Aar Maanta moved from his native Somalia to the UK in the late 1980's due to the civil war. As a lone child in a new country he turned to music for comfort absorbing many genres including pop, rock, hip hop, RnB and house. He now produces an eclectic mix of styles blended with traditional Somali music. Aar Maanta's first notable performance was in July 2006 at Rise: London United the UK's largest multi-cultural festival. He played alongside Graham Coxon, Common, The Wailers, Buzzcocks, The Duke Spirit, and Roy Ayers. Aar Maanta has since worked with many different acts including Algerian Raï singer Abdelkader Saadoun, UK hip hop group Choong Family and Somali singer Maryam Mursal. Frustrated by the "lack of modern original Somali music", Aar Maanta produced his own album with original songs. In 2009 his debut album Hiddo & Dhaqan was released, featuring songs such as "Asalamu Alaykum", "Saafi", and "Dhadhami". Aar Maanta is described by young British Somalis as "the voice of our generation" because his songs discuss a range of issues that Somalis face.
