Kadim Al Saher’s ready for Dubai

By looking at him you can’t believe, but Kadim Al Saher, besides being an Arabic music treasure, is also a grandfather. The Iraqi singer, who is performing at the du World Music Festival alongside Sherine, is coming in from the US with after spending time with his son and newly-born granddaughter. The star of hit TV show The Voice shares his thoughts on family, talent shows and his performance with The Voice co-star Sherine.

What should we expect from the performance in Dubai?

Well, an artist always hopes that all their performances are successful, especially for the sake of the audience. From our side everything is ready, our band is flying in [on Wednesday] and we’ll begin rehearsals then. We’re definitely ready.

Did working with Sherine on The Voice make performing together easier, or at least more comfortable?

She’s a great singer, a great person. When we worked together on The Voice we became a huge family, I love everyone I worked with there dearly. We’re both working really hard to make sure the audience has a great experience.

Speaking of The Voice, any news on whether you’ll be one of the coaches on the show this year?

It hasn’t been decided yet. It was honestly a great experience but it’s also tiring. We’ll see how that goes. I’d love to experience that again.

Do you think that if there was an opportunity to compete in a TV show like The Voice when you were starting your career you would have participated in it? Do you think you would have successful then?

There were shows like The Voice around when I was young. I recall a show called Young Voices and The Voice of the Talent in Baghdad a very long time ago. I wanted to be a part of those shows.

When I was a coach on The Voice I used to feel close to the participants. I was involved on stage and could relate to their aspirations and even struggles. I did not like to hurt their feelings or crush their spirit. I tried my best to support them and boost their confidence instead. I think it’s really important to harbour all talents. It’s not good to ruin people’s self esteem. I wanted to let them know that even if they didn’t make it on The Voice that they shouldn’t give up their dream. There are plenty of opportunities out there to make it.

What attracted you to the du World Music Festival?

I love the diversity of the du World Music Festival. I love how the different music cultures perform together. I think it’s great that the audience gets a chance to listen to diverse music in one event.

Apart from being a singer, you’re also a brilliant poet and musician. You’ve gained a lot of recognition for being one of the few artists who can successfully sing a poem?

I don’t think I’m the only one who can perform a poem well. I know plenty of singers who sing poetry beautifully. There’s just a very particular method of singing a poem. You can’t just take a poem and sing it, you need to know how to tailor it for a musical audience and it requires an extra effort.

You recenlty beacme a grandfather. Are you finding it hard to balance time between work and family?

I actually just came back after spending time with my granddaughter and son in Los Angeles. I spent 20 days with her.

-- Lameese Hajissa is an intern at Gulf News