The great Omar Souleyman, a one-time wedding singer turned global festival sensation and Bjork collaborator, graced the stage at Balenciaga’s exclusive after-party at Paris Fashion Week, attended by the brand’s Creative Director Demna and a litany of others.
This has, in the last day, been oft-reported as ‘a Syrian wedding singer’ without a name attached by the media and a number of viral posts, as if Demna chose a random uncle off the streets of Damascus, and not one of the most respected musicians in the world.
He’s Omar Souleyman. Put some respect on his name. Omar Souleyman.
Watch his Balencaiga performance here:
Omar Souleyman: From Bjork to Balenciaga
Souleyman, who began his career in 1994, has released an estimated 500 albums since then, hails from the small village of Tell Tamer near the Syria-Turkey border. He does often perform at weddings, recording live albums at the ceremony and presenting the CD to the couple after the fact.
His career took a turn in 2011, when the singer started playing festivals internationally, including Glastonbury Festival, ATP Nightmare Before Christmas in the UK and Paredes de Coura in Portugal. That same year, he was recording remixes with Bjork for her Biophilia album.
Two years later, he released the album Wenu Wenu, produced by acclaimed British producer and electronic musician Four Tet, following that up with another in 2015, both of which are excellent.
Since then, he signed with the Diplo-run label Mad Decent and has continued to headline festivals across the world. His most recent album on Mad Decent, Shlon, received universally positive reviews.
Yes, it’s cool that Souleyman played the Balenciaga after-party. Balenciaga, after all, is one of the few luxury brands that truly push the envelope forward, setting trends and experimenting with avant-garde ideas that actually work their way into everyday fashion. Demna is working at the top of his game. And so is Omar Souleyman.
Find more from the great singer here.