| Outlandish | |
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Outlandish Performing in 2009. |
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| Background information | |
| Origin | Brøndby, Københavns Amt, Denmark |
| Genres | Hip-hop |
| Years active | 1997–present |
| Labels | Sony Music Entertainment RCA Victor Europe |
| Associated acts | Native Deen, Sami Yusuf, Seven8Six, Mintman |
| Website | www.outlandmoro.com |
| Members | |
| Waqas Ali Qadri Isam Bachiri Lenny Martinez |
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Outlandish is a multi-award–winning hip-hop group based in Denmark. Formed in 1997, it consists of Isam Bachiri (born in Denmark and of Moroccan background), Waqas Ali Qadri (born in Denmark and of Pakistani background), and Lenny Martinez (born in Honduras and is of Cuban and Honduran descent). All three members are religious, with Isam and Waqas being Muslims and Lenny being Catholic. The band members live in Brøndby Strand.
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Outlandish's hip-hop/R&B/soul music sound takes influences from their various backgrounds (Moroccan/Arab/Amazigh, Pakistani/Punjabi and Latin American), and although their songs are primarily in English, they usually feature lyrics in Spanish, Urdu/Punjabi, Danish, and Arabic. Outlandish often include themes about Islam and contemporary issues facing young Muslims in the west in their music, and sometimes their songs define a unique nasheed-like urban genre.
Their first single "Pacific to Pacific" was used in connection with an Amnesty International charity event. Next came the single "Saturday Night", a song that was later included on the soundtrack for the Danish film Pizza King.[1] These singles were followed by their debut album, Outland's Official in 2000, which was only released in Denmark. The lead single, "Walou", was later included on their second album Bread & Barrels of Water.
The singles from their second album made bigger impact on the international music charts, including their cover version of Khaled's "Aïcha", which was a #1 hit in Germany and received a lot of airplay across Asia, especially in South Korea.[2] "Guantanamo" also made a strong impression on the European charts.[3] An old Hindi chorus interpolated it "Peelo" made it a hit amongst Indians living in the West.
For their third album, Closer than Veins, the group recorded an English-language cover of León Gieco's's "Sólo le pido a Dios" ("I Only Ask of God").
Closer Than Veins (2005) is Outlandish's third album. The first single was "Look Into My Eyes". The song's lyrics are based on a poem by Gihad Ali, a Palestinian who wrote the piece when she was a teenager; the poem expresses the plight of those suffering from America’s foreign policy with regards to Israel and Palestine. The video is based around the fairy-tale Little Red Riding Hood. It portrays an Israeli soldier as the Wolf and the Palestinian girl, wearing a Kaffiyeh, as Little Red Riding Hood.
This album showcased the group's more mature outlook compared to their previous works. Tracks such as "Just Me" and "Una Palabra" give a rare insight into the life in Europe today as seen through the eyes of ethnic minorities, whereas "Nothing Left To Do" perhaps the most daring and compelling track on the album boldly tackles the still taboo ridden issue of a young Muslim man catching HIV:
Outlandish performed a live percussion version of "Look Into My Eyes" at the "Islamophobia" conference held in Copenhagen, Denmark in May 2006 which was hosted by the Islam Channel and included many theological and political speakers and community leaders. Their club thumping single "Kom Igen" is featured on EA's FIFA 07.
Outlandish included two new (bonus) tracks "In Good Hands" and "Angels Lower Their Wings" on the deluxe version of Closer Than Veins. They were the only Danish act performing at the European MTV Awards 2006, where they also won the prize for Best Danish Act.
Closer than veins is Outlandish's second internally released album after their album Bread & Barrels of Water. With this album Outlandish has become a major band in Europe and has made great inroads in Eastern Europe.
The singles from this album ("Callin' U" ( Produced and played by Mintman ), "Look Into My Eyes" & "I Only Ask of GOD") reached the European charts. In 2006 Outlandish won MTV European music award for their album Closer Than Veins and their single "Look Into My Eyes". BBC featured the band prominently describing it as a unique hip-hop R&B band. In 2007 the deluxe edition of Closer Than Veins released in UK for the first time. The album sold 2.3 million copies worldwide.
The band supported Sami Yusuf along with other nasheed artists at the "Concert for peace in Darfur" held at Wembley Arena in order to raise money for the families of genocide victims in the region.[4]
The trio has participated in the Evening of Inspiration concerts (in aid of Islamic Relief charity) since 2006 and most recently participated in the 2008 concert which also featured Seven8Six, Raihan and Kareem Salama amongst fellow performers.".[5] On 13 July 2008 Outlandish also performed at a concert for IslamExpo in London’s Olympia, Europe’s largest Muslim cultural event.
They also performed at the 2008 Global Peace and Unity event where they performed many of their singles, including Aicha.
Isam Bachiri features on the single "Still Strong" on Native Deen's recent album "Not Afraid To Stand Alone."[6]
Sound of a Rebel, Outlandish's fourth major production, was released on May 11, 2009. The first single released from Sound of a Rebel was Rock All Day.[7] The album is a departure from earlier work in many respects. The religious and social content has been toned down and the album features two collaborations with female vocalists, a first for the group.
The band has recently helped to form an umbrella organization, Music With Meaning, which aims to bring together like-minded artists in order to promote and produce inspirational and meaningful music. Its motto is: "If you stand for nothing, you will fall for anything."
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