Nadir Abdul Salam came to Limkokwing University in August to study BA in Recording Arts before becoming the Music Academy Ambassador at the University.
Started as a kid
“I used to sing Malayalam songs, but afterwards when I was six-seven years old, I began to sing in more languages,” he said. “I began with mostly Hindi music.”
He was already an accomplished singer before he entered school. Able to sing in four languages, he has performed in Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.
“I prefer songs that have a social message and promotes values,” he said while adding that he describes his own music style as ‘spiritual’. For him, his music is not aimed towards any specific people, but emphasises the importance of unity and tolerance.
Even as a young boy, Nadir was already performing songs in Malayalam, Hindi, English and Arabic. As he grew older, he began to focus more on Arabic performances while in Qatar.
His first Arabic song was “Arabic Baby” during which he found that he was able to fluently speak the language. He later began to focus more on improving his dialects after learning to sing classical Arabic songs.
“When I went to the Qatar Music Academy, they taught me to sing and pronounce in different dialects.”
For him, possessing a wide range of dialects in his music enables him to connect to his fans.
Nadir explained that these dialects change depending on the countries. He uses different dialects for his fans in Egypt, Lebanon and the Gulf States. While learning to use different dialects, he learned to utilise his talents to connect with people from different cultures.
His renditions in Arabic include dialects such as Khaliji, Lebanese, Egyptian and Algerian. At the same time, he mentioned that learning new languages helped inspire him to make new music.
Learning at Limkokwing
The exposure he received at Limkokwing University enabled Nadir to widen his understanding of different cultures and views.
“It was hard for me to adapt at first,” he said. “After a while, people started to become friendlier.”
At Limkokwing University, he learned the fundamentals of music performances. During his time at the University, he focused his studies on the fundamental aspects of music.
Within the first two months of arriving in Malaysia, his studies focused on processing music and studio designs.
“I thought music was just about singing,” he added. “But it is more than just that.”
He studied acoustics, sound proofing and various crucial aspects of music performances.
“I liked to learn more about music,” he said. “I am mostly in the studio.”
Performance History
Prior to joining Limkokwing University, Nadir had participated in several performances and musical reality shows.
One of his major performances was for Dubai TV with auditions held in Lebanon.
“I was the only non-Arab and I made it to the semi-finals,” he said while adding that the experience enabled him to meet other aspiring talents.
He was selected to sing the national anthem during the opening ceremony of the ASEAN Games that was held in Qatar in 2006.
This was a turning point for him as it inspired him to learn more Arabic songs.
“I was nine years old at that time and it was my first award,” he added.
By the time Nadir reached 19 years old, he was already awarded the Talent of the Year Award 2012 from Bihar Foundation Qatar, Unique Talent Award 2011 – UN World Environment Day 2011, Vishnu Foundation Award 2010, Al Mahabba Arab Music Award 2009, Kairali TV Gulf Pageantry Award 2003 as well as various other awards.
For him, the exposure he received from the experience helped to establish his presence with the public and increased his popularity.
Advice
Nadir advised other aspiring talents to give their maximum effort while keeping their closest people around to support them.
This will help them achieve their life’s goals.
“Go through with your dreams,” he said.