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Sami Yusuf

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Sami Yusuf
BornTehran, Iran

Sami Yusuf is a British singer-songwriter, composer, producer and multi-instrumentalist musician.

In 2003 Yusuf released his debut album Al-Mu`allim at the age of 23, selling over two million copies. Following the release of his second album “My Ummah” in 2005, Yusuf was heralded as "Islam's Biggest Rock Star" by Time magazine for his success in attracting a relatively young fan base from diverse regions across the world, many of whom were of Muslim backgrounds. Yusuf has sold over seven million albums. In October 2010, following a five-year hiatus, Yusuf’s third official album "Wherever You Are" was launched, manifesting his self-coined genre “Spiritique”. Yusuf is involved in humanitarian initiatives, supporting, among others, Islamic Relief and Save the Children.

Early life

An ethnic Azeri born in Tehran, Yusuf was raised in London from the age of three.[1] He initially began composing simple melodies starting at the age of three,[2] and performing on stage for the first time around the age of nine.[3] His “defining moment”[4][5] musically occurred when his father loaned him a book on the basics of the Tombak [Persian instrument]. Upon returning from a tea break, his father found that the young Yusuf had mastered the book that had taken months for his students to finish.[6] As a teenager he was a devotee of classical music and classical icons like Chopin and Mozart, admitting that he listened to Classic FM radio station for hours in a day.[7] He went on training professionally in several other instruments including the santoor, piano, violin, oud, setar, tar, and daf under the guidance of traditional teachers, as well as professional musicians. While producing and demo-recording for another singer, he became aware of his own singing abilities which were further developed by the encouragement of his family.[8] Divided between pursuing a musical career or studying law at King’s College London, Yusuf opted for music while committed to “doing something dignified and respectable”.[9] Though he claimed to having been always spiritual, he reconnected with his Islamic faith through a “religious awakening”[10] at the age of nineteen. He then set out to share his experience with the other young British Muslims he felt were direly in search of an identity especially post 9/11. Yusuf self-produced and released his debut album “Al-mu’allim” at the age of 23, pioneering an innovative trend other Muslim artist would seek to emulate and promote, termed "Islamic pop".[11]

Professional career

(2003 - 2004) – Al-Mu'allim

Shortly before traveling to Egypt to study Arabic, Sami Yusuf released his debut album Al-Mu`allim in July 2003, a primarily percussive album comprising eight tracks.[12] The radiant cube and purple background of the album cover symbolized “the light of the Prophetic message illuminating the darkness of the night”.[12] Its feature song, "Al-Mu’allim", became an instant hit in the Middle East, North Africa, and South-East Asia topping the charts in Egypt and Turkey for twelve consecutive weeks, selling over two million copies worldwide.[13] Believing that music can be a "powerful medium to promote ideas and establish dialogue within society”,[14] he coalesced Eastern percussive instrumentation and Western melodies in “Al-Mu’allim” with a focus on the English and Arabic languages. The last track, “Supplication”, was used in the Golden-Globe award-nominated film, “The Kite Runner”.[15] Though the album was described as a “project to define British Muslim identity”[16] in a post 9-11 period — with explicitly religious themes praising the Prophet Mohammad and Allah in songs like “The Creator” and “Ya Mustafa” — it reached the ears of unexpectedly diverse range of listeners, constituting of various nationalities, ages, and races.[12] Redirecting the current of Muslim music through his songs and professionally-produced music videos (“Al-Mu’allim” and “Supplication”), Yusuf had “unintentionally” cultivated grounds for a fresh genre of music coined "Islamic Pop"[17] by setting a new benchmark in the religious music industry. The journal Transnational Broadcasting Studies analyzed the main causes of his success by attributing it to Yusuf’s ability to blend “a religious worldview with a mainstream form of entertainment, and in doing so, [communicating] a personable, accessible expression of the Islamic faith that is in harmony with the modern world and incorporated into the mundane activities of daily life”.[18]

(2005 - 2009) - My Ummah

Yusuf gained worldwide recognition following the release of his second album, My Ummah, in July 2005. This album appeared in both musical and percussive versions and includes fourteen tracks. The album’s thematic elements include empowerment of women in “Free”, raising awareness of the plight of victims of conflict-laden regions like Palestine and Darfur in the respective tracks of “Try Not to Cry” (featuring Outlandish) and “Make A Prayer”; “Muhammad” was dedicated to the victims of the 2004 Beslan school massacre, whereas “We Will Never Submit” protested against acquiescence to oppression.[19] The album, both Eastern and Western in sound, utilized wide-ranging musical instrumentation from classical instruments like piano, violin, flute and drums to ethnic instruments like oud, santour, tar, drums, tombak and more. "My Ummah" was an embodiment of Yusuf’s "utopia for the Muslim World or humanity at large".[20] Considered a breakthrough album [by whom?], it sold over four million copies globally and was received enthusiastically by a diverse range of listeners, particularly young people, who identified closely with the topics included therein.[21] Transnational Broadcasting Studies discussed the exposure of Muslim youth to a new dawn of Islamic “art with purpose”, accrediting this opening to Yusuf’s music that had the power "to both preserve core cultural identity and promote spiritual and material progress“.[18] Yusuf's music video featuring the Afghani folklore “Hasbi Rabbi” became a regional hit in Egypt, and was used to launch Vodafone Egypt’s value-added-service (VAS) platform Vodafone Live.[22] The video portrays Yusuf in multiple characters and locations: as a practicing Muslim businessman in London, a teacher playing soccer and tutoring in Taj Mahal, then a professional Volinist jubilantly laughing and chatting with his bandmates in Turkey, and finally as a jovial carpenter in the lively bazaar's of Egypt. Recognized by The Independent as the "Voice of Islam",[23] Yusuf emphasized that he was not a "preacher",[24] rather a musician with a message[25] who believes in the urgent need for “a wave of people to come along and bridge the gaps, because we have so much in common, so much to learn from each other”.[26] A major addition to his artistic repertoire was Oscar-winning director Marc Forster's proposal to Yusuf to compose a credit-piece for the Golden Globe award-nominated film, The Kite Runner.[27] Due to time constraints on both sides however, the credit piece was never realised but “Supplication”, a track from Yusuf’s debut album, was used to voice one of the film’s climactic scenes.[28] Reluctant to be dubbed as “Islam’s Biggest Rock Star” by Time, Yusuf later explained that he does not "want to be a rock star ... a popstar. ... I just want to make good music, and do what I feel I’m confident in doing ... and that’s music”.[29]

(2005–2009) Dispute with Former Label

In a contractual dispute lasting from 2008 to 2009, Yusuf legally separated from his former record label Awakening. He claimed the "third" album, Without You, released by Awakening in January 2009, was released without his prior “blessings nor consent”. He stated: “I therefore wish to make it perfectly clear that an album comprised of any such recordings could only be put on to the market against my wishes and without my approval”.[30] In mid-2009, he signed a five-album contract with the UK-based record label ETM International.[31]

(2009 – Present) - Wherever You Are Pre-Release

In July 2009, Yusuf was awarded an honorary Doctor of Letters degree in recognition of his “extraordinary contributions to the field of music” by Roehampton University in southwest London.[32] Earlier in the year, he was selected to serve as the first Global Ambassador of HH Sheikha Moza Bint Nasser’s (Qatar's First Lady) intitiative, Silatech, which seeks to engage “the public, private and civil society sectors to promote large-scale job creation, entrepreneurship and access to capital and markets for young people”.[33] Ranked in the “Top 500 Influential Muslims of 2009 (and 2010)”, a publication edited by Georgetown University’s John Esposito and Ibrahim Kahlin, Yusuf was described as an “internationally popular British singer-songwriter whose music has revolutionized the nasheed industry. ... He is also known for his extensive involvement in charity work”.[34] Yusuf released his video single, “You Came To Me,” in four languages (English, Arabic, Turkish, and Persian) in the summer of 2009.[35] Rolling Stone magazine called the style by which Yusuf sung the track’s lyrics “touching”, listing it as one of the key tracks of the “Wherever You Are” album.[36] SamiYusufOfficial.com announced the release of “Wherever You Are”, Yusuf’s third official album, in March 2010, introducing it as “A renaissance. A Rebirth. A New Beginning”.[37] Meanwhile in the following summer, Yusuf shared his music video “Healing” sung in English and Arabic that was created in cooperation with the KSA-based International Medical Center.[38] It was also listed as another key track by Rolling Stone magazine.[36] In reference to the song’s underlying philosophy of generosity in lines like “Heal and you will be healed/…Give and you will receive/It’s nature’s order”, Yusuf’s wrote on his blog: “I hope it helps, albeit in some small way, in showing that every single one of us can be a healer”.[39] Amidst the torrential monsoons that wreaked havoc in Pakistan and affected 20 million lives in the summer of 2010, he promptly released a charity single entitled “Hear Your Call”, performed in English and Urdu, to raise funds for the displaced Pakistanis in a joint-effort with the UN-sponsored charity organization Save the Children.[40][41] The song was featured on a short film by the United Nations Office for Coordination of Human Affairs (OCHA)[42] appealing for renewed donations towards the relief effort. Prompted by the protests and clashes that transpired in Egypt in February 2011, Yusuf released a free track entitled “I’m Your Hope”, dedicating it to the “Shabaab” or youth.[43] The lyrics are in English and Arabic.[44] Sami Yusuf has expressed keen interest on initiating his own “record company to help artists and talents that are not supported” in the near future.[45]

(2009-Present) Wherever You Are: “New Chapter” and“Spiritique”

Performing live in the Maida Vale Studios,[46][47] Yusuf explained that “It's 2009, I have different challenges, I've got different issues and I will not sing religious-themed music just for the sake of business - it's got to be what I feel”. After a five-yearlong hiatus, Yusuf released his third, official studio album named Wherever You Are in October 2010, welcoming what he termed a “New Chapter” in his professional career and music.[48] "Spiritique" is Yusuf’s self-coined musical and philosophical classification of his music. Spiritique, according to Yusuf, is a blend of both the “oriental and occidental” sounds, underpinned by spirituality that “will utilize music as a facilitator for spiritual appreciation, regardless of race and religion”. Yusuf considers it his new sound and “something [he] wants to stand for from now”.[49] With the exceptions of songs like “No Word is Worthy”, “You Came To Me” and "Salaam" (though the latter is more of a 'humanitarian ode' than religiously themed) the 12 track-set album purposely draws less upon religious content[50] leaving room for interpretation for listeners of all backgrounds. Yusuf maintains, however, that it follows the “same principles and ingredients [of] honesty, [and] sincerity”.[51] Introducing the album in its official trailer as a “mini diary of events”[52] that occurred from 2007 to 2010, Yusuf emphasized that the content is essentially a reflection of his worldview: “This third album is about who I am and the reality of the day and age we are living in. It talks about the hypocrisy. ... it’s quite dark”.[50] Songs like “Give the Young A Chance”, featuring lyrics by Ian Brown, incorporate heavy usage of metaphors, likening the youth to “jewels” and allusions to “gardens where birds will sing lullabies” and “sweet scents fill the air”.[53] British singer-songwriter Conner Reeves and Turkish singer Sezen Aksu also collaborated with Yusuf in the track “Without You”.[54] “In Every Tear, He Is There” song, another track collaboration with Conner Reeves, concludes with an African choir singing “In Every Tear/ That is where/He is There” repeatedly in Zulu.[55] “Fragile World”, Yusuf’s admittedly own favorite track,[56] is reflective of the “dark”[50] experiences he underwent throughout the years.[57] Though predominantly performed in English, several tracks include verses in Arabic, Malaysian, Persian and Urdu. It has been given 3.5 stars out of 4 by Rolling Stone magazine, and commended as a “beautifully produced album”.[58] Sami Yusuf has visited Turkey, UAE, and Qatar to promote “Wherever You Are” and is due to travel to Egypt, Singapore, Malaysia, and Jordan in the near future,[59] plus an upcoming European tour scheduled for spring 2011.[60] The video for "In Every Tear He Is There" has been released and that for "Make Me Strong" is due for release in 2011.[61]

Notable Tours/Concert Performances

Yusuf’s tours and concert performances throughout the past eight years have been extensive. His more notable [by whom?] tours include sold-out concerts in the Royal Albert Hall and Royal Concert Hall in the UK in 2006, in addition to a comprehensive Germany tour in 2007. He performed to crowds of thousands in Bosnia, Canada, France, Belgium, Finland, Austria, Greece, and the Netherlands (which he considers one of his favorite concerts).[citation needed] He toured the United States in 2006 and 2007, singing at venues in Los Angeles, Detroit, Dallas, Chicago, and New Jersey in venues like the LA Shrine Auditorium.[citation needed] In the Middle East and Asian regions, he performed to tens of thousands in Egypt’s Cairo and Alexandria, Qatar, Kuwait, UAE, Algeria, Bahrain, Syria, Jordan, Tajikistan, and Saudi Arabia. He received a record crowd of 250,000 in Istanbul, Turkey earning the name “Islam’s Biggest Rock Star” in Time magazine. In an early concert in Azerbaijan, Yusuf experienced what he likened to a “hero’s welcome” in his ancestral homeland.[citation needed] Over 50,000 people attend his shows in the Casa Music Festival in Casablanca, Morocco in 2007, exceeding by double the venue’s space limit.[citation needed] In the highly publicized concert at Wembley Arena [dubbed the press as the “Muslim Live Aid”[citation needed]], which served as a milestone event where approximately two million pounds were raised for the relief effort in Darfur, Sudan. It was warmly received by a thank-you video message by the British Prime Minister, Gordon Brown.[citation needed] Peforming in The Velodrome in Capetown, Durban, and Johannesburg in his 2008 South Africa Tour, Yusuf accompanied the Agape Children Orphanage’s choir, singing along with their feature song “We Are Together” – the title of a multi-award winning HBO film on the Agape Children’s Orphanage. After performing in the Moroccan Fez Wold Sacred Music Festival in 2009, he agreed to do a free concert for the locals that drew in approximately a hundred thousand attendees, with one day’s notice.[citation needed] Packing venues again in Faruma Arena, Denmark, Grugahalle in Germany, and De Doelen in Netherlands, Yusuf introduced his forthcoming album, “Wherever You Are”.[62] Sami Yusuf has visited Turkey, UAE, and Qatar[59] to promote “Wherever You Are” and is due to travel to Egypt, Singapore, Malaysia, and Jordan[59] in the near future. An upcoming European tour is scheduled for spring 2011.[63]

Acclaim/Recognition

  • “Islam’s Biggest Rock Star” – Time Magazine (2006)[64]
  • “Biggest Star in the Middle East” – Guardian (2006)[65]
  • “King of Islamic Pop” – Al-Jazeera (2007)[66]
  • IOL Star of 2009 (2009)[67]
  • 500 Most Influential Muslims in 2009 (2009)[68]
  • BBC’s 30 More Famous Britons (2009)[69]
  • First Global Ambassador of Silatech (2009 – Present)[70]
  • Doctor of Letters Award – Roehampton University (2009)[71]
  • 500 Most Influential Muslims in 2010 (2010)[68]

Collaborations

Charity Work/Humanitarian Initiatives

  • Charity Event for Disabled Children – Cairo, Egypt (2005)[72]
  • Evening of Inspiration – Islamic Relief/UK Tour (2006)[73]
  • Evening of Inspiration – Islamic Relief/US Tour (2006)[74]
  • Evening of Inspiration – Islamic Relief/US Tour (2007)[75]
  • Wembley Arena – UK (2007)[76]
  • Agape Children’s Orphanage concert – South Africa (2008)[77]
  • Telethon Fundraiser for Gaza (2009)[78]
  • Gaza Rally – Istanbul, Turkey (2009)[79]
  • First global ambassador of Silatech (2009)[80]
  • “Hear Your Call” – Save the Children, Pakistan (2010)[81]
  • “I’m Your Hope” (2011)[82]
  • “In Every Tear, He Is There” – Haiti, South Africa (2011)

Discography

Soundtracks (Singles)

  • "Supplication" – Adapted in “The Kite Runner” (2007)
  • "A Thousand Times" (2007)
  • "Palestine Forever" (2009)
  • "Anything For You" (2009)
  • "You Came to Me" (2009)
  • "Healing" (2010)
  • "Hear Your Call" (2010)
  • "I’m Your Hope" (2011)
  • "In Every Tear, He Is There" (2011)

Music Videos

  • Al-Mu’allim – Dir. Hani Osama
  • Supplication – Dir. Hani Osama
  • Hasbi Rabbi – Dir. Hani Osama
  • Mother – Dir. Hani Osama
  • Asma Allah – Dir. Hani Osama
  • Healing – Dir. Jacob Viit Kusk
  • You Came to Me – Dir. Jacob Viit Kusk
  • In Every Tear He Is There – Dir. Jacob Viit Kusk
  • Hear Your Call (Official) – Created by Daniyal Noorani
  • I’m Your Hope (Official) – Directed and edited by Kareem Shaaban

References

  1. ^ Brown, Jonathan (3 October 2007). "Holy rock star: The voice of Islam". The Independent. London: Independent News & Media.
  2. ^ Composing at 3
  3. ^ Performing at 9
  4. ^ Defining Moment Musically
  5. ^ Defining Moment Musically
  6. ^ Mastered Tombak Book
  7. ^ Classical FM Radio
  8. ^ Vocal Abilities
  9. ^ >
  10. ^ Religious Awakening
  11. ^ Islamic Pop
  12. ^ a b c Timeline July 2003
  13. ^ Al-Mu'allim Hits
  14. ^ [1]
  15. ^ Timeline June 2007
  16. ^ Arab News
  17. ^ King of Islamic Pop
  18. ^ a b Transnational Broadcasting Studies
  19. ^ My Ummah
  20. ^ [www.samiyusufofficial.com/main/timeline Timeline July 2005]
  21. ^ Youth Relating to Sami Yusuf' Music
  22. ^ Vodafone Commercial
  23. ^ Voice of Islam by The Independent
  24. ^ Reuters
  25. ^ Musician with a Message
  26. ^ Time Magazine Interview
  27. ^ Timeline June 2007
  28. ^ Supplication Adapted in "The Kite Runner"
  29. ^ Al-Jazeera Interview
  30. ^ Statement on Without You album
  31. ^ Five Album Contract with ETM International
  32. ^ Honorary Degree from Roehampton University in 2009
  33. ^ First Global Ambassador of Silatech
  34. ^ 2009 and 2010's Top 500 Influential Muslims
  35. ^ You Came To Me Music Video
  36. ^ a b Timeline November 2010
  37. ^ Wherever You Are Announcement
  38. ^ [www.samiyusufofficial.com/healing Healing feat. IMC]
  39. ^ "Every one can be a healer"
  40. ^ BBC: Singer Sami Yusuf Donating Music Profits to Pakistan
  41. ^ CNN: Muslim Rock Star Helps Flood Victims
  42. ^ OCHA Feat. Hear Your Call
  43. ^ Dedicated to the Youth
  44. ^ "I'm Your Hope" Lyrics
  45. ^ Plans on Creating a Record Company
  46. ^ Maida Vale Interview
  47. ^ Maida Vale Studios
  48. ^ Introducing the New Chapter
  49. ^ Spiritique
  50. ^ a b c Gulf News Interview
  51. ^ Arab News Interview
  52. ^ Official Wherever You Are album trailer
  53. ^ "Give the Young a Chance" Lyrics by Ian Brown
  54. ^ "Without You" by Conner Reeves and Sezen Aksu
  55. ^ "In Every Tear He Is There" by Conner Reeves
  56. ^ Fragile World Sami Yusuf's Favorite
  57. ^ Fragile World
  58. ^ November 2010
  59. ^ a b c [2]
  60. ^ European 2011 Tour
  61. ^ Upcoming Music Videos
  62. ^ All tours and concert details listed in the SYO Timline
  63. ^ [3]
  64. ^ Time
  65. ^ The Guardian
  66. ^ Al-Jazeera
  67. ^ IOL
  68. ^ a b RISSC
  69. ^ BBC
  70. ^ Silatech
  71. ^ Roehampton University
  72. ^ Timeline April 2005
  73. ^ Timeline April 2006
  74. ^ US 2006 Tour
  75. ^ Timeline August 2007
  76. ^ Timeline October 2007
  77. ^ Timeline October 2008
  78. ^ Telethon Raises over 100 Million
  79. ^ Gaza Rally
  80. ^ First Global Ambassador of Silatech
  81. ^ Save the Children
  82. ^ I'm Your Hope Single
  83. ^ Al-Mu'allim sales
  84. ^ My Ummah sales

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