Doha: Sami Yusuf, a British singer and songwriter, announced the official launch of his fourth studio album “Salaam” at a press conference here yesterday.
He will also hold a concert at the Katara Amphitheatre on December 6, which he says will be the “best concert” he has ever done. The launch of the album, which is produced by UK-based record label ETM International, will be celebrated by an album signing and meet with the fans at the Virgin Megastores, Villaggio on November 30 at 7pm.
Yusuf, who has a background in classical, traditional and modern music, said at the conference that over the past 10 years, the market of spiritual music has grown.
“There was a time when you would never see anything spiritual on the television. Spirituality was never reflected. What we did 10 years ago, without making it sound melodramatic, was a revolution in brining spirituality into the mainstream,” Yusuf said.
Katara is also hosting auditions for local singers and instrumentalists before the concert, who will get to perform at the concert upon selection. Applicants of any age can apply online through the Katara website, however, those interested must be able to perform one of Sami Yusuf’s songs, either vocally or by playing an instrument.
Yusuf said that in the past he was invited to different reality TV shows, and he had to politely say no to them because he felt that it had created decadence, and made “music cheap”. The registration for the auditions will take place from 10am to 11am at the Drama Theatre Building 16, Katara on December 1. All successful applicants will receive free tickets to the concert and winners will be announced the following day of the auditions.
“Sami Yusuf has worked effortlessly to make spiritual music relevant to youth across the globe and we are excited to host him at Katara,” Darwish Ahmed, Acting Director of Cultural Affairs at Katara said.
Tickets to the concert are available at the Virgin Megastore during store operating hours (from 9:30am – 10:30pm) at Landmark and Villaggio. They can also be purchased online at www.virginmegastore.me. The Peninsula