A self confessed perfectionist, Sami Yusuf has earned household name status in Turkey all the way to Nigeria and as far as Malaysia by enchanting millions of fans with his uplifting and soulful music.
Trained by various international composers, including some from the Royal Academy of Music, Sami has a thorough understanding of both Western and Eastern traditions. That combination mixed with his British identity enables him to bring to life a beautiful concoction of unique emotions rare in today's day and age. A singer-songwriter and producer, Sami works his magic from the thoughtful composition of a piece right to its grand performance. Known in the family as a child prodigy, Sami had already mastered two ethnic instruments (“Tombak” and “Azeri Tar”) by the age of eight. At present, Sami plays nine instruments – the piano and violin included – at an accomplished level but modestly insists on calling himself a “piano player” rather than a “pianist”.
The Guardian heralded him "perhaps the most famous British Muslim in the world" and Time labeled him "Islam's biggest rock star". He is a delightfully multi talented and a charismatic musician.
Attracting massive audiences worldwide, Sami sings in English, Arabic, Persian, Turkish, Urdu as well as Malay while masterfully performing on several instruments. In July 2009 Sami was also awarded an honorary doctorate by Roehampton University for his “extraordinary contribution to fields including music”. With his devout spiritual artistic talent, Sami is an exemplary icon, encouraging the youth to be proud of their faith, religion and identity. He uses his art to promote the message of peace, unity and tolerance. Sami Yusuf has not only sold an estimated 7 million albums, pulled crowds of over 250,000 people in Turkey, but has also received the public recognition he deserves by being named amongst 2009's 500
most influential Muslims in the world.
Revolutionizing the Islamic music industry as we’ve known it, Sami Yusuf is today a household name amongst 1.6 billion Muslims around the world. Hailed by the Time Magazine as “Islam's biggest rock star”, named by The Guardian “perhaps the most famous
British Muslim” and chosen by Vodafone to be the brand's face in the region -- Sami Yusuf is an internationally celebrated artist.
In 2007, “Supplication”, a track composed and released by Sami in his debut album, was chosen for the soundtrack of “The Kite Runner”, a highly acclaimed movie directed by Oscar winning Marc Forster, which in 2008 was nominated for the Academy Awards, BAFTA and Golden Globe Awards for best music. His latest track “You Came To Me” topped charts for nine consecutive weeks,placing Sami amongst the elite artists of the Middle East, earning
him the title “The King of Islamic Pop” as described by Al Jazeera, as well as generating over 1 million downloads from his official website. Sami’s music has a broad ranging appeal as does his giving personality. Extensively involved in charity work, traveling as far as Darfur, Sami has also helped put together what became known as the Muslim Live 8 concert held at the prestigious Wembley Arena. It was a sold-out event, highly acclaimed by the British government that culminated in a special video message by the then Prime Minister Gordon Brown as a gesture of gratitude. After a two year stint reflecting, traveling and gathering inspiration for his music and lyrics, Sami is now finally ready to reveal his third album entitled "Wherever You Are". Asked what place he calls home, "On a wider and more spiritual level, home is wherever you find love", he answered.