Omar Souleyman facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Omar Souleyman |
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Omar Souleyman performing at Perth International Arts Festival in 2011
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Omar Almasikh |
| Also known as | Omar Souleyman |
| Born | 1966 Ras al-Ayn, al-Hasakah, Syria |
| Origin | Tell Tamer, al-Hasakah, Syria |
| Genres |
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| Occupation(s) | |
| Instruments | Vocals |
| Years active | 1994–present |
| Labels |
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Omar Almasikh, known as Omar Souleyman (عمر سليمان), is a singer from Syria. He was born in 1966. He started his music career in 1994 by singing at weddings. Since then, he has released many albums and performed all over the world. He is famous for his modern take on traditional dabke music.
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Early Life and Musical Roots
Omar Souleyman was born in a village called Ras al-Ayn. This village is close to the border between Syria and Turkey. He grew up in the city of Tell Tamer.
He began his career as a part-time singer at weddings in his home area, al-Hasakah Governorate. He has shared that his music is influenced by the many different cultures around him. He mentioned that Arabs, Kurds, Assyrians, and even Turkish and Iraqi cultures have shaped his unique style.
Omar Souleyman's Music Career
Omar Souleyman started his professional music journey in 1994. He worked with several musicians who still perform with him today. Over 500 albums have been released under his name. Most of these were recordings from weddings. These recordings were often given as gifts to the newly married couple. People would then copy and sell them in local shops.
His music has a special sound. It mixes traditional Middle Eastern tunes with electronic beats. He uses keyboards that make a wavering sound, and his vocals are deep and powerful.
In October 2013, he released a new album called Wenu Wenu. This album was put out by a UK music company called Ribbon Music.
Collaborations and Big Performances
Omar Souleyman has performed at many famous music festivals around the world.
- In 2011, he appeared at the Glastonbury Festival in England.
- He also performed at Chaos in Tejas in Austin, Texas, in June 2011.
- In August 2011, he played at the Paredes de Coura Festival in Portugal.
- He was chosen by the musician Caribou to perform at the ATP Nightmare Before Christmas festival in December 2011.
He has also worked with other well-known artists.
- In 2011, he created three remixes for Björk's album Biophilia. These remixes can be found on the second disc of her "Crystalline Series."
- In 2013, he worked with British music producer Four Tet on his album Wenu Wenu.
- They worked together again on his 2015 album, Bahdeni Nami.
In December 2013, Omar Souleyman performed at the Nobel Peace Prize Concert in Oslo, Norway. This was a very special event.
He continued to perform at major festivals:
- In June 2014, he played at The Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival in Manchester, Tennessee.
- In July, he performed at Roskilde Festival in Denmark.
- He also played at the Mostly Jazz, Funk and Soul Festival in Birmingham, UK.
- He performed at One Love Festival in Istanbul in June 2014.
- In August 2014, he played at Pukkelpop Festival in Belgium.
- Later that summer, on August 31, he performed at the Electric Picnic festival in Ireland.
- He also played at Treefort Music Festival in Boise, Idaho, in March 2015.
- In October 2017, he performed at Bristol's SimpleThings festival.
Personal Life and Home
Omar Souleyman lived in Turkey starting in 2011. This was because of the Syrian civil war, which greatly affected his home region. While in Turkey, he helped set up a free bakery in the border town of Akçakale. This bakery provided food for families in need from Turkey and for Syrian refugees.
In 2022, he moved to Erbil in Iraqi Kurdistan. He even named his 2024 album "Erbil" after the city.
Music Albums
Here are some of the albums Omar Souleyman has released:
- 2006: Highway to Hassake
- 2009: Dabke 2020
- 2010: Jazeera Nights
- 2011: Haflat Gharbia - The Western Concerts
- 2011: Leh Jani
- 2013: Wenu Wenu
- 2015: Bahdeni Nami
- 2017: To Syria, with Love
- 2019: Shlon
- 2024: Erbil
See also
In Spanish: Omar Souleyman para niños
