Rahim AlHaj's (رحيم الحاج) music delicately combines traditional Iraqi musical structure with contemporary styling and influence. His compositions are about the experience of exile from his homeland and of new beginnings in his adopted country. AlHaj says that "my music invites the listener to discover the true spirit of the musician." His compositions are about loss, hope, freedom, and longing. His songs establish new concepts without altering the foundation of the traditional Iraqi School of oud based in Baghdad.