Still, Roma singing styles continue to influence Iraqi popular music. Some were persecuted by militia members who accused them of being Saddam supporters. In the post-Saddam era, Iraq's Roma, estimated to number between 50,000-200,000, have been living on the fringes, facing discrimination by mainstream society. Obeid was bringing in money to support her family, who came from modest means in Baghdad’s small Roma minority community. Her brother, Iyad Aouda, who is also her manager, recalled having to find a small table for her to stand on.īy age 14 she was a favorite of the military party circuit, organized by the Defense Ministry. Obeid was 12 when she performed for the first time. It is me,” she said during an interview in Irbil, ahead of the concert. She feels most at home in Baghdad, even though she has lived for years in Irbil in northern Iraq’s more stable autonomous Kurdish region, away from the chaos of the post-Saddam era in the rest of the country. She has toured the Middle East and parts of Europe. And music experts say her tunes lack the sophistication of Iraq’s classical music traditions. She was a darling of the party scene during the era of dictator Saddam Hussein, who was toppled in a U.S.-led invasion in 2003. They had come from all areas of Baghdad, cutting across sectarian divides that have long tormented the city.Īfter a career spanning decades, there is also political baggage. Some women donned headscarves, while others danced bare-legged in tight tube dresses. She is embraced as a unifier in a fractured society, a singer for the people.Īt her Monday night concert at the “Yarmouk Club” in Baghdad, men and women of all ages and social backgrounds swayed and mouthed the words to her songs.
And regardless of age, her catchy melodies make the audience want to dance.
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