Zakaria Abdulla

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[edit] Background

Zakaria Abdulla (Kurdish: Zekerya Ebdulla) is a Kurdish music pop-star.

Zakaria was born in Erbil, Kurdistan. Born into a musical family, he dedicated most of his early childhood to music. In 1993, Zakaria moved to Sweden and began pursuing his music career. He initially played keyboards, composed and arranged songs for other popular Kurdish stars.

In 1998, his first album To Hati ("You Came") was well received by Kurdish audiences worldwide. The album was recorded with the help of a popular Swedish musician. "To Hati" was the first music video in his career. A year later, in the end of 1999, he released his second album Bigerêwe ("Come Back"). This album was produced by Zakaria Music Pro with some kurdish musicians. Bigêrewe was the only video in this album, recorded in Sweden. In 2001 he released his third album Daye ("Mom"), a mix of Kurdish, middle eastern and pop music. The album made Zakaria a star. Daye sold over 1,000,000 copies. "Daye" and "Boçi hati" ("Why Did You Come?") were shot in Kurdistan.

In 2002, Zakaria released his silver album Rojgâr ("Days"), selling more than 1,500,000 copies, attracting millions of fans from international Kurdish communities. Rojgâr consisted of 14 songs, was recorded in Turkey and Zakaria gives his music more "Fantazi style". The hit "Netbinim" ("If I Don't See You") was shot in Turkey, then "Rojgar" and "Tunazaneke" followed. By this time, Zakaria was well-loved and touring internationally. Concert appearances were often greeted by screaming fans, storming the stage, crying, and asking only to have their picture taken with Zakaria. As a result Zakaria lived in hiding, under siege from admirers.

His next album Têlinaz ("Lovely"), released in October 2004, sold more than 3 million copies worldwide, introducing him to millions of foreign and international listeners. Têlinaz was recorded in Turkey, and this album was a good mix of middle eastern music (Arabesque) and pop music. This was the best selling album in Kurdistan in 2004 and 2005. Using high-tech sound technique gives the sound more colour, and this album will always be among the best albums, technically.

Zakaria released his latest album in January 2007, titled Gencî Pîr ("Young Old"), consisting of 12 songs. The album is inspired of Fantazi and pop music, and the song "Roji Bextim" is a successful R&B hit. Zakaria shot a music video from his new album in Turkey, called "Gullê" ("Flower", "Honey"), with an Italian model playing the leading role. The video, released on December 25th, was welcomed as a Christmas present by many Kurdish people.

He has many young fans, but his music appeals to people of all ages.