Sami Yusuf

In 2003, Yusuf released his debut album, Al-Muʽallim, an album that he produced, wrote, and performed.[17] Its feature song, Al-Mu'allim, became a hit in the Middle East, North Africa, and South-East Asia, topping the charts in Egypt and Turkey for twelve consecutive weeks, selling millions of copies worldwide and reaching a diverse audience.[18][19] The last track of the album, Supplication, was used in the Golden-Globe award-nominated film, The Kite Runner.[20][21]

Yusuf garnered increased worldwide recognition following the release of his second album, My Ummah, in 2005.[22] The album, using both Eastern and Western sounds, utilised wide-ranging musical instrumentation. Considered a breakthrough album, it sold over four million copies globally[23] and was well received, particularly by young people, who identified closely with the themes of Yusuf's lyrics.[18][24]

Yusuf left Awakening Records following a controversy over Without You, an album that he claimed was released without his knowledge or consent.[25]

Wherever You Are, Yusuf's third official album, was released in March 2010. Rolling Stone called the album "beautifully produced".[26] With its release, Yusuf welcomed what he termed a "new chapter" in his professional career and music.[27][17]

Yusuf's fourth album, Salaam, was released in December 2012.[28] Within four months of its launch it achieved platinum status in Southeast Asia and was the best-selling album in the Middle East and North Africa.[29][30][31] The album includes the song "Hear Your Call," composed by Yusuf to call attention to the situation of people who are affected by natural disasters.[31][32][33][34]

The Centre was released in 2014 and is a collection of 13 songs in which Yusuf hopes his listeners will find inspiration to seek their individual spiritual centres.[35][21] It is a new sound that has multicultural influences, employing traditional as well as contemporary Middle Eastern, North African, and European poetry, instrumentation, and melodies.

Yusuf's sixth album, Songs of the Way, was released in January 2015. All lyrics are by the noted philosopher Seyyed Hossein Nasr and are from his books of poetry, Poems of the Way and The Pilgrimage of Life. Except for two tracks in Persian and Arabic, the songs are in English.[36]

Barakah, Yusuf's seventh album, was released in February 2016 by Andante Records.[37] It is the result of extensive research into the traditional music and poetry contained in the album. Yusuf said it is his musical response to the increasing chaos and noise of today's world, and his wish is that these music and lyrics offer a window onto an inner oasis of peace and harmony.[38][39] The song "Mast Qalandar" from Barakah reached #1 on World Music charts on iTunes and BBC Music.[40][41][42][43][44]

According to Yusuf, the new album aims "to respond to the growing extremism in our world with a call for a return to harmony and balance."[45]

Following its release, Yusuf performed in the Dubai Opera in 2016 and released it as a live album.

In 2017, Yusuf performed in New Delhi, India. 4 songs from the performance were released in 2019.

In 2018, Yusuf released his new EP, SAMi, as a side project that grew out of his desire to explore his British musical roots.[46] The song collection, with its accessible sounds and direct lyricism, finds Yusuf's exploring the western sounds emanating from his childhood growing up in London.[47]

SAMi has sold well and topped a number of iTunes charts since its release, and Yusuf says he is grateful and somewhat surprised that he wasn't criticised for the commercial nature of the project.[48]

Yusuf performed in Baku, Azerbaijan, in 2019 (A Timeless Presence) with nine new songs exploring Azerbaijani culture and all instruments except for the piano being Azerbaijani.

In November 2020, Yusuf gave an online concert from his studio at home. He performed his singles "Al Faqir" and "The 99 Names", released in May 2018 and May 2020 respectively.

In late 2021, Yusuf performed at Expo 2020.

Yusuf has said that he plans to release a new album by the name of Ecstasy. While originally planned for 2019, the project was delayed to 2022.

Sami Yusuf has gained widespread popularity throughout the Muslim world for his spiritual music.[61] But artists like him and Maher Zain have faced some opposition from conservative Muslims who deem music impermissible.[61] In 2006, British journalist and convert to Islam Yvonne Ridley wrote an article criticising Yusuf for displaying patriotic sentiments at his concerts and supporting the Metropolitan Police's recruitment of British Muslims, writing that "If he is so proud to be British, why is he living in the great Middle Eastern democracy of Egypt?"[61][62] In response, Sami wrote an open letter extensively discussing his stance on music and the modern art industry in general from both an Islamic jurisprudence perspective and a social one.[63][64] The response was commended by several commentators.[58][63]

In a previous interview, Yusuf described himself as generally apolitical.[58] Later in 2017, he wrote an open letter criticising the Trump Muslim ban. Quoting First they came, Yusuf emphasised solidarity between the Western and Muslim worlds and opposed Trumpism.[65]

• "Islam's Biggest Rock Star" – Time magazine (2006)
• "Biggest Star in the Middle East" – The Guardian (2006)[79]
• "King of Islamic Pop" – Al Jazeera (2007)[80][81]
• IOL Star of 2009 (2009)[82]
• BBC's 30 More Famous Britons (2009)[83]