Aida Nadeem, musician, vocalist, composer & performer, of Iraqi origin, is oneof Scandinavian’s most tangible women in the musical field of fusion.
Aida Nadeem’s music is the sound of deep cultural roots, creative daring and free expression, full of the bittersweet ache of exile and the fierce creativityof a maverick artistic spirit.
Born in Iraq/Baghdad, exiled to Denmark, steeped in the avant-garde and the raw,beautiful sound of her Arabic roots, she is an extraordinary singer, performer and wordsmith, a beacon of independence and integrity in a world of homogenised commercialism.
Growing up in the downtown section of the lively Middle Eastern metropolis, she was inspired by the cultural diversity and progressive politics that surrounded her. She studied at Baghdad’s prestigious Academy of Music and Ballet specialising in the bassoon, subsequently joining Iraq’s symphony orchestra. At the same time she became increasingly politically active making a stand against the injustices she saw all around her, ultimately forcing her into exilein Denmark in 1991. Here she studied at The Royal Danish Academy of Music.
What Aida Nadeem creates with her music, is a sound that sets aside traditions and borders. While her training is classical, the sound of her Iraqi past is traditional, and the mood of her global present is experimental. These influences as well as the facts of life as a refugee – her longing for the Middle East and her inspiration from the West – merge in an expression that is transcending; that allows oriental soundscapes to meet electronical beats.
With her different album releases, compositions, multimedia projects and performances Aida Nadeem has achieved the national and international recognitionof both critics and audience. Her last CD “ BEYOND DESTRUCTION 2013” entered theTop 5 & 10 for the European Charter list. Her CD “ OUT OF BAGHDAD 2005” was nominated in the “Boundary Crossing” category of the prestigious BBC Awards for World Music. She furthermore won plaudits aplenty for her extraordinary live performances, which combine the full range of her deeply expressive voice with the agility and grace of her dance moves.
Propositions of collaboration are always welcomed by Aida Nadeem – in these, shefinds a renewed belief in the existence of a common humanistic culture.
