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Sami Yusuf is a British singer-songwriter, composer, producer and an accomplished musician. Endowed with a strong cultural affiliation to music; privileged with a musical background and having studied music with several renowned composers, including those from one of the world’s most prestigious music institutes – the Royal Academy of Music in London, music is his destiny was unsurprising a prediction acquaintances would so confidently make. Sami learned to play several musical instruments including the piano, violin, tar, tombak, santour, daf, tabla and oud, to count a few, at a very young age. He bore the passion to etch a mark in the field of music, which he so indelibly did with the release of his groundbreaking debut album, Al-Muallim – an album composed, produced and sung by him.
A young, British-Muslim instantly became the talk of the town in lands as far and diverse as Egypt and Turkey. The album not only sold well over 7 million copies but also earned him a massive following in the Middle East, North African nations and South-East Asia.
Charmed by his good looks and manners so heart warming, the young amongst his fans would emulate what they saw in Sami – a leader. His fans wouldn’t shy away from admitting Sami’s music had changed their lives – for the better. Unheard of before, such an artist-fan tandem flourished with subsequent release of My Ummah, Sami’s highly acclaimed second album selling well over 8 million copies.
Sami was soon headlining CNN, the BBC, ABC, Al Jazeerah, not to mention, every mainstream TV channel in the Middle East and Turkey. Hailed by Time magazine as Islam’s biggest Rock Star and The most famous British Muslim in the World by The Guardian, it was only a matter of time before sheer dynamism of what the media dubbed a popular act became the subject matter of think-tank studies. Transnational Broadcasting Studies, in t
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Music is my language.
— Sami Yusuf
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ALMA –
When Paths Meet
Sami Yusuf, Composer
Featuring Nabyla Maan, Ismail Boujia, Israel Moro, Antoine Morinière, Tarik Hilal, and José Manuel León
British composer Sami Yusuf is one of the most influential musicians of our time in the field of world music traditions.
‘Beautifully produced’
– Rolling Stone
‘His artistic
creativity
is unparalleled’
– Volzin
‘Sami Yusuf
ignites the stage’
– SNRT News
‘His magic
and passion
resonate deeply’
– Agencia EFE
‘In short,
he’s a mega-star’
– BBC Newsnight
‘His success
in the world
music scene
is undeniable’
– MyLondon
En al-Ándalus
Single from the album Alma: When Paths Meet
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Existentia
Single from the album Ecstasy
Featuring Homayoun Shajarian
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UNDER THE HIGH PATRONAGE OF HIS MAJESTY KING MOHAMMED VI
Born in Teheran, Sami Yusuf is a British author, composer, performer, and poet. Proclaimed to be the most popular Muslim Briton in the whole world, Sami Yusuf’s music consists mainly of songs related to Islam and the fact of being a Muslim in today’s world. He asserts that, through his music, he conveys Islam’s message of love, tolerance, and mercy. In his album Barakah, released in , Sami Yusuf claims to maintain the authenticity of the traditional arts and heritage. With more than 8 albums and 34 million copies sold, Sami Yusuf has revolutionized Anasheed (or, hymn-like songs) by giving birth to a new kind of Islamic music. Sami Yusuf is also known for his charitable deeds. The United Nations’ Organization has appointed him as World Ambassador for Hunger Elimination.
The Artist
Sami Yusuf is one of the most influential musicians of our time in the field of world music traditions. The internationally acclaimed British composer is known for his electrifying large-scale events that interweave diverse strands of world music with contemporary innovation. His ground-breaking performances draw large audiences from the Americas to Europe and from the MENA region to Central and South Asia.
Creator of the When Paths Meet concert series, Sami has released nine studio albums and thirteen live albums, amassed over a billion downloads, and performed at sold-out venues on six continents. His work shines with beauty and depth as it moves fluidly among genres as diverse as qawwali, Persian classical, Middle Eastern Sufi music, flamenco, and Western classical styles. He has sold over 45 million albums and was awarded an Honorary Doctor of Letters from Roehampton University for "his invaluable contribution to the field of music."
“When composing, I feel I have entered a world more vibrant and alive than the one we normally inhabit.”
– Sami Yusuf
“It is music that blows you away with polyphonic choirs, virtuoso percussion and the power of the single melody held in place by so many instruments simultaneously.”
– Cultural Press Agency
Sami Yusuf has been dubbed "a megastar" by the BBC, "the biggest star in the Middle East is a Brit" by The Guardian, and "one of the most successful artists in contemporary times" by MyLondon. The numbers bear this out: over 45 million albums sold, over a billion downloads amassed; sold-out concerts at venues including Wembley Arena, The Royal Albert Hall, Los Angeles’s Shrine Auditorium, and the Philharmonie de Paris; and an audience of , in an open-air performance in Istanbul—one of the largest live concert events ever. His iconic piece ‘Supplication’ was featured in the Golden Globe-nominated film The Kite Runner, and he composed music for the award-winning film Inventions with Omar Sharif.