Sami Yusuf

Singer. Multi-instrumentalist. Composer. Arranger. Producer. Though they are extensive, listing Sami Yusuf’s talents as a musician can be often be reductive when juxtaposed with his larger-than-life persona. Spawning the term "spiritique" to describe the distinctive amalgam of Western and Middle Eastern sounds, Yusuf’s 2003 debut, Al-Mu’allim, is now a classic, shifting tens of millions of units across the world. He proved that his emotive vocal delivery is an ideal complement to a spiritual message on his sophomore studio effort, My Ummah, painting the words on an intricate instrumental canvas that usually involves piano, violin, oud, saz and daf—played by the singer himself. His repertoire growing with “Healing”, “Mast Qalandar” and “Glorification”, among other hits, he continues to be a source of inspiration for many.