Omar Souleyman

Omar Souleyman

Omar Souleyman is a Syrian singer and performer from rural north-eastern Syria who begins his musical career in 1994. He works with a small group of local collaborators who remain with him over time, and his music draws on a wide range of regional traditions, including Syrian dabke, Iraqi choubi, Arabic mawal vocal styles, and Arabic, Kurdish and Turkish influences. His sound combines oud, reeds, baglama saz, backing vocals and percussion with driven keyboard lines and fast rhythms.

He becomes a major figure in Syrian folk-pop and cassette culture, issuing more than five hundred studio and live-recorded cassette albums that are widely available in Syrian cities. His first hit in Syria is “Jani” in 1996, which brings him recognition across the country. His work is later released internationally through Sublime Frequencies, which helps bring him to wider attention outside Syria.

Mahmoud Harbi is a long-time collaborator and writes much of the poetry that Souleyman sings. Together they often perform ataba, a traditional form of folk poetry used in dabke. In performance, Harbi prompts the lyrics while Souleyman delivers them to the audience.

Souleyman’s repertoire mixes classical Arabic vocal forms with high-energy dance music and other regional styles, creating a sound associated with Syria. He and his group perform throughout Syria and also give concerts abroad in Saudi Arabia, Dubai and Lebanon.