grown steadily.
Al Abdulla’s music is a rich blend of orchestral classicism and pumping Middle Eastern pop.Strings swoon over muscular electronic beats.His voice is warm and strong, with a sharp edge that cuts through.Al Abdulla’s vocal has a strong narrative feel.Even without translation, the listener senses the unfolding of a story, and argument, a journey.This quality no doubt relates to his fine classical training.The man knows how to write a compelling melody.And it is remarkable how much of that high-art quality remains in his contemporary sound.Al Abdulla’s 2003 release Boadak Habiby created a stir with its unabashed pop sensibility.Few popular singers in the region share his knowledge and talent in the classical realm, and this has become a mark of his rapidly rising popularity.In June 2009, Rida released his fourth album, Yom Wa Sana (A Year and a Day), an ambitious set of fourteen songs he produced and recorded with his own independent team.The product of four years work, this important album blends traditional Iraqi songs, Arabic and Western pop—everything from maqam to techno, and notably, the ever more popular khaleeji (Gulf) style.Living in Dubai, Al Abdulla is right at the heart of the khaleeji scene, and has collaborated with some of the genre’s top songwriters.
Yom wa Sana incorporates violins, oud, cello, flute, clarinet playing in an Arabic mode, also guitars, saxophones, Western and Arabic percussion, and even tabla, trap drums, and rhythmic loops.Among Rida’s original compositions is “La Tisafer (Don’t Go),” written for his mother who cried when he left Iraq in 1997, and died in his arms in Dubai a decade later.The album’s title song recalls a brief romance Rida had as a young man in Iraq.When they meet by chance a year later, they become inseparable, and Rida tells her that each time they are apart feels like another year.This message, that life is short and unpredictable and must be lived to the fullest, has profound meaning to all Iraqis.At the same time, it is universal, the sentiment of a man who has come through the worst life has to offer and carries the great traditions of his country forward into the 21st century.
Rida Al Abdulla has yet to perform in America, but he will soon when he joins Khaled (Algeria) and Assala Nasri (Syria) in a major concert at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.That event, Sahra, takes place on November 21, 2009, and Afropop Worldwide will be there! To whet your appetite further, Al Abdulla will bring his own hand-picked band, including some of the top players in Middle Eastern pop music today:
