Awakening records sami yusuf biography

Sami Yusuf, the star of the recent Muslim charity concert for Darfur, sings to the glory of Allah, but insists he is not a religious artist.

Largely unknown here in the country where he grew up, the 27-year-old has become a huge star in the Muslim world, selling millions of records, and dubbed “Islam’s biggest rock star” by Time magazine.

On Sunday evening he topped the bill at A Concert for Peace in Darfur at London’s Wembley Arena, dubbed a “Muslim Live 8” by some commentators after the anti-poverty global charity concerts in July 2005.

Yusuf was born in Iran but brought up in England, and his music combines oriental melodies with influences including hip hop, while he switches between Arabic or English in his singing.

In his music videos he seems as at home in a London bus – where he can be seen respectfully giving his place up to an old lady – as playing to pupils in a Koranic school in front of the Taj Mahal or by the Pyramids