Sami Yusuf is an Iranian-born British singer-songwriter, composer, producer and multi-instrumentalist
musician of Azerbaijani descent.
In 2003 Yusuf released his first album "Al-Mu`allim" at the age of 23.
He released his second album "My Ummah" in 2005.
In October 2010, Yusuf’s third official album "Wherever You Are" was launched.
Sami calls his genre of music "Spiritique".
"Salaam" is his fourth album, that was released in December 22, 2012.
Early life An ethnic Azerbaijani born in Tehran, Yusuf
was raised in London from the age of three.
His father loaned him a book on the basics of the Tombak [Persian instrument] which Yusuf
studied.
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.
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.
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".
Though he claimed to having been always spiritual, he reconnected with his Islamic faith through
a "religious awakening" at the age of sixteen.
Yusuf self-produced and released his debut album "Al-mu’allim" at the age of 23.
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 and 2004, a primarily percussive album comprising eight tracks.
The radiant cube and purple background of the album cover symbolized "the light of the
Prophetic message illuminating the darkness of the night".
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 seven million copies worldwide.
Believing that music can be a "powerful medium to promote ideas and establish dialogue within
society", 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".
Though the album was described as a "project to define British Muslim identity" 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.
Redirecting the current of Muslim music through his songs and professionally produced music
videos, Yusuf had "unintentionally" cultivated grounds for a fresh genre of music coined
"Islamic Pop" 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.
When asked if he was Sunni or Shia, Yusuf replied "I'm Muslim" ".
(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" 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.
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".
Considered a breakthrough album, 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.
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".
Yusuf's music video featuring the Afghan folklore "Hasbi Rabbi" became a regional hit in Egypt,
and was used to launch Vodafone Egypt’s value-added-service platform Vodafone Live.
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", Yusuf emphasized that he was not
a "preacher", rather a musician with a message 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".
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.
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.
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".
(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".
Sami Yusuf subsequently stated on his official website that this album was released without
his knowledge or consent, and is a compilation of demos and sketches with a quality inferior
to his normally high standards.
He has called for fans to boycott it.
However as of April 2009 Awakening Records continues to feature the album prominently
on the Sami Yusuf part of its website, saying that the album is "a complete and high quality
album" consisting of "11 professionally recorded tracks", and that " Sami Yusuf is signed exclusively
to Awakening Records for five albums."
In mid-2009, he signed a five-album contract with the UK-based record label ETM International.
(2009 – 2012) – Wherever You Are Pre-Release In July 2009, Yusuf was awarded an honorary
Doctor of LetteOrs degree in recognition of his "extraordinary contributions to the field
of music" by Roehampton University in southwest London.
Earlier in the year, he was selected to serve as the first Global Ambassador of HH Sheikha
Moza Bint Nasser’s initiative, 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".
Ranked in the "Top 500 Influential Muslims of 2009 ", 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".
Yusuf released his video single, "You Came To Me," in four languages in the summer of
2009.
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.
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".
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.
It was also listed as another key track by Rolling Stone magazine.
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".
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.
The song was featured on a short film by the United Nations Office for Coordination of
Human Affairs 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.
The lyrics are in English and Arabic.
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.
(2009–2012) Wherever You Are: "New Chapter" and"Spiritique"
Performing live in the Maida Vale Studios, 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".
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.
"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".
With the exceptions of songs like "No Word is Worthy", "You Came To Me" and "Salaam"
the 12 track-set album purposely draws less upon religious content leaving room for interpretation
for listeners of all backgrounds.
Yusuf maintains, however, that it follows the "same principles and ingredients [of]
honesty, [and] sincerity".
Introducing the album in its official trailer as a "mini diary of events" 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".
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".
British singer-songwriter Conner Reeves and Turkish singer Sezen Aksu also collaborated
with Yusuf in the track "Without You".
"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.
"Fragile World", Yusuf’s admittedly own favorite track, is reflective of the "dark"
experiences he underwent throughout the years.
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".
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, plus an upcoming
European tour scheduled for spring 2011.
In Late 2011, ETM began distributing with Sony Music Malaysia with Sami Yusuf's album
"Wherever you are".
The video for "In Every Tear He Is There" has been released and that for "Make Me Strong"
was released on 6 April 2012.
(2012-present) Release of "Salaam" Yusuf's fourth and latest album was released
in December 2012.
The physical version was released on 22 December, while the digital version was released later,
on 24 December.
In June 2013 it was announced through the media that Sami Yusuf had signed an exclusive
worldwide publishing deal with independent music publishers Fairwood Music Ltd.
Notable tours and concert performances Packing venues in Faruma Arena, Denmark, Grugahalle
in Germany, and De Doelen in Netherlands, Yusuf introduced his forthcoming album, "Wherever
You Are".
Sami Yusuf has visited Turkey, UAE, and Qatar to promote "Wherever You Are".
Acclaim and recognition "Islam’s Biggest Rock Star" – Time Magazine
"Biggest Star in the Middle East" – Guardian "King of Islamic Pop" – Al-Jazeera
IOL Star of 2009 500 Most Influential Muslims in 2009
BBC’s 30 More Famous Britons First Global Ambassador of Silatech
Doctor of Letters Award – Roehampton University 500 Most Influential Muslims in 2010
Collaborations Outlandish – Try Not to Cry, I’ve Seen
Hamza Robertson - Your Beauty Erkan Mutlu – Wherever You Are
Sezen Aksu – Wherever You Are Ian Brown – Wherever You Are
Conner Reeves – Wherever You Are Siti Nurhaliza – Salaam
Charity work and humanitarian initiatives Charity Event for Disabled Children – Cairo,
Egypt Evening of Inspiration – Islamic Relief/UK
Tour Evening of Inspiration – Islamic Relief/US
Tour Wembley Arena – UK
Agape Children’s Orphanage concert – South Africa
Telethon Fundraiser for Gaza Gaza Rally – Istanbul, Turkey
First global ambassador of Silatech "Hear Your Call" – Save the Children, Pakistan
"I’m Your Hope" "In Every Tear, He Is There" – Haiti, South
Africa Discography
Al-Mu`allim My Ummah
Wherever You Are Salaam
The Centre Soundtracks & compilations
Supplication – Adapted in The Kite Runner Asma Allah
Palestine Forever Hear Your Call
I’m Your Hope The Source
Forgotten Promises The Rough Guide To Arabic Revolution
Music videos Al-Mu’allim – Dir.
Hani Osama Supplication – Dir.
Hani Osama Hasbi Rabbi – Dir.
Hani Osama Mother – Dir.
Hani Osama Munajat
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 – Dir.
Daniyal Noorani I’m Your Hope – Dir.
Kareem Shaaban Forgotten Promises - Dir.
Siros Kerdouni Make Me Strong – Dir.
Jacob Viit Kusk It's A Game – Dir.
Jorge Bompart All I need
Wherever You Are | Acoustic - Arabic − Dir.
Siros Kerdouni Wherever You Are | Acoustic - Farsi − Dir.
Siros Kerdouni References
External links Sami Yusuf's Official Website
Sami Yusuf's Official Music Publisher