Aus Mahmud is a sensitive and prolific artist. As a singer, he has received accolades throughout the Arabic World for his delivery and ingeniousity. As a composer, he has composed for some of the biggest names in the Arabic World including Hatem Al Iraqi, Asaleh Nasri, Abid Falak, Auras, Amal Khdayer, and others. He is a master of the 'Oud' (lute) and is an important asset to Iraqis worldwide during times where the identity of Iraq itself is at risk. Currently residing in Canada, he is an art activist, using his talent to promote young artists and Iraqi art to the entire World as a message of peace and rebuilding. Find out what drives his art, and where he wants his art to drive him in this exclusive interview.

shakomakonet: Aus, where from Iraq are you?
Aus: I am originally from Al Amarah, but I was born and raised in Baghdad.

shakomakonet: When and how did you discover that you were musically talented?
Aus: I always had a good ear for music. I was also regularly told during primary school that I had a good voice. After my father’s death in the eighties, our house seemed so empty and sad. All of a sudden, I found singing as a natural way of dealing with the situation.

shakomakonet: There must have been that were around you, that encouraged you at that early age.
Aus: Ofcourse, I really started to sing when I was in the second grade. My teacher would always ask me to sing old Dakhil Hassan songs for him. He always used to pay extra attention to me. Eventually, I started singing at school events. Al Karama primary school, that was the name of the school.

shakomakonet: In your mind, when did singing change from being an innocent exercise to a profession?
Aus: After my father’s death, I moved to Al Amarah to be close to family and friends. There, I joined different artist unions, and began singing in festivals. Because of my young age, I spent a lot of time listening to others. But it wasn’t a long time before I started singing. At weddings and parties, I was a great entertainer. It was then when I realized I wanted to be a professional.

shakomakonet: What attracted you the most towards singing?
Aus: It was my love for music. By the age of sixteen, I was an excellent Oud (lute) player. My love for music in general, and that instrument in particular were the main driving forces behind my musical aspirations.

shakomakonet: Being in the southern rural city of Al Amarah, did those surroundings influence your music?
Aus: In Al Amarah, the artistic circles are small. It was the mandate of the past regime in Iraq to centralize all artistic institutions in Baghdad, so it was imperative for me to move to Baghdad. Musically, Al Amarah is a rich source for rural (reefy) music. That was of great value to me, but I knew I had to go to the Institute of Fine Arts, so I can expand my musical horizons.

shakomakonet: How did your family feel about your decision to attend the institute?
Aus: Most of the difficulties associated with my move were logistical. My family, actually, was very supportive. Also, I had confidence in my talent and abilities, and that made my transition much easier.

shakomakonet: The Institute of Fine Arts in Baghdad is a world renowned school for teaching the various mediums in which Iraqi art expresses itself. What were your thoughts when you were there, were you conscious of your surroundings?
Aus: I was in a dream land. My teachers were musical giants. I almost fainted. I was there to learn how to master the Oud (lute) and learn how to sing. Music is a science, and my surroundings were the perfect setting in which I can build my confidence to tackle such a difficult subject. I didn’t want to be a singer brought to entertain people for a few hours at a party. I wanted to be an artist and a musician. After the Institute, I moved to the College of Music at the University of Baghdad, where I studied the mechanics of Western music to further my understanding of the artform.

shakomakonet: Did you find that your sources of inspiration changed as you matured as a person and an artist?
Aus: Naturally, my love for music grew and matured as I grew and matured. But my inspirations have always been the tears that my mother cried for my father, and the pain of Iraq. It is a state of mind that I fear but is one that I run towards as well.

shakomakonet: Tell us about your relationship with the Oud (lute)?
Aus: My relationship to the instrument is similar to that relationship which a flower has with water. It is my best friend and the love of my life. I can’t begin to describe what it means to me.

shakomakonet: What does the Oud (lute) mean to the world of music in general, and Arabic music in specific?
Aus: For many years, the Oud (lute) did not receive the respect and admiration that it deserved. It was generally overlooked. But through the work of certain people, like Jameel and Munir Bachir, Shareef Muhyideen Hayder, Ghanim Haddad, the instrument was revolutionized and presented to the rest of the world. Finally, the world can see that the Oud is an instrument that is capable of expressing itself just like, if not more than, any instrument in the world. To this day, Iraq is a great source of great Oud musicans, such as Naseer Shamma and Khalid Mohammed Ali from Mosul.

shakomakonet: Not only are you a singer and a musician, but you are also a composer. How did you transcend from being the former to involving the latter in your identity?
Aus: When I began my singing career, I began looking for a composer. However, I was surprised in that I didn’t find anyone that could create something that truly represented my art. I also didn’t want to fall into the same circle of redundancy that has consumed Iraqi music in recent years. Instead, I wanted to create my own personal sphere in which my music can exist. So I tried, and I was very pleased with the results. My first listener was the great Abbas Jameel in 1992, and the song was called Imsafreen (traveling), Abbas Jameel was a great source of inspiration for me throughout my years at the Institute, where he was one of my instructors and mentors. He later told his wife, that Aus could use any of my (Abbas Jameel’s) music after I died. That was a great tribute to my talent, and is something that I will cherish forever.

shakomakonet: As an artist, what is your message, if any, and through what identity do you feel that you can best convey this message.
Aus: My message is to promote love and the fight for justice. I feel that only through a combination of singing and composition, I will be able to convey this message to its fullest potential. They are two realms that are interchangeable, and that I can’t live without.

shakomakonet: Aus, how did you end up leaving Iraq?
Aus: Shortly after my graduate from Baghdad, I was sent to represent Iraq at a musical festival in Morocco. Since then, I have not returned.

shakomakonet: How has living in diaspora, away from Iraq, shaped your music.
Aus: Living away from your homeland has two faces. The first is negative. I always felt that there was a supernatural force that pushed me away from my maternal womb. I felt that I was losing contact with my Iraqi identity, which was so critical to my musical one. That was primarily due to the change of my musical surroundings. On the other hand, there is a positive face to living abroad. I was able to meet and interact with new cultures and peoples. This added to my conscience. These experiences have reflections in my art as well.

shakomakonet: As a person who enjoys an intimate relationship with Iraqi music, what are your reflections on it now?
Aus: Iraqi music has undergone many changes. During the seventies, music was a true expression of the Iraqi spirit. The country was undergoing a cultural revolution that affected all layers of civil society. But the onset of the eighties brought with it the destruction of war, and war songs which erased a lot of what had been built in the decades past. This trend of cultural destruction continued through the eighties and into the nineties, where Iraqi music was scarred and unnatural. That doesn’t mean that there wasn’t any beautiful music during that time. Now, Iraqis need to revive our culture and create something that is new and contemporary. We must not copy others, for we have an endless wealth of talent in the country.

shakomakonet: In what direction do you wish to take your music in?
Aus: I want to become an Arabic Iraqi artist that is known to the entire Arabic world. I want to go as far as possible.

shakomakonet: What can fans anticipate in the near future for you?
Aus: I am currently in the process of recording a song about Iraq called La Tetrikou Al Iraq Nazifan Bi Qalbihi Al Jareeh (Don’t leave Iraq bleeding with its wounded heart). I am also composing another song for Hatem Al Iraqi, which is due to come out in his next album. Also, I will be collaborating with the Syrian singer Asaleh Nasri to compose a song about the beautiful city of Amman.

We would like to thank Aus for his time, and more importantly for allowing us into his mind, music, and heart, and wish him the best of luck in his career.