Music

Kadim Al Sahir is an Official Member of the Recording Academy

BYMille Team

August 11, 2026

A big congratulations are in order for Kadim Al Sahir. The legendary Iraqi singer and composer is now an official member of the Recording Academy, the American organization behind the annual Grammy Awards.

The Recording Academy invited over 4,000, including Al Sahir, to join its 2026 New Member Class, it’s largest class of invitees to date. He joins the likes of Lola Young, Sombr, Cash Cobain, and Elmiene, among others who were selected to join the Academy’s ranks.

“Every year, we look forward to welcoming a new group of dedicated music creators and professionals through our membership invitations,” Grammys CEO Harvey Mason jr. said in a statement. “Our membership is the engine of the Grammys, and we’re excited for invitees to join our vibrant community, engage with their peers and help shape the future of the music industry.”

For anyone familiar with Arab music, Al Sahir’s inclusion makes perfect sense. Few artists have shaped contemporary Arabic music as profoundly or for as long as the Iraqi singer, composer, and songwriter affectionately known as “The Caesar.” His career stretches back more than four decades, during which he has become one of the Arab world’s most recognizable voices, building a catalog that moves between Iraqi folk traditions, Arabic pop, classical composition, and the poetry-driven ballads that became his signature.

The 68-year-old has sold more than 100 million albums and written more than 40 hit songs and worked with a roster of international heavyweights that includes Quincy Jones, Lenny Kravitz, Sarah Brightman, Paula Cole, and Grammy-winning producer KC Porter.

His career has been recognized beyond music, too. Al Sahir was named a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador in 2011, while his decades-long presence across albums, sold-out concerts, television, and international collaborations has made him one of the relatively rare Arab artists whose career has crossed borders without sacrificing the Arabic language or the musical traditions at its core.

Membership in the institution behind the Grammys feels like an overdue recognition of a career that has already spent decades operating on an international scale.

Kadim Al Sahir is an Official Member of the Recording Academy

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Kadim Al Sahir is an Official Member of the Recording Academy

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