Sami Yusuf

Sami Yusuf (born 21 July 1980) is a British singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and composer.

Sami Yusuf was born Siyamak Radmanesh on 21 July 1980 in Tehran to Azerbaijani parents.

His grandparents are from Baku, Azerbaijan, from which they left for Iran when it was captured by the Bolsheviks following World War I.

Yusuf and his parents later arrived in Ealing, West London, in the early 1980s, after the Islamic Revolution in Iran.

From an early age, Yusuf showed great interest in music.

He was influenced by the wide range of musical genres available to him in Ealing, immersing himself especially in Western classical music and Middle Eastern music.

He learned the piano and violin as well as traditional instruments including the oud, setar, and tonbak.

At the age of 16, Yusuf experienced a spiritual revival that made him become a "more committed Muslim".

He gained international attention with the release of his debut album, Al-Muʽallim, in 2003.

In 2003, although considering pursuing a career in law, he produced and released his first album.

It quickly became an international success and launched Yusuf's professional music career.

Yusuf studied music as a composition student at the prestigious Royal Academy, as well as at Salford University in north-west England.

In 2003, Yusuf released his debut album, Al-Muʽallim, an album that he produced, wrote, and performed.

Its feature song, Al-Mu'allim, became a hit in the Middle East, North Africa, and South-East Asia, topping the charts in Egypt and Turkey for twelve consecutive weeks, selling millions of copies worldwide and reaching a diverse audience.

The last track of the album, Supplication, was used in the Golden-Globe award-nominated film, The Kite Runner.

Yusuf garnered increased worldwide recognition following the release of his second album, My Ummah, in 2005.

The album, using both Eastern and Western sounds, utilised wide-ranging musical instrumentation.

Considered a breakthrough album, it sold over four million copies globally and was well received, particularly by young people, who identified closely with the themes of Yusuf's lyrics.

Yusuf left Awakening Records following a controversy over Without You, an album that he claimed was released without his knowledge or consent.

Wherever You Are, Yusuf's third official album, was released in March 2010.

Rolling Stone called the album "beautifully produced".

With its release, Yusuf welcomed what he termed a "new chapter" in his professional career and music.

Yusuf's fourth album, Salaam, was released in December 2012.

Within four months of its launch it achieved platinum status in Southeast Asia and was the best-selling album in the Middle East and North Africa.

The album includes the song "Hear Your Call," composed by Yusuf to call attention to the situation of people who are affected by natural disasters.

In recognition of his philanthropy, in 2014, Yusuf was appointed United Nations Global Ambassador for the World Food Programme.

The Centre was released in 2014 and is a collection of 13 songs in which Yusuf hopes his listeners will find inspiration to seek their individual spiritual centres.

It is a new sound that has multicultural influences, employing traditional as well as contemporary Middle Eastern, North African, and European poetry, instrumentation, and melodies.

Yusuf's sixth album, Songs of the Way, was released in January 2015.

All lyrics are by the noted philosopher Seyyed Hossein Nasr and are from his books of poetry, Poems of the Way and The Pilgrimage of Life.

Except for two tracks in Persian and Arabic, the songs are in English.

He has sold over 34 million albums as of 2016.

Besides English, Yusuf has performed in Arabic, Kurdish, Azerbaijani, Persian, Turkish, Punjabi, as well as, Urdu, sometimes in the same work, as was the case with his hit, Hasbi Rabbi. His work is marked by blending different musical styles and genres, including elements from Sufi, folk, and Rock music.

He used his multilingual and multi-instrumentalist style to address social, spiritual, and humanitarian issues.

Barakah, Yusuf's seventh album, was released in February 2016 by Andante Records.

It is the result of extensive research into the traditional music and poetry contained in the album.

Yusuf said it is his musical response to the increasing chaos and noise of today's world, and his wish is that these music and lyrics offer a window onto an inner oasis of peace and harmony.

The song "Mast Qalandar" from Barakah reached #1 on World Music charts on iTunes and BBC Music.

As of 2020, he has released eight studio albums, five live albums and one compilation album.

His studio albums were mostly released by Andante Records, with the first two being released by Awakening Records.