From the first note you hear springing from

Akhlad, it’s clear that music very

much is, as he himself describes it, “simply

in my blood now.” His sincere, soulful voice

serves as an intriguing window into his quiet

demeanor and gentle temperament.

The transcendent quality of his work is what

inspires Akhlad; he sees the success of UTN1

as a natural way to help his home country

connect with the rest of the world…all while

helping him pursue his aspiration of touring

the globe as the next “fab five.”

“When we sing about the importance of

peace, we’re coming at it from a first-person

perspective. We want people to feel the same

way we do and music is the best vehicle for

that,” he explains. “You can truly send any

message you want by music, and people will

respond to it more than anything else.”

, Akhlad lived for several years

in Columbia, Missouri, in the United States before

returning to Iraq as a young boy. He has a

special passion for learning and teaching himself

new things — he studied civil engineering at

Baghdad University and doesn’t hesitate to study

the finer points of the newest PS3 video games.

And he recently picked up the joza, a fourstring

spike fiddle that’s customarily made from

coconut and that has rich, deep roots in Middle

Eastern musical tradition.

Books I like:

• ·”The Secret”
• · “Lord of the Rings” by J.R.R. Tolkien

Movies:

• · “Star Wars” by George Lucas
• · “Dreamgirls” by Bill Condon
• · “Hairspray” by Adam Shankman
• · All Tom Cruse’s movies
• · “Dejà vu” by Tony Scott

Artists I like:

Chicago, Stevie Wonder, Tina Turner, Michael Jackson, Richard Marx, Boys2men, Backstreet Boys, Ismael Al-Farwachi, Kathom Al-Sahir and Adel Ogla