It is no secret why music in general and most songs in particular deal with the subject of love and its endless ramifications or its delights. Love is the eternal subject of human life and concerns. Love is the best thing that God has created and given to humans as a gift. It is the alpha and omega of existence. God is himself the highest expression of love, from eternity to the present. Everything in the world has a beginning and an ending.
Love is perhaps the only thing that never ends, and its artistic expressions are as rich and diverse as its very essence. Music is the artistic expression of love. “Music plays a vital role in human life, impacting mental and physical health, emotional wellbeing, and social connections. It can improve mood, reduce stress, boost memory, and enhance cognitive function. Music also provides a way to express emotions, connect with others, and experience shared cultural traditions.”
Music or songs are the expressions of cultural identity. The cultural importance of music is undeniable. “Music is culturally important as a universal language that transcends borders, fostering connections and understanding between diverse groups. It preserves cultural heritage, transmits values, and shapes identity through traditional songs, folk music, and indigenous rhythms. Music also catalyzes social change, bringing communities together and promoting healing and reconciliation.”
Love and music are inseparable. Music is mostly, if not always, about love. According to one opinion on the subject, “Songs that are about love or heartbreak are seen as the most accessible for listeners to relate to through their own experiences with love and are therefore easier to market and sell.” Abdu Kiar is from the generation of singers who emerged in the early 1990s and matured in the following decades. He has developed not only his unique style of singing; he developed starting from his younger years. His songs often mix themes of love and loss.
Abdu Kiar also deals with social issues, a kind of social criticism that holds a mirror to society to see not only its superficial appearance but also its soul. With his engaging lyrics and rhythms, Abdu Kiar is an artistic critic of society and an artist who deals with the more inconvenient sides of love, its disappointments, and its heartbreaks. His artistic engagement started with advocacy of social causes and grew to include criticisms of social malpractices, moral degeneration, and ethical breaches in society.
One of the functions of music is to advocate for just causes, and Abdu Kiar is distinguished by his thinly veiled expression of protest against some of our individual as well as social norms and practices. One of his earlier hits, known as “Minew Shewa” (2009), for instance, came out against self-humiliation for temporary benefits, double-dealing, greed, and selfishness, and the virtues of self-reliance and its consequences in social life. He says that he would prefer to go broke instead of climbing the social ladder by debasing or humiliating oneself.
The song and lyrics are by the artist himself. By the same token, his other song, known as “Jiwa Jiwe” in the same album, is about opportunism in the pursuit of love. The lyrics depict a woman who moves like a pendulum and constantly changes partners to suit her interest and per the opportunities available at a certain time. Abdu Kiar tells us that the woman depicted in his lyrics has neither faith nor stability nor reliability in love, as she is always on the move and changes partners and goes to places and partners whom she thinks best serve her interests at a given time. This is the reflection of opportunism in a romantic relationship.
One of Abdu Kiar’s love songs deals with solitude, which is a subject of much attention. In this song, Kair tells us about his sweetheart who abandoned him, and he was left alone. He is dealing with his time alone after his love’s departure and shares his reflections about loneliness. The title of the song is “Ychalal” or “it can be done” or “it is possible”. What is possible? According to Abdu Kiar’s lyrics, it is possible to keep on living after the departure of a lover. He says that the first moments of separation and the attendant solitude might look impossible to overcome. Yet, with time, one realizes that what seemed impossible can turn out to be possible. In short, it is possible to live alone even if your sweetheart leaves you behind, alone.
Abdu Kiar is a member of the generation of musicians and singers who came of age in the 1990s and shot into popular fame in the following decades. What makes Abdu Kiar different from the other members of his generation is that he did not start his career by imitating his favorite artists but by trying to go beyond them both in style and expression. He stuck to his artistic integrity and independence since his earlier years and proved that trying to imitate others was not only a loss of time and effort but also a denial of his innate potential that flourished sooner rather than later.
Abdu Kiar’s latest album contains song lyrics that are deep in significance and truth told with maturity and depth, sending instructive messages to the broken-hearted, to the depressed, and the angry. The lyrics are raw poetry, sweetened with revitalizing and comforting, while teaching one or two lessons on their way. Abdu Kiar’s song has also been a kind of carefree entertainments sung with abandon and ease but composed of thought-provoking pronouncements. His voice is suitable for the fast cadence and flow of the music that seems to be flowing effortlessly. In the lyrics, the serious mix with the light-hearted cries of the soul and the subjects of his lyrics can vary from loss, betrayal, tribute, recovery, optimism, and criticism on misguided choices and behaviors as well as personal tragedies. In his new volume entitled “Papapa”
Heartbreaks, betrayals, or separations are usually the staples of social media, as well as fodder for high society gossip in the celebrity world. Celebrities are a class in themselves, not only because they are rich, fashion-savvies, but because of their tendency or capacity to raise tempests in teacups. The paparazzi are constant fixtures in their lives. They chase them more than their latest relationship. This is not true to the so-called developed or modern world, but also in societies like ours, where celebrities are usually cherished like rare species. Their separations or heartbreaks are cause for celebration, and the spotlight is on them quite often. Their lives are also scrutinized in music and songs that either commend or condemn their behaviors.
One of Abdu Kiar’s latest songs deals with arrogance born of misplaced admiration and self-deceit. it is sometimes necessary to summarize the theme of a song without referring to its lyrics or the musical composition. Abdu Kiar’s songs are not only highly entertaining but also embody stories about individuals under specific circumstances. The topic of Abdu Kiar’s song from his latest album is called “Papapa”. It is the top score in the album. And deals with the theme of pride born of public admiration. It is about a girl who becomes haughty as a result of the respect she receives from her true or false admirers and tends to forget about her first love as she seeks more fame and admiration. The rough translation of some of the lyrics of “Papapa say,
Forgetting our love, that has lasted for so long,
You are changing lately, believing the gossip,
Hating my modest house, trying to fly to the skies
Hearing the fast-moving gossips of the days
Listening to the gossipers, who put the cart before the horse
Are you changing because of the false admiration from them?
Why don’t you move slowly instead of running here and there?
And calm down instead of chasing fake honor…
This song is about a woman who abandoned her sweetheart as she was misled by the false admiration people were lavishing on her. It is the fate of the poor lover and his haughty lover who left him in search of the good and fast track life of the wealthy. It is a lamentation against abandonment and a call for the return of the ‘ so ‘prodigal daughter, so to speak. This is a song of betrayal against someone who could not meet the demands of his luxury-seeking lover. It is also a common observation that Abdu Kiar turned into a piece of art through this song.
Abdu Kiar has not yet reached the peak of his career, although he has slowed down a little bit, maybe because of the distance that separates him from the people who are usually the source of his artistic inspiration. He nonetheless remains prolific, appealing, versatile in style, and biting in his criticism of human behavior and societal excesses. This is an artistic talent in short supply these days.
BY MULUGETA GUDETA
THE ETHIOPIAN HERALD SUNDAY EDITION 27 APRIL 2025
