| Kareem Salama | |
|---|---|
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Kareem Salama |
| Born | 1978 (age 33–34) Ponca City, Oklahoma, United States |
| Origin | Ponca City, Oklahoma, United States |
| Genres | Country, Pop |
| Occupations | Singer, Songwriter, Musician |
| Instruments | Vocals, Guitar |
| Years active | 2006–present |
| Labels | LightRain Records |
| Website | kareemsalama.com |
Kareem Salama (Arabic: كريم سلامة; born 1978) is an Egyptian American musician. He is known as the first American Muslim country music singer. His music is a hybrid of country, pop and rock music.[1] He has released 3 albums Generous Peace (2006) This Life of Mine (2007) and a third City of Lights (2011), the latter after signing for LightRain Records.
Contents |
Salama was born in Ponca City, Oklahoma, United States. His parents immigrated to the United States from Egypt in the late 1960s to attend graduate school.[2] Kareem Salama, literally translates to Generous Peace, that he also used as title of his first album. He holds a degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of Oklahoma and a graduate degree in Law from the University of Iowa.
Salama has performed in front of wide audiences as far as Rome and London. He also took part in a State Department European concert tour, performing in Paris.[3] He has been featured in major media outlets like the New York Times, Christian Science Monitor, Readers' Digest, Fox News, Sky News and France 24. Salama was also invited to dinner at the White House where he met President Barack Obama who said to Salama "You can sing!". In October 2008, he also performed at the Global Peace and Unity Event.[4][5]
After the success of the first two self-released albums Generous Peace and This Life of Mine, Salama is now working on his first mainstream worldwide release during 2011 through LightRain Records to which he is signed. Kareem continues to work with friend and producer Aristotle Mihalopoulos as well as producers Rich Whiting and Dan Workman (whose credits include artists such as Beyonce and Clay Walker).
"Generous Peace EP" is his debut single, with fully remastered version of the original recording from the album. The main track in English is seconded by a blingual English / Arabic rendition with additional refrain in Arabic.
Salama also embarked on a Middle East tour in summer 2010.[6] visiting Egypt, Morocco, Syria, Jordan, Kuwait and Bahrain. Upon his return, he has released two music videos, the promotional "Makes Me Crazy" and the official release "Be Free Now" featuring Kelley Peters.
Salama never planned on making a music album, but in his household the rule was “if the opportunity is available and your heart inclines towards something, then don’t be afraid to give it a try.” This philosophy led Salama to begin song-writing as a way to memorize classical western poems like John Donne’s “A Valediction Forbidding Mourning”.
With his parent's encouragement and financial assistance, both American-trained engineers, Salama began recording his first album while in law school with Greek-American producer, Aristotle Mihalopoulos. Salama says of Mihalopoulos: "Initially, Aristotle and I met for the sole purpose of making music but his friendship has become more valuable to me than any material success I may find in the music world. The bond I made with Aristotle and his family confirmed that good comes from listening to the good inspiration in my heart; even it is not the good you may have set out to reach."
Salama was born and raised in a small town at the edge of Green Country in Oklahoma. He has memorized classical western poetry and classical Arabic poetry. He enjoys boxing and riding horses. But perhaps most interestingly this son of Egyptian immigrants is a singer/songwriter with a country and pop flare.
While in school, Salama made time to work on his music with a friend and producer Aristotle Mihalopoulos. Salama says that his music is inspired by a variety of things including his own experiences, experiences of friends and family, and things that he reads. As a result of growing in Oklahoma Salama was around country music from the time he was very young and is attracted to the stories and the reverent nature of country music.[7]
Salama highlights universal themes about love, home and family values. His songs are spiritual, without being overtly religious.[8] One inspired by the writings of an eighth-century Islamic scholar, Imam Muhammed Al-Shafi’ee, endorses the idea of tolerance and avoiding violence in his debut single "Generous Peace": “Gentleman, I’m like incense, the more you burn me, the more I'm fragrant.”
The WitWits is a television youth project and is a LightRain Records presentation in association with Zenfilm. It is co-written by Kareem and Omar Salama, directed by W. Ross Wells and produced by Meridith Melville and Brittany Holland. The WitWits is about four kids, Kelly Ann (Alicia Lore), Super K (Caleb Duncan), Spencer (Austin Karkowsky), and Dougie (Grant Goodman) and their adventures in the 1980s, particularly in facing their nemesis, Rodney (Connor Jones). The project includes various television episodes, theatrical music videos as well as musical releases including promotional materials, singles with their debut "Radio Countdown" and a prospective album.[9][10] The WitWits have also taken part in three release features by Kareem Salama, in "Makes Me Crazy", a promotional song for the project, "Be Free Now" featuring Kelley Peters with appearances of all the kids and "1980 Something" a long video featuring The WitWits in musical as well as theatrical presentation.
Salama has released three albums thus far:
| Generous Peace | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Studio album by Kareem Salama | ||||
| Released | 2006 | |||
| Recorded | 2006 | |||
| Genre | Country | |||
| Kareem Salama chronology | ||||
|
||||
| This Life of Mine | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Studio album by Kareem Salama | ||||
| Released | 2007 | |||
| Recorded | 2007 | |||
| Genre | Country | |||
| Kareem Salama chronology | ||||
|
||||
| City of Lights | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Studio album by Kareem Salama | ||||
| Released | 24 May 2011 | |||
| Recorded | 2010 | |||
| Genre | Country | |||
| Label | LightRain Records | |||
| Kareem Salama chronology | ||||
|
||||
| "Generous Peace" | ||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by Kareem Salama | ||||||||||||||||||||
| from the album Generous Peace | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Released | 7 December 2009 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Format | EP, Digital download, Radio | |||||||||||||||||||
| Recorded | 2006 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Genre | Country | |||||||||||||||||||
| Kareem Salama singles chronology | ||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||
Tracklist:
| "Makes Me Crazy" | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by Kareem Salama | ||||||||||
| from the album City of Lights | ||||||||||
| Released | 17 January 2011 | |||||||||
| Recorded | 2010 | |||||||||
| Genre | Pop, Rock | |||||||||
| Length | 3:29 | |||||||||
| Label | LightRain Records | |||||||||
| Kareem Salama singles chronology | ||||||||||
|
||||||||||
Tracklist:
| "Be Free Now" | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by Kareem Salama feat. Kelley Peters | ||||||||||
| from the album City of Lights | ||||||||||
| Released | 20 March 2011 | |||||||||
| Recorded | 2010 | |||||||||
| Genre | Pop, Rock | |||||||||
| Length | 4:02 | |||||||||
| Label | LightRain Records | |||||||||
| Kareem Salama singles chronology | ||||||||||
|
||||||||||
Tracklist: