Wüstenschiff

Omar Souleyman was a prolific wedding singer with more than 500 live albums to his name before civil war broke out in Syria in 2011. As his country became increasingly unstable, Souleyman fled to Turkey, where performing for couples tying the knot was no longer an option. Yet he continued to write songs of love and positivity as a welcome distraction from the horrors of war, and in the process found himself something of a star in the west [...] Lyrically, Souleyman’s music explores romance and companionship, themes he sticks to on his new album, Bahdeni Nami. Such universal messages help him to cope with the mounting troubles he sees whenever he returns home, and sees President Bashar al-Assad’s government losing control to Islamic State. “I don’t feel bad or bothered about the way I often sing about love,” he says. “It doesn’t mean I’m speaking about my personal love. I’m including the audience, the wider world. It’s not just about lovers, or love in one specific context. It’s a general understanding of love.” [...] Souleyman is currently in Syria, speaking to me via Skype from his hometown of Ras al-Ayn, near the Turkish border.