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ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – Ali Takbash, a singer from Duhok now living in Turkish Kurdistan, has brought together four musicians to revive traditional Kurdish music, but with a modern spin.
The group, named Lawja, hope to keep the Kurdish oral tradition alive.
“I wondered what local, Kurdish music was. Where does it come from? Who wrote these songs? Who sang them? I started to wonder. Then we started to research songs by elders and songs that were sung at weddings and parties. We found out that Kurdish songs originate from Kurdistan’s mountains,” Takbash told Rudaw.
The singer has established good relations with southern (Iraqi) Kurdistan, where he participates in concerts and festivals while continuing to write original music.
“They have a typical style in Colemerg [Hakkari, Turkey] of folkloric songs. They bring us their songs so we can listen to them, and they listen to our songs as well, to improve relations,” Samadar Salih, head of music department at Duhok cultural center, told Rudaw.
Takbash adapts these old songs, while still maintaining the flavor of the original lyrics and style.
“We have heard that many people sang folklore songs in the past. No one has sung in this style for a long time,” Mahdi Mohammed, a musician with Lawja, told Rudaw.
“It is very important to mix contemporary music with traditional music and create something new to save the song from vanishing.”
Lawja was formed in 2003 in Colemerg. The group has released one album called Saliqa. They are now working on their second album, which will be released soon.
The group, named Lawja, hope to keep the Kurdish oral tradition alive.
“I wondered what local, Kurdish music was. Where does it come from? Who wrote these songs? Who sang them? I started to wonder. Then we started to research songs by elders and songs that were sung at weddings and parties. We found out that Kurdish songs originate from Kurdistan’s mountains,” Takbash told Rudaw.
The singer has established good relations with southern (Iraqi) Kurdistan, where he participates in concerts and festivals while continuing to write original music.
“They have a typical style in Colemerg [Hakkari, Turkey] of folkloric songs. They bring us their songs so we can listen to them, and they listen to our songs as well, to improve relations,” Samadar Salih, head of music department at Duhok cultural center, told Rudaw.
Takbash adapts these old songs, while still maintaining the flavor of the original lyrics and style.
“We have heard that many people sang folklore songs in the past. No one has sung in this style for a long time,” Mahdi Mohammed, a musician with Lawja, told Rudaw.
“It is very important to mix contemporary music with traditional music and create something new to save the song from vanishing.”
Lawja was formed in 2003 in Colemerg. The group has released one album called Saliqa. They are now working on their second album, which will be released soon.
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