Alim Qasimov is an Azerbaijani mugham singer who was born in 1957 in Nabur, Azerbaijani SSR. He began singing at religious events as a child and later pursued formal training at the Asaf Zeynally Music School in Baku between 1978 and 1982. Qasimov began his professional career during the Soviet era when mugham performances faced state restrictions. He achieved national recognition in 1983 after winning the Jabbar Garyaghdioghlu Singing Competition. Throughout his career, Qasimov has toured extensively in Europe, the Americas, and Asia, and his daughter, Ferghana Qasimova, joined his ensemble in 1997. In 1995, he performed the duet “What Will You Say” with American musician Jeff Buckley, a collaboration that introduced his work to broader Western audiences. His discography includes the albums Classical Mugham (1996) and Azerbaijan: Art of the Mugham (1998). Qasimov received the IMC-UNESCO Music Prize in 1999 and the Shohrat Order in 2008. In 2012, he performed at the Grand Finale of the Eurovision Song Contest in Baku.
