By Nasir Ali

DUHOK, Kurdistan Region - A Kurdish contestant in televised song contest “The Voice” has won the attention of Kadhim al-Sahir, one of the most famous singers in the Arab world, with his rendition of a mawwal, a traditional Iraqi song.

“I was looking for a voice like yours,” an impressed al-Sahir said after hearing Kurdish singer Mihvan Salih Amedi.

The second season of the TV talent show started on Lebanon’s MBC channel on December 28 last year, featuring Amedi, who has successfully made it through the first stage of the program.

“Five months ago I got in touch with the staff of that program and they accepted my application,” Amedi told Rudaw from the Lebanese capital Beirut, where he is currently filming.

Amedi comes from a strong musical background, and his father is the artist Salih Amedi, known for a singing style similar to that of Muhammad Arif Jziri.

Amedi’s first appearance on stage was at a public celebration in 1998, and ever since then his father has been a major supporter as he seeks to carve out a singing career.

“I grew up in family that loved music and my father helped me to reach where I stand today,” said Amedi.

He sang a mawwal in the contest, previously sung by al-Sahir himself, and passed the first stage to join the group of hopefuls that will be coached by the crooner.

“When I sang that song, al-Sahir was really happy and impressed. He said: ‘I was very happy with your voice and performance. You have performed very well and added your own touch to the song. Well done!’” Amedi reported.

“After I finished singing, al-Sahir told me that he was searching for voices like mine. This made me select his group for the upcoming stages of the show,” Amedi added.

Kurdish singers today have greater opportunities to win fame through the international talent shows that transcend the boundaries of Kurdistan.

Amedi has become the focus of discussions on many local and international music websites.

But despite the intense interest in his performance, Amedi is bullish about his ability to perform well in the future stages of the show.

“I am very confident so far. I have great hopes to achieve good results in this show,” he said.

Before Amedi, Kurdish singer Perwaz Hussein took part in “Arab Idol” and achieved success by introducing Kurdish songs to the Arab audience. Her Kurdish fans voted for Hussein and supported her by sending short text messages to the show, but she did not reach the finals.

Amedi is already hopeful that he will receive support from the Kurdish audience. Noting that he will be representing Kurdistan in the talent show, he added: “I have prepared some Kurdish songs for the upcoming stages of the show.”

RUDAW