Modern, Folk Kurdish Music Selling Well in Kurdistan
January 22, 2012
Miscellaneous
Karim and Muhammad dominated the music market in Sulaimani while the Nawa Band’s new album of folklore songs proved the most popular in Iraqi Kurdistan’s capital, Erbil.
Sirwan Qadir, the owner of a music store in Erbil told Rudaw, Nawa Band was a hot item, but expressed frustration with the lack of copy right regulations in the region.
“The album was reproduced in the market,” he said. “In the small towns they don’t believe in original copies and they copy it.”
Qadir said that his store sold more than 50,000 copies in total.
Daroon Nawzad, the owner of the Ava Media in Sulaimani, believes that Karim was the star of the year.
“Adnan Karim was in the lead in 2011,” he said. “In 2011 we sold 26,000 copies of his album.”
Karim is a Kurdish singer originally from Kirkuk city who now lives in Sweden. With his mix of folk and modern styles, Karim is widely popular with both older and younger generations.
Karim’s latest album is titled Khatoon and is produced with the Kamkars, a famous family band from Iranian Kurdistan. He has chosen lyrics for his songs from Abdulla Pashew’s poems and the album was recorded by Ava Company.
Kamal Muhammad, a singer and native of Sulaimani who has lived in Sweden since the early 1990s, is also a popular recording artist.
Muhammad Ahmad, the owner of a music store in Sulaimani said, “We sold 2,000 copies of Kamal Muhammad’s album.”
Karwan Ahmad, the owner of another music store, sold 20,000 copies.
According to Ahmed, Burhan Majid, another local singer came in the third place and he sold 16,000 copies of his album.
“The words and songs of Adnan Karim are close to the human soul,” said Halo Jalal, one of the fans of Karim. “Adnan Karim’s songs are expected to be in the lead.”
Herdi Muhammad, another fan, believes some of he credit goes to Nawa Band who “has created a legend in folklore music.”
“They did beautiful work,” he said. “I am very fond of those songs and most of the TV and radio stations are playing them.”
Farhang Ghafur, a singer at the Nawa band said, “We didn’t expect this. Good work can find its place in people’s hearts. People are still in love with folk songs.”
According to Sherzad Kakarash, the manager of Arbaelo Music Company, said that among 50 new albums in 2011, Adnan Karim’s Khatun was the most popular and that more than 10,000 copies were sold.
“Kamal Muhammad came in the second place and sold 5,000 copies,” he said.
Kakarash echoed the frustrations of other music sellers over piracy.
“If people didn’t copy the songs, we could have sold more than 100,000 copies,” he said.
