Rahma Riad

Review by Robert Crohan

The short: 

Rahma Riad is a rising star in Iraqi pop. Originally from Basrah, she achieved fame following her appearances on Super Star 2, Najm El Khaleej, and Star Academy 7. She is Riyadh Ahmad’s daughter, her father being a popular musical artist in Iraq.

The long: 

Rahma has built a large fanbase and achieved regionwide fame. Notable endeavors include a collaboration with Haitham Yousif on Er7moni and singing part of Rock, Paper, Scissors, the official song for FIFA Arab Cup 2021. Her music is mostly romantic in theme, but the rhythms vary. For example, one of her more popular songs, Anoudi, is significantly more lighthearted than a recent hit, Al Kawkab. She also released Nazel Akhud Ha’i, a song supporting the 2019-2020 protests.

To listen or not to listen:

Listen! She is faring well in showing the world what Iraqis, especially Iraqi women, are capable of in music. You can follow her on Instagram and check out her music on YouTube or Spotify.